Race Reports:
James Armitage:
It was very windy. Lev was crewing for me. We took down our mainsail and completed the course. Alex, Jane and Tim also started but they all retired, so we were the only finisher.
Alex Pape:
From what I could see, all started in
very blustery conditions. I ended up in the trees on the ait within
the first minutes (was recovered by Rob C/Dave and then retired on the
Surrey bank until safety boat was back in sight, then proceeded back
to Kew Bridge with bare mast, and clearly confused Michael in passing
the finish along the way). Jane progressed up to near John’s Boatyard
end of the ait and then met the trees as well, eventually working
herself free under own power but also retiring on the Surrey Bank. Tim
capsized somewhere by Brentford Dock and was recovered by the safety
boat.
very blustery conditions. I ended up in the trees on the ait within
the first minutes (was recovered by Rob C/Dave and then retired on the
Surrey bank until safety boat was back in sight, then proceeded back
to Kew Bridge with bare mast, and clearly confused Michael in passing
the finish along the way). Jane progressed up to near John’s Boatyard
end of the ait and then met the trees as well, eventually working
herself free under own power but also retiring on the Surrey Bank. Tim
capsized somewhere by Brentford Dock and was recovered by the safety
boat.
Rob Collingwood:
The day was bright, sparkling and very breezy. On the reach past Brentford the force-5 SW wind kicked up steep 2 ft waves over a powerful spring tide.
Tacking was not easy and both Jane and Alex were swept into the lee shore trees on the Brentford islands by the tide. Where they got fairly properly stuck. While they were working out how to disentangle themselves without the cooperation of either wind , tide or rescue boat, the race continued without them. James seemed to have an encounter with the Kew shore roughly opposite the Brentford dock flats, no doubt completely intentional, which ended up with him and Lev resuming the race in prudent mode, tacking up the river under jib alone. Tim was having none of that and heroically battled on under full sail in the Gull- even resisting the temptation to furl his rolling jib. He gained a useful lead on James at one sweet point but then reality intervened and he had to accept that the odds against him were overwhelming, so he turned his back on the wind to attempt a stormy run home against the surging tide. The rescue boat crew suggested James turn for home round the Syon rowing mark which he did without incident. By this time Jane and Alex had got themselves out of trouble and retired while Tim did the opposite, and was now swimming calmly around the upturned hull of his inverted gull. After the centreboard had dropped into its slot the rescue boat crew had the usual struggle to right the boat, drifting almost up to Syon house in the process . Finally the two gulls and Alex’s boat were in tow and everybody steamed for home, completely forgetting to collect the patient OD Michael Somerville from the finish line. We hope he will arrive home safely in due course.
Race Results:
