James Armitage:

Alex Pape:

Rob Collingwood:

Note: for the purposes of these results, Tiamat E23219 was counted as a starter and as retired.

Race Report:

Race Report: What happens in Vegas. 26 May 2019
90% of what happens on the B Course is an unseen mystery to the OOD.

All that is known is who starts, and who doesn’t, and who finishes; and in what order and when.

Vision is obscured by the jetty and the race mainly proceeds behind the scenes where ‘what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas’, – for those who go there.

In an overcast and blustery slightly drizzly westerly wind which threatened big gusts, Tim decided that his preference was to encourage others to start – while he would seek the comforts of a leisurely Sunday back in Brentford; the Vegas of west London.

But his help and support encouraged Jane onto the water in her Gull. And she was then joined by Chris and Rob in the Enterprise, followed by Sam and Matthew in the Wayfarer, while Enoch and Lev and David rigged up and headed out in the Safety Boat.

But Chris and Rob never arrived at the start. Apparently springing an unstoppable leak from an unknown source they never got under the railway bridge – and with a sudden flurry of dropping sails and much tiller-waggling made it back to foreshore safety, and retired.

Meanwhile, perfectly timing a long slow drift with the wind behind her and against the incoming tide and in a straight line in the middle of the river, Jane eased across the start line ahead of Sam and Matthew, who were struggling with a determined set of cross-river tacks that only held them back.

But size counts when it comes to sails and on the final hooter Sam sped off with a following wind to the head of the jetty while Jane was bounced and jolted around mid-river, wallowing in the wake of a pair of upriver steamers.

Then they were gone.

Incoming jets like gigantic predatory aerial reptiles streamed behind them long trails of pencil-thin lines of drizzle. Swifts plunged, swooped and darted for insects in the wind; though with far fewer of them around now than ever. Their numbers are dropping catastrophically as all insects are declining drastically in number. Remember when car journeys had swathes of insects smeared on the glass and glued to windscreen wipers? All now gone.

The Bank Holiday weekend coincided with Thames 21 River Week.

Seeking the ‘Rewilding of London’s Rivers’ their idea is to open up the concreted-over tributaries of the Thames in urban London. Amazingly, there are over 430 miles of these streams hidden under London.

We have our own one in the Sailing Club; the outfall under the side gate originates in a spring at the top of Whitehall Gardens. It flows underneath the back gardens of the roads alongside the railway line: Deans Close, Magnolia Road. Following the course of the original Dead Donkey Lane it was the source of the astonishing wealth of Chiswick.

Clean clear fresh water flowing over rich soil enabled the stunning productivity of the horticultural and market gardens of Chiswick – and the wealth of the Parish of Chiswick as a “Peculiar Parish” of the Bishop of London, which paid for the running of St Paul’s cathedral for 600 years – before the Great Fire, and Sir Christopher Wren rebuilt it.

Wouldn’t these current residents rather like a fresh open stream running across and through their back gardens? Imagine the estate agent’s description of the amenity of biodiversity and wildlife and nature? It’s maybe more difficult for SGSC to open this up on site; how to get our boats across it? But we could put a submersible run-of-stream hydropower engine in it – and generate renewable electricity for the arch and battery-power an electric motor for the safety boat?

Ah! Jane has appeared! And, stunningly, she’s in the lead!

Midstream, and only occasionally tacking while being carried along on the incoming tide; she was comfortably ahead of Sam whose heavy boat needed long slow tacks from bank to bank – which repeatedly left him stalled in the eddies.

Jane was first round the upstream buoy; and first across the line after some 30 minutes of sailing; followed by Sam 4 minutes later.

Then they were gone again.

Nothing much to see on the river except the dull foreshore was brightened up with speckled dots of plastic: a colourful mosaic of bottle tops, lids, spoons, wrappers, straws, labels and bits of bag. A species list of occupants of this habitat far outnumbers the native leaves, twigs and branches.

Suddenly blue sky opened up. A rainbow arced across the deep grey clouds of drizzle. The tops of the trees on the south bank shone with a brilliant greenness. The flowering yellow irises on the river bank glowed with colour, as though all voting for Lib Dem.

And here they were again!

But the roulette wheel of the sailing game had spun round the fortunes of the gambling sailors. Somewhere, somehow; Sam had done it.

Somewhere over the rainbow
Bluebirds fly
And the dreams that you dare to
Oh why, oh why can’t I?

But he hadn’t just dreamed the dream. Sam was convincingly in the lead. And with a confident gybe around the mark he was up to the line to finish his second lap after just under an hour of sailing.

Jane meanwhile got stalled at the buoy, and then drifted into the shallows. Inch-by-inch she crept up to the finish line –willed on by the safety boat keen to pull up and go home.

Determined to maintain a strictly poker-faced and dead-straight tiller, she was 4 minutes behind Sam at the finish; nonetheless on handicap points, very likely the winner – and so scooping the pool of punters in sailing to Vegas.

Andy Ross
OOD
26 May 2019

A windy morning, which saw just two dinghies, Ian’s Gull and Alex’s boat, in a face off.  Ian’s almost capsized off the ramp as a gust came up just as she was getting in the water.  They quickly tacked down to the start where the 6 minute warning was reduced to a 1 minute warning, with 10 second reminders and a countdown from 5.

Alex got off to a good start and maintained his lead around the top marker, which both boats turned in under 3 minutes.   Ian stayed on Alex’s tail and, with the bottom marker just 20 yds away, caught up just enough to set a collision course with Alex’s boat.

Alex had right of way, being on a starboard tack vs. Ian’s on port tack and overtaking.   But Alex blinked first, turning away to give Ian the lead. Alex laid chase, but as they completed lap two, Ian pulled away as they again neared the back marker.

By lap 4 Ian was a full course length away.  In lap 5 Alex began to catch up but foundered again at the back marker, leaving Ian with a convincing win.  A very frisky sail which both sailors enjoyed.

Sam Shemtob

Race Report 21 April 2019

A race characterised by fickle light and dying winds and an increasingly strong Spring tide.  Only two marks were set, aiming (unsuccessfully) to keep the competitors clear of Kew Bridge.  As the river was still quite low at 15:30, the start was delayed for 15 minutes awaiting more water.

James’s and David Berger’s (on loan from Rob Collingwood) Enterprises both achieved prompt starts, but an almost immediate lull stranded the other four boats, putting them a lap behind.  After 40 minutes James had completed 4 laps and David two, but it was clear that the elements were now against us, and the race was ended at that point.  In fact nobody else managed to complete more than one lap, and ultimately the rescue boat was fully occupied retrieving stranded boats from the environs of Kew Bridge.

Tim Wellburn

D Course, 4.40pm start.

Four boats started the D-course on this afternoon with North Easterly blustery wind, two Enterprises (Porpoise sailed by James, and Rob Collingwood’s Tiamat sailed by Josh and Caroline), a Vibe (Backwash, Ian Nethersell), and a Laser ( Phoebe, Rob Adams). In the first few minutes all were together, however by Chiswick Bridge Rob and James had broken away and the fleet began to stretch out. Conditions meant for much leaning out on the beat downstream and although the fleet was somewhat becalmed by Chiswick Pier, progress was only halted momentarily. The buoy was laid just downstream of the Corinthians starting line, with Rob coming round first, followed by James soon after.  Ian and Josh rounded without difficulty some time later and began their sail back upstream, which was uneventful and all four boats finished in the order that had emerged soon after the start.

The total time was quite fast for a D-course:  89 minutes for Rob, and 108 minutes for Josh and Caroline.  After the handicaps were taken into account Rob still won in all three series, with Ian sneaking into second place in the Handicap series ahead of James.

Next week, Easter Sunday, it’s an A-course at 15:30 with the added incentive of an Easter Egg prize.

Alex Pape

SGSC RACE REPORT – SUNDAY 7 APRIL

An overcast day of very light and fickle winds, demanding some tactical sailing from the three entrants, James, Henry & Mary and Jane.

We set a shortish two-mark course, allowing a fairly slow run downstream and a brisker beat back up, with the tide.

On the first lap, all three boats reached the downstream mark in close echelon formation, but thereafter, Jane’s Gull lacked the sail area to make the best of the light wind conditions. The water immediately after the upstream mark, in particular, seemed plagued by the doldrums.

On the first lap, Henry found the wind here whereas James, seeking it on the Surrey Bank, was disappointed for a while and the lead switched. However, Henry was less fortunate with the doldrums thereafter, allowing James to steal almost a lap on him by mid-race.

This pattern of lulls and relative spurts continued, dampened by intermittent light showers, until James crossed the line on his seventh lap 