After a week with lots of rain, this Sunday was dry and overcast with a very light S to SSE wind said to be F2 at Kew Gardens. It added to a spring tide, which didn’t help on an A-course. We chose a short course starting at Zoffany House and hoped for the best.

Three boats turned out: the Browns in their Enterprise; Tim Young in his Wanderer; and Nick Floyer in his Gull. It should have been a beat down to the downstream mark (just above the grid) with a run back up to mark just downstream of the Bell and Crown, but the actual wind at river level was all over the place.

Unsurprisingly, the Enterprise took the lead and ended with 6 laps in the hour, followed by Nick with four laps and Tim with three. And the points mirrored those positions.

Thanks to Felicia for supervising the sailing and providing tea and biscuits afterwards, and to Chris who was on hand to ensure that no one drifted off under Kew Bridge. Fortunately no one was threatened with that fate.

Next week a contingent from the Club is away sailing on the Norfolk Broads but those not attending will have a D-course to challenge them, starting at 14:30.

And remember that on 25th September we are hosting South Bank Sailing Club for a race with a modest feast to follow.

As a result of previous D-courses (Hammersmith and back) the Committee had decided to advance the start time by 15 mins or so to make it easier to reach London Corinthians, our turning point. The message had not reached all concerned, or even the website, and so the race started later than intended.

Three boats rigged: James Armitage in his Enterprise crewed by Felicia, Rob Adams in his Laser, and Nick Jeffery in his Duckling, crewed by his daughter. As expected the Ent and the Laser led the way, but Tim Young in the safety boat wisely put a buoy down at St Nicholas’ to enable Nick to make it. As it happened the tide had turned before he got there but he was still able to complete the course.

James and Rob finished back at Strand after 74 and 78 minutes respectively, with Nick 3/4 hour later after just over 2 hours on the water.

Next week it’s an A-course starting at 14:40, and take note that the week after that, 25th September, South Bank Sailing Club are coming up to test our waters, and to enjoy post-race food and drink, so please turn up and give them a good race.

No report, I’m afraid, but here are the results:

OOD: Nick Floyer, Safety Boat: Henry Brown and Nikita Bierkark

Sunday’s race was an experiment.  Faced with a sequence of D-course the Committee decided to try an experimental low-water course, mid-tide, against the seaward flow of the river.  An E-course, E for experimental. There was a piece about it in the Newsletter.  The preference was for an upstream course so that if the wind died the fleet would be swept back to Strand rather than Hammersmith, and that dictated an E, NE or N wind to make progress against the flow.  And on Sunday we had a forecast of a light ENE wind.  And sunshine. And there’s been no rain for ages, so the river was docile.  Perfect. Or, perfect?

Five boats slithered through the slime and launched: James Armitage and Ayanda (Ent.); Lev and David Kolobov (Ent.); Felicia Bierkark and Ariel in Chris’ Leader; Ben Chappell (Laser); and Tim Young (Wanderer).  The first challenge was to make it to the Bell and Crown start line in the very light and very variable wind.  Two tried on the Surrey side of Oliver’s Island and three on the Strand side.

Eventually, after a 13-minute delay to the start, all reached the line and were ready to meet the next challenge: the wind-shadow of Kew Bridge and the passage through the bridge.   All but Ben made it through the bridge.  James led the way, followed by Lev (who struggled with an improvised tiller, without extension) and then Tim.  The patch above the bridge was a mess of little winds from all or no direction.

Nick Floyer had wisely suggested that the safety boat lay a turning buoy just ahead of the leader at about 15:45, which was about halfway along the Brentford Aits.  James rounded and sailed / drifted back to the Bell and Crown with the current in about 5 minutes.  Lev was about 25 minutes behind him, but Tim and Felicia, like Ben had retired before then.

Was the experiment a success?  We proved that Enterprises could do it even in very light winds, but for a satisfactory race we needed a reliable E, NE wind and another point on the Beaufort Scale.

Next week it’s an A-course at 15:40.

HB

Race report inferred from the race sheet. An eye-witness account would be welcome. Six boats were out enjoying the sunshine, led by James and Chris, who actually had a lead over James at the third lap. Lev appears to have had a bad start but worked his way back through the fleet to finish his 7th lap just behind James and Chris on their 8th. Tim was consistently up with the leaders.

It was busy work for Steve as Race Officer with six boats completing 6-8 laps. I don’t envy him that. And he was kind to Nick in his delightful Gull, finishing him on his 6th lap although he was 25 seconds ahead of James.

Next week it’s the garden party on Saturday (don’t forget to tell Marian if you’re going) and a possible experimental C or D course on Sunday on the rising tide starting at 15:00. Or it may be changed to an A course starting around 18:30.

Officer of the Day: Mary Short

Safety Boat: Dave Jones, Paco and Kieran Biekark

It was good that there was sufficient wind to warrant a B course rather than the fallback option of an A course. It was a delightfully sunny morning and the conditions at the upstream end of the course were calm though the wind was prone to vanishing completely for short periods.  Further downstream the sailors reported a tendency for changeable wind direction and wind speed.

The safety boat was manned by David Jones accompanied by Paco and Kieran Biekarck whose services were only called upon after the race finish to help Keith Clarke in his Laser get back to the club under the railway bridge on the rising tide.

Nick Floyer in his lovely Gull got off to a quick start and was first to reach the downstream buoy but was beaten to the first lap by Chris Greenwood and Felicia in his Leader. Chris maintained his lead on the second lap but then Lev Kolobov and David (Enterprise) sneaked ahead and stayed there to finish the fourth and final lap 10 minutes ahead. Keith and then Nick followed after a further ten minutes, only 6 seconds apart.

Next week is an A-course after a working party, and the Master of Sums is off to Greece for 7 weeks. Could OODs please leave results sheets in the Arch so that Nick can collect them and do the sums?

Mary Short + HB

Sunday was cloudy with a F3 N wind – appropriate conditions for a B-course.

Five boats rigged on a rapidly shrinking foreshore: Lev and David Kolobov in his Enterprise; Chris Greenwood and Felicia in his Leader; Sam Shemtob with two crew in his Wayfarer; Tim Young in his Wanderer; and Nick Floyer in his Gull.  Mary Brown (OOD) commanded the start line and Henry with David Jones and Tim Williamson manned the safety boat.  Nick made two attempts at launching but both times he was assaulted by a nasty gust upstream of the railway bridge and, fearing worse conditions further downstream, decided to retire.

The others started on time and running before the following wind set off in line abreast, abreast the tide.  Sam, with his well-ladened boat fell astern but the other three kept pace pretty well with Lev mostly in the lead.  We had dropped the bottom mark just upstream of Chiswick Marina and Lev, then Chris and Tim rounded it after about 15 minutes and started the steady beat back upstream with the tide.  Lev was well clear at the top mark (just downstream of the railway bridge) and completed his first lap after 25 minutes; two minutes ahead of Chris and Tim, who were a mere 2 seconds apart.  The second and final lap followed the same pattern but at a much slower pace: the wind had dropped considerably and the flood tide was still strong.  All four boats took between 80 and 84 minutes for the lap.    Lev finished about two minutes ahead of Chris, leading Tim by 4 minutes with Sam about 5 minutes astern.

Tim then had an unfortunate contact with the bridge as a gust caught him before he had lowered his mast.  The damage to Ait Knots remains to be determined.  But he has the compensation of winning in all three points series in a very consistent display of sailing.  And all participants were rewarded by a plate of flapjack provided by the OOD.

Next week is the 3-4 -day downstream marathon to our neighbours at Corinthians, South Bank and Ranelagh.

HB

OOD: Tim Wellburn

Safety Boat: Keith Clarke with Dave

Weather: Sunny with an moderate easterly wind

Course: A

Start Time 18:31

Eight boats took advantage of the good sailing weather.  The combination of a flood tide and easterly wind was unpropitious for the scheduled ‘B’ Course, so a triangular ‘A’ Course was substituted, with the orange River buoy serving as the downwind mark on the Surrey Bank, matched by one laid opposite The Steam Packet steps, with an upwind mark towards the eastern end of Oliver’s island.

Half the fleet achieved a sub-10 minute first lap, Rob Adams making a very fast start on the Surrey side and pipping James by nine seconds to be first boat round.  This duel continued, with positions reversed on the second lap but only six seconds separating the two, a margin which James and crew Felicia slightly increased over subsequent laps.

Chris and Lev also dualled throughout the race, switching places several times over the six laps which they sailed, chasing James and Rob.  Ben, sailing hard and never far behind Chris and Lev, crossed the finishing line a lap but only two seconds behind frontrunner James, seemingly not deterred by the near-prospect of having to make another full circuit. 

The larger and smaller boats – Sam’s Wayfarer, Tim’s Wanderer and Nick’s Gull were, perhaps, less suited to the conditions, Sam, achieving five laps in just over an hour but Tim and Nick only four.

Tim Wellburn