Race report, SGSC v. SBSC 21st September 2025

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SGSC v. SBSC 21st September 2025

OOD: Mary and Henry Brown;   SB: David Baker , Andy Ross

Course: B;   Weather: fine, North 2-4 Beaufort;  Start time: 14:00

On a perfect day for the event, we had 5 visitors from SBSC (Laser, Laser 13, GP14 and 2 Solos) who sailed up with the tide to arrive at around 11:00, in time for a quick lunch in the Bull’s Head, mooring on the slimy foreshore outside the pub.  We had already chosen a B-course because of the predicted north wind, and the fact that a temporary mooring downstream of the Railway Bridge would be more convenient for our visitors.

The first surprise of the day was the unusually large turn-out from SGSC: 11 boats eventually started (3 Enterprises, 4 Lasers, a Leader, a Wayfarer, a Mirror and a Solo).  The OOD had taken the precaution of doubling-up: one to record times so far as possible, the other to simply log each boat for each lap as a check.  And David Jones was also on hand to identify sail numbers.

Dave Baker and Andy had laid the downstream buoy opposite Chiswick Staithe, and the upstream mark was just downstream of the Railway Bridge, in line with the old mooring post.

It was a downwind start, and all started without a recall.  Sam Shemtob (Wayfarer) was late getting to the start but persisted anyway.  From the OOD’s point of view the fleet was out of site until late in the return half.  Joe Armitage was in the lead ahead of his father, James, and followed by Lev Kolobov, then Rob Adams and then Tamir Gotfried, and these five were in the lead throughout.  The first SBSC visitor was Matt Young in a Laser at No. 7.

It was exciting sailing at times with several capsizes and recoveries and the OOD decided to give everyone a generous hour.  Approaching the hour James was bow-and-bow with Joe with Rob close behind followed by Tamir and then Lev.  These five completed five laps, with eight boats completing four laps, and the SBSC Laser 13 and Sam’s Wayfarer on 3 laps.  Ariel Biekark was last to finish in a Solo – he was caught by the turning tide.

So, a spectacular and enjoyable afternoon for all 16 boats on the river, and those watching from the shore, and it was followed by a delicious barbeque, provided by Mary Short and many helpers.

Race Report 7th September 2025

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Race Report 7 September 2025

OOD: Mary Brown, Safety Boat: Henry Brown and Russel Hayes

The race was scheduled as a C-course, then changed to an A because of a possible clash with an upstream sailing club, then as we gathered at the Club it was clear that the tide was not rising, and sure enough, on checking, we found that the Barrier had been closed for its routine September full-tide test closure.  So we decided to race on a B-course – between the Railway Bridge and Chiswick Staithe.

Four boats prepared to sail: James Armitage solo in Zephyr (Enterprise); Rob Adams, also solo in Big Polly(Enterprise); Ben Chappell in Envy (Laser); and Rebecca Hayes in Wagtail (Mirror).  There was a brisk SW wind up the river with the tide blowing, according to the weather app, between 11 and 27knots.  The course was set with the bridge support as the upstream mark, and downstream a buoy was laid opposite Chiswick Staithe.

There was a considerable flow upstream, despite the Barrier closure.  The Thames is mysterious. So the downstream leg was a beat against wind and the river, and the return upstream was a run with the current.  Rob and James were evenly matched on the first lap with James about a minute in the lead at 25 minutes, but they swapped positions several times.  Ben started late and was about 5 minutes behind at the first lap.  Rebecca, unfortunately, never made it to the start line.  She tacked persistently just upstream of the bridge only to be swept back in the dead air under the bridge.  She then grounded on her centreboard causing it some damage and decided to retire.

The second lap ended with James less than 2 minutes ahead of Rob and that was quite enough for single handers in a frisky wind.  And especially for Rob who was recovering from a serious shoulder injury.  Ben capsized at the downstream mark which he recovered elegantly without getting wet above the waist.  This earned him a round of applause from picnickers on the bank but lost him 10 minutes of time at the finish.

Next week we have an A/B course at 18:40.

Race Results 25th August 2025

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David Jones did the OOD honours for an A-course on Bank Holiday Monday, starting at 15:30 in glorious sunshine with a variable breeze from the South. There were four competitors: Andy Ross with Enoch Rodriguez in Comma (Enterprise) – first outing this season ; Lev and Inna Kolobov in Porpoise (Enterprise); Felicia Biekarck and daughter in Chris’ Distant Thunder (Leader); and Sam Shemtob solo in SY2 (Wayfarer). Lev and Felicia had a close race throughout the hour with Felicia in the lead for four laps before being overtaken by Lev for the last two laps. They finished about one minute apart. Andy managed three laps in the same time with Enoch busily bailing throughout, and Sam with a reef in his main brought up the rear in just over one hour. David Baker, from the safety boat, posted some lovely photos on the WhatsApp group.

Next week is an A or B course at 17:40.

Race Results 10th August 2025

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No race report (yet) but all involve posted that they had a good time on the lovely C-course.

And congratulations to Rebecca for claiming top points in each of the three series. That’s a characteristic of the C and D courses where the little boats benefit by having the tide under them all the way.

Race Report, 3rd August 2025

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Race report 3rd August 2025

Course: D,  OOD: Olly Adams,  Safety Boat: David Baker;   Start: 16:30      Wind  WSW 14/19knots, 4/5 Beaufort (according to the Met Office in Kew Gardens)

Arriving at SotG on Sunday I was surprised that the tide was well out and on checking found that low tide was around 17:15.  Never having done a D course before I wasn’t expecting that!  In any case we managed to launch four boats and the SB (on rollers down the ‘beach’). The race started about 10 mins late with a plan to head as far as Chiswick Eyot. Unfortunately wind and tide were against us in the early part of the race, and progress was slow. Sam Shemtob, in his first time in a laser (Keith Clarke’s Kaia) slowly started to fall back from James Armitage (in ‘Zephyr’, Enterprise, crewed by the youngest Biekark),  Felicia Biekark (in Joe Armitage’s Laser ‘Punt’) and Ben Chappell in his Laser, ‘Envy’, who were pretty much neck and neck heading down to Chiswick Bridge with the lead changing several times. The wind dropped after the bridge and the sailing to Barnes Bridge was slow going. By this time Sam was well behind the others and decided to retire and head back to SotG. We were already 35 mins into the race, so I decided to turn us at Chiswick Bandstand. By this stage James had decided to take the Surrey Bank which proved to be a decisive factor in him taking the lead at the turn and with wind and tide in his favour he soon pulled away from the others. The sail back to SotG was a lot quicker as the tide came in but the race still did last 15 mins longer than planned, with James finishing first ahead of Felicia and Ben in third place. All enjoyed the day and the race, I chalked up my first D course in the SB and there were smiles all round back in the clubhouse.

David Baker

At the start of the race the four dinghies and the SB had a close encounter with one of the smaller tourist cruisers.  The fleet was heading downstream with the tide, beating into the light SWW wind.  The cruiser came up fast behind them and gave a long blast on its horn.  It had to slow down fast and probably put its engine in reverse. It was in shallowing water towards the bank and was probably ‘limited in its ability to manoeuvre’ with the tide pushing downstream and Olly, from his vantage point on the foreshore notes that it was “Worth making a reminder that even though there is a general Colregs rule that power gives way to sail, the Colregs state (and they apply on tidal Thames) that vessels constrained by draft or commercial ferries have a right of way. There is also an amendment to the Colregs (Art 27 Port of London Thames Byelaws 2012) that gives 20m+ vessels priority. Finally, there are exemptions to Colregs for crossing the fairway. This shouldn’t happen too often as we will be in the fairway with the tide and out of the fairway without the tide, but vessels crossing the fairway shouldn’t impede vessels proceeding along the fairway”.  So the general SGSC rule is: ‘keep out of the way of everything’. 

Olly Adams

Next week is a C-course at 15:40.

Race Results, 27 July 2025

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Race Report 27 July 2025

A cloudy day for a B course, with a reasonable showing of five boats, starting in very light winds.

I mistakenly started the six-minute countdown one minute early, and as a couple of boats were not yet close to the finish line, took the decision to do a seven and three minute countdown, rather than the usual six and three, in order to start at the correct time and not unduly penalise the later arrivals.  Unfortunately, this decision could not be communicated to the sailors, who were left confused as to what was going on. Apologies and lesson learned, the countdown will never again be adjusted once it has begun!

 James Armitage/Felicia Bierkark (Zephyr, Enterprise) and Lev/Inna Kolobov (Porpoise, Enterprise) kicked off neck and neck over the starting line, with Lev pulling away from James, Keith (Kaia, Laser) in third place, Rebecca Hayes (Wagtail, Mirror) in fourth, and Nick Floyer (flo, Gull) trailing in final position. 

Some 10 minutes into the first lap, the wind picked up enough to make for a good race.  At the end of the first lap, James/Felicia had overtaken Lev/Inna by a full minute, a lead which he consolidated over the next three laps, winning the race almost five minutes ahead of Lev.  

In third place was Keith who maintained a good position throughout, completing four laps just 90secs behind Lev.  

An interesting battle played out for the 4th and 5th places, with Nick overtaking Rebecca during their first lap, and starting the second just 20s ahead of her.  By the start of their third and final lap Rebeccas had once again overtaken Nick.  The boats were neck and neck coming into the home straight, with Rebecca beating Nick over the finish line by a mere 11secs.  

Many thanks to Bob, Russ and Charlie for safety boat duties and Ella who was a very helpful OOD’s assistant. 

Sam Shemtob, OOD

The Handicap calculations made significant change to the winners:  Rebecca won the Handicap points ahead of Keith and then Nick;  James and Rebecca won the Big Boats and Little Boats respectively, and James, followed by Lev and then Keith led the little boats in the Polly Prize.

Next week is the Summer Party on Saturday and a D-course on Sunday at 16:30.

Race Report 20 July 2025

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Race Report 20 July 2025

OOD: Olly Adams,     Safety Boat: Rob Adams

Course: D     Weather: very changeable, 12-17 knots SSW

4 boats signed up to race, but this dropped to two when the forecast suggested gusty wind. The two sailors: Lev Kolobov and Inna in  Porpoise (Enterprise) and Rebecca Hayes in Wagtail (Mirror) were persuaded to sail by Rob Adams now on safety boat with young Billy, and Olly Adams as OOD.

The start was 10 mins late due to lack of manpower to get the boats and rescue boat ready. Conditions were perfect for a challenging sail in wind and sun for what they call in Salcombe “champagne sailing” conditions.

The Chiswick reach had a strong gusty headwind but both Lev and Rebecca handled it with aplomb. Lev and Inna set off into the distance with Rebecca making steady progress towards Chiswick Bridge. Rob in the rescue boat was keen to keep both boats in sight due to the capsize conditions so agreed with Lev that he should turn on Chiswick Bridge but if still keen could try another lap. But by this time the tide had turned and was forcing Rebecca back to Strand. As Lev returned in the Enterprise Rebecca sensibly turned for home too. Both boats finished close together with Lev doing a full Chiswick Bridge lap and Rebecca a Little Boats half lap to Chiswick Staithe and back. Congratulations to both competitors: no swimming and a good healthy sail. 

Rob Adams

Race Report 13th July 2025

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OOD:  Mary Brown

Safety Boat: Henry Brown and David Baker

Course: A           Weather: hot and sunny, light E wind at 6 knots gusting 10.

Five boats launched for a 15.35 start on a slimy and diminishing foreshore: Lev Kolobov and Inna sailing in Porpoise (Enterprise); Chris Greenwood and Felicia in Distant Thunder (Leader); Keith Clarke in Kaia (Laser); Tim Wellburn and daughter in Ixion (Enterprise); and Rebecca Hayle and daughter in Wagtail (Mirror).

The wind was mostly with the tide, so we set a short A-course with the downstream mark above the PLA grid and an upstream mark opposite the City Barge.  Even so, the conditions were too much for Wagtail who failed to complete a lap despite patience and perseverance.  Tim started well and finished a lap in third place but that was all that Ixion could manage, and eventually she accepted a tow back to the Arch.

Lev led from the start with Keith and Chris close behind for three laps before he stretched his lead and finishing 6 laps in an hour and ten minutes.  Keith finished his fifth lap about two minutes later with Chris close behind.  A typical lovely Sunday on the river.

The tide was up over the ramp by the time they all finished and the substantial fencing erected to repair the bridge meant that it was a struggle to get the boats back in their places (as well as at the launch).

Thanks to Mary for officiating – she just managed to keep her feet dry.  The next race is a late D-course at 18.05.

Race Report 1st June 2025

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Race Report 1st June 2025

OOD: Andy Ross             Safety Boat: Enoch Rodriguez

Weather: fine, warm, wind WSW 13-17 knots, (F4-5), felt like F3-4:  Start: 17:50:  Course A.

Four boats started the evening’s sail: James Armitage with Johannes as crew in Zephyr (Enterprise); Chris Greenwood with Felicia Biekarck in Distant Thunder (Leader); Sam Shemtob with David in SY2 (Wayfarer); and Ben Chappell in Envy (Laser).

James did a 10-minute first lap followed by Ben, then Chris, then Sam about 4mins later, and they stayed in that order for the next four laps.  Chris overhauled Ben after he paused to capsize and squeezed in an extra lap to complete eight laps, as did James about 7 minutes in the lead.  Sam completed a more leisurely 6 laps and was last back at the arch.

Next Sunday is another A/B course starting at 12:15.

Race Report 25th May 2025

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Race Report 25th May 2025

I’m afraid I have no first-hand race report, but this is what I can infer from the race sheet.

Felicia Biekark was OOD; it was an A-course, with a very fresh breeze, which the Met Office said was from the west, 19 knots gusting 25 knots (Beaufort 5-6); and three brave / foolhardy dinghies dared to launch.  James Armitage, with a novice crew, in Zephyr (Enterprise); Joe Armitage in Punt (Laser); and Sam Shemtob and crew in a heavily-reefed SY2 (Wayfarer).

James was just ahead of his son at the first lap, which took just under 8 minutes, with Sam three minutes behind.  Soon after that James capsized and was not able immediately to right Zephyr from a mast-down position.  Fortunately he didn’t suffer the famous fate of the Bayesian and remained afloat. His crew retired to the safety boat while James managed to right the Enterprise and retired, cold, wet and exhausted.

Meanwhile Joe zoomed around for about 40 minutes completing 6 laps, and Sam carried on for 4 heroic laps before Felicia took pity on them.  It was a busy day for Keith Clarke in the safety boat with Ben Chappell.  Many thanks for their seamanship and care.

Next week, who knows?  It’s an A-B course at 17:50.

HB