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Update May 27th & 28th COACHING AND MINI-OLYMPICS
Sat am Coaching A dozen “improving” soloists gathered for an hour’s chat followed by a session on the water with Tim and Tracy Jacobs in two ribs. Apparently they had a very exhausting time doing lots of starts and gybing round leeward marks. Students included Melvyn who obviously needed the practise as he was the only one to fall in in the last race of the Spring Series. It was actually blowing quite hard again by afternoon; only six ventured out and seemingly Melvyn just got blown over on the reach - much to his surprise.
On shore, Francis and Jane had a great time - in-between trolleying - sawing up sleepers and nails in order to make some more boat parking space behind the mirrors. Cameron did a bit of Granny bashing but unfortunately mislaid the very nice claw hammer that he had been using. The hammer is part of Jane’s orange tool set and if anyone should find it .................
Sunday MINI - OLYMPICS Roy Barnes with Marie and Brian Carpenter were the race team for this event in Roy’s new boat MUTOLI. Melvyn loaded the buoys onto a rib for us and the course was set by NW Pilsey. Unfortunately, the oppies had the best spot which meant we were rather more in the tide than was preferable. This tended to make the beats rather one sided and anyone who wasn’t lucky (or clever) enough to get away at the start didn’t have much chance of getting any clear wind. The marks were adjusted according to changes in the wind direction with the wing mark and occasionally also the windward mark nestling elusively in the moored boats. This didn’t stop the main bunches of the 22 competitors arriving at much the same time with assorted tangles. Jane and Barry managed to raft up to the windward mark in one race incurring various remarks - whilst in the third race Steph and Jerry had a rather more disastrous incident which, unfortunately, produced some damage to both boats.
Roy worked very hard but had an exceedingly difficult time recording finishes on the run - so this should be born in mind for future events - but is was definitely a good idea to finish on the pin end!
Despite a poor first lap, Tony Catchpole used his navigational skills to sail round the fleet to take line honours in Race 1. Melvyn Cooper scrambled to the lead to win Race 2. Tim Randall then decided to take note of all the excellent advice he had given to the fleet during his coaching session the previous day, and won the last two races.
After the racing, Speedy Nick - he of the “Thou shalt not have a hooked finish” - who had been sailing his 700 anyhow, kindly rushed over and helped Barry sort out the results in record time.
Gifts were handed out to Tim and Tracy for their coaching efforts and to the first five prize winners - in ascending order:- Paul Childs (latest newcomer), Melvyn, Robert Hack, David Sayce, Tim.
Update May 21st. (Saturday blown off again)
TYLER TROPHY 2006 GOES AWAY AGAIN! (But we do now have a picture of it)
Racing Sponsored in this 50th Anniversary Year of the Solo by ROOSTER SAILING
Due the frightful forecast not many visitors turned up for this event and some of those that did went home before the briefing! Ian Barnett from Chichester was obliged to come as he still had the trophy from last year. There was no sign of the rock stars who had booked to come and train on Friday!
Hayling Solo Fleet is justifiably proud of this peculiar, very tatty, three handled pewter trophy as it is the only cup at the club which has been consistently sailed for since its presentation in 1961.
With winds gusting up to 23 knots, and more promised, and wild seas out in the bay, RO Mark Woods combined with the RO, Roger Palmer, for the RYA Ladies Racing and decided to hold both events on one course inside the harbour, thus making best use of the Club’s seven allocated rescue boats. As the wind was southerly, they were able to lay a very satisfactory, L-shaped course, despite the dead low water, providing a good beat, two reaches and a run per lap. The first two races consisted of two laps but the RO took pity as the wind hit 30 knots and the third was just one lap.
Ten boats from Hayling and two visitors braved the conditions and duly arrived on the start line up by ‘Channel’ buoy for the first race. Speedy Nick reached the first mark first. Melvyn took the lead on the first run and although Paul then had water on him on the leeward mark, managed to keep ahead as he did a better gybe. Paul kept his end up by carrying Nick on too far past the layline for the windward mark. Steve Jones from Littleton was also well up in this race.
In the second race Paul rounded the first mark first but then capsized, rather spectacularly, on the first reach and had major problems – probably because he was cold. He was only wearing shorts and a spray jacket, all his gear having been stolen out of his car that morning in Southampton! Ian was now in front with Melvyn succeeding in fighting off Nick at the leeward mark. Sarah Mitchell bought it on the run and despite trying to get the boat up very slowly, it rolled over on her five times. Two others also called it a day after finishing the second race, leaving eight stalwarts to start the last race.
For this race the tide had turned so the fleet split to either side of the channel. Melvyn and Ian battled up the Mengham side but Nick had it to himself up the Thorney side and arrived at the first mark first. On the run Ian went deep, did a slightly wobbly gybe and ended up to leeward of Nick who then carried him on to over-stand the windward mark. Meanwhile, John Rees had worked his way up into third position. On the last run Steph – all 10 st of her - rolled into windward in slow motion, had two goes at getting upright and gallantly sailed on to finish in 10th position overall.
The racing in all three races was extremely close with Nick having a 1st and 3rd and Melvyn and Ian both having a 1st and a 2nd. The Trophy winner thus had to be decided on the last race and, much to Melvyn's disgust, Ian went home with it yet again!. John was 4th and Steve Jones 5th
After tea, with a Jane’s special decorated Anniversary Cake, came the prize giving with the usual nice glasses from the club and lots of goodies from ROOSTER SAILING which were handed out all the way down the fleet. Ian very kindly made a speech thanking everybody from the club for helping to run the event.
PS Proper Cake made for this event will be kept for June 11th as there weren’t enough people to eat it
Update May 13th - 14th. SOLO COACH WINS 2nd PENNANT & GERALD BELL TROPHY
Saturday. This was an all male event - (Steph had gone to Felpham for a training session!) - with 16 Solos going out but quite a few coming in early. There were a few problems with the gusts of 23 knots and the ripping tide, especially around the gybe mark where Barry fell in, but recovered. Tim’s rudder down haul parted but David Biddle had his rudder fixed with a pin. This was possibly not a good idea as the half of the Sargasso sea that he collected slowed him down enough for Barry to catch him up and overtake him just as he also fell in, possibly to facilitate clearing his rudder! Peter Best seemed to have more problems with weed at the top of his mast than on his rudder. Despite the conditions, the racing was very close all the way round and David Sayce only managed to pass Melvyn very near the finish. John Rees was 3rd in his just launched new Winder and speedy Nick was 4th - we gather he is concentrating on the Solo for this Pennant at least.
Sunday was not so breezy but dull and cold with the wind from the SE. Still, 20 Solos went out with the two Roberts only doing the one race. Richard Brett got a bit dispirited having gone the wrong way up the beat, so came in early in the second.
In the first race, James Gaskell, racing for the first time this season, was all set for a perfect start at 10 seconds, but then ran out of line. Rob did an even worse start but from his last position was able to see that the whole fleet was over standing the first mark so tacked sooner and very satisfyingly made up 12 - 14 places, arriving 2nd at the 1st mark! The finishing order was:- Tony, Tim, David Sayce, Rob Eastwood and Nick, so the final result was all dependent on the 2nd race.
Tim, meanwhile, having replaced his rudder down haul overnight and finished it with a not-big-enough knot, spent time in between the races putting in another, bigger, but still not-big-enough knot!
Melvyn, having retired from the 1st race, led the 2nd all the way around until the last run, where he gybed too soon and allowed Tim to get an overlap on the last mark. David S made up from 7th to 3rd when he realised that the tide had changed and reacted accordingly. However, he was then pipped on the line by speedy Nick. David Mosely arrived 3rd at the first mark but had trouble with the fluky conditions and then hit the last mark. Trevor admitted to doing exceptionally badly and Bill said “Bsst” or letters to that effect, about his performance.
Due to the fact of the Solos having 26 boats out altogether- twice as many as the next fleet - the 700s - they were allotted three prizes. 1st Tim, 2nd David, 3rd Melvyn, and Tim wins the Gerald Bell Trophy to be presented at our prize giving in the autumn
Trolley Dolly front. Young Julie (Atkinson) has been apprenticed to Chief TD Frances for some while now. Today, however, she earned several brownie points by removing her shoes and wading in to the v. cold water to gather trollies. This means that she will almost certainly be promoted to Deputy TD. She will, however, still need a bit of help. So do make sure that she has your number written down before you drop your sail as she admits to being liable to forgetting it by the time she has run up the beach! Frances says that throwing a trolley painter at a TD allows for a much quicker retrieval and that anyone with no green tag will probably be ignored!
Update May 6th -7th
Saturday - No wind
Sunday - No wind till 12 Noon so several people went home! However, 8-10 knots eventually came in from the sea with some very black clouds, and we had set a zig-zag course round the buoys and out to Calvert. 17 rather keen Solos, including Alison and Fred Mundle for the first time this year (as Martin is now practising with his 505), and also Paul Childs, duly arrived on the start line which didn’t seem to be quite long enough. The General Recall initiated some very loud, snide, remarks from one 700 in the fleet waiting to start next - “They’re all old enough to know better - they have all been around long enough” etc., and we had to wait while they had their start. Well!. Just before their gun, speedy Nick scooted down the line and did a fantastic port end start, while the rest of the fleet, all 6 - 7 of them, hung about for a couple of minutes - in irons - head to wind - lolling about. “What is going on”, we asked. “Haven’t they started - that was their gun - Oh, they have started” !!! Well really - What a laugh!
So we started, in good order, mostly, this time. Those opting for a quiet ride started near the committee boat and got to the first mark about half way down the fleet. From the other end, Tim was well ahead and Chris Atkinson was also up there but held on too far into the beach at Sandy, trapping others inside him and letting Rob Eastwood through into second place. These two held their 1st and 2nd positions whilst others went up and down with close racing all the way through the fleet. Paul eventually came through Melvyn to finish 3rd, but Rob Hack who had also worked his way up, lost out to Tony on the last tack and ended up 6th. Jerry Hack deserves a mention, not least for helping Jane pull her boat up, but for gradually making his way up the fleet, much to his satisfaction. He reckons he is possibly, finally, getting out of Laser mode.
And we have yet another new Soloist, with however, not a very new Solo. Ivan Gardener has rescued the Solo that was left in the car park all last year and is busy refurbishing it. He is in need of various bits!
Update April 29th -30th
Saturday got windier and colder as the start time approached. 20 boats went out but a number came in early, some being put off by the cold and the horrible lumpy seas and others having various disasters. The original, fluky NE F3-4 eventually dwindled to a very shifty 1-2 and the sea flattened but the sun did not come out!
It paid to start at the port end but not to approach the starboard hand buoy on port. Keith did this, arriving first, but had to give way to David and Melvyn. Tony was next followed by Tim, both of whom proceeded to work their way up past the leaders. However, all was won or lost on the last beat in the now fast running ebb. Rounding Sandy, Tony went up the Mengham bank while Tim and Melvyn tacked onto port and got a huge lift over towards the Winner bank. This did not work further down the fleet as those who opted for the Winner side lost 5-6 places to those who held on and got an amazing lee-bow on starboard - if only for a while. So, Tim kept his place ahead of Melvyn while Tony lost out to speedy Nick. Nice to have our Trolley Dolly back in operation, especially on a lee shore!
Sunday - No wind. Race abandoned.
Update April 26th
First Wednesday evening outing and yet another new , very new, Solo arrived on the scene - 4687, sailed by Paul Childs who is of some repute and will lower the average age of the fleet considerably..David McNamara also has Solo 2306 in the park which he is going to share with his wife, Serina.
Update April 22nd - 23rd
Saturday. Despite a forecast of NE 4-5, we had a nice sunny day with a rather fickle S F 2 which dwindled somewhat after the first lap. The start at Channel, with the first mark of Sandy, presented the 15 Solos with the problem of which side! Most of the fleet crossed over on the port tack and battled up the Mengham side. This left Jane, who had started minus watch in the 2nd row and stayed on starboard, on her tod in a nice bit of peace and quiet. Mike and Cliff shortly came back over and crossed in front and then Keith followed behind. These four then crossed back before Fishery and ended up in front of the fleet but behind the rather speedy Nick. This order remained all round Gardener and Mill Rythe where again most of the fleet, except Jane, Keith and Cliff, went up the Mengham side! Keith got well away and both he and Cliff crossed back in front of Nick and Tony with Jane getting caught on port at the mark and having to gybe around so letting past Chris in Banana Split. On the final beat most of the fleet got the message and went up the Thorney side with Trevor catching up fast. Tony got past Nick and Cliff and Jane went ahead of Banana Split when he crossed too early at Fishery, whereas everyone else went on to just understand Sandy.
This was a very nice P course on low water with minimal interference from other fleets.
Sunday dawned drizzly and windless though RO David Mosely tried hard to whistle up some wind and enthusiasm but eventually put up N at about Noon.. Jane and Ted dug all the sand off the west matting and then went and found the rest of the fleet guzzling coffee and dragged them out for a consultation. Barry decided that the level was OK and he would ask Anthony to dredge the sand away from either side in the hopes that it would not blow back!. Everyone then went on a hazel rod hunt and collected up all that could be found, after the various battles that had ensued over the Easter weekend, and stored them all in the Bosun’s yard.
Update April 15th -16th
This was the first of the Pennant Series and produced a very good turnout - a staggering 22 Solos took part.
Saturday was a tricky day. The wind came up to 25 knots before the start as a front came through and half the fleet thought better of it and decided to stay ashore. After half an hour of bouncing up and down in the wind and waves, the race started, with Nick Rawlings (aka the 700 sailor) leading the 7 Solos to the first mark. He was followed by Melvyn Cooper and Tony Catchpole and these three finished in this same order.
Full marks to Steph Dickinson for going out in these conditions and persisting after a capsize on the first beat.
Sunday, and an amazing 20 Solos signed on - a mini open again! There was a light wind initially for the second race of the series and with the first mark set in a strong tide it was easy to overstand so that boats came reaching in from all angles. Nick Rawlings and Robert Hack battled it out at the front until Tim Randall came through on the run to finish first.
For the third race there was a fresher breeze and the overall result was still wide open with Tim, Nick and Melvyn all in the running. However it was Melvyn who led at the first mark and stayed in the lead with Nick chasing hard but to no avail.
Overall, both Nick and Melvyn had a first and second to count, with Melvyn taking the Pennant on the last race to break the tie.
Update April 8th - 9th
Sat Not quite such a windy day and brilliantly sunny, which encouraged 10 boats to go out, several, including the two girls, for the first time this season.. The latter had a good battle, alternating between getting stuck in irons and capsizing!. A big puff at the leeward mark upset Roy and Steph promptly fell in on top of him, and another puff wiped out Ted who decided enough was enough. Nick Rawlings proceeded to the finish unchallenged - again! - pursued by Melvyn, David Sayce and then Tony who had had slight navigational error involving Mid Winner.
Sun Another lovely day with a reasonable strength of wind, which prompted 14 starters, one of whom was Gerald New, one of our latest recruits. This was Tim’s first outing and he demonstrated his continuing expertise in the shifty, holey wind by getting well clear and staying in front all the way. Barry was 2nd at the first mark but after a few entanglements let Melvyn through. Sarah, having got the hang of tacking, came home a delighted 3rd, but admitted to needing a bit more practice in outmanoeuvring 700s around the windward mark! This was a fairly quiet race, the only spectacular event being Tony, unaccountably, doing a boom-up, very loud, ‘splat’, on the run.
Update April 1st - 2nd
Another horrible windy weekend although 6 Soloists braved the SW F 5-6 on Saturday. Ted Gadd and David Colebrook launched for the first time but David understandably decided it was too much and came in. Rob Eastwood challenged Tony up the first beat but Tony gradually pulled away. Barry was observed from the Clubhouse trying out his righting lines, (which he later had to rebuild), but Nick Rawlings, who stomped away from the start, was first round the first mark and romped home unchallenged!
Sunday, only the Oppies went out in the F 5-7 - and the odd Fifteen. Sunday lunch was good and was followed by observations on how the high winds and tides had re-arranged the sand and shingle relative to the mattings and hazel rods!
Update March 25th - 26th
Sat - 6 intrepid soloists braved the wet F 3 Southerly with some rather interesting results. Cliff got off to a good start and gained a satisfactory lead but was eventually caught by Rob Eastwood. Nick Rawlings made his mark in his maiden race in yet another new Winder by working his way up from 5th at the first mark to finish 3rd ahead of Tony Catchpole.
Sun -With many of the Solo fleet in the Race Team, only three went out to search for the start in thick fog! They finally found R.O. Ted Gadd somewhere near Runway and as the clock counted down to the start, the wind died completely, leaving only the eerie sound of the invisible waves crashing on the Winner Bank. Rob Eastwood was the first to discover the first mark, Sandy, but Tony was not about to let him win twice, overtaking him after a battle raging over the next three legs and bravely running much closer to the surf. The S flag was welcomed as the rain started again in earnest.
March18-19th - Blown off!
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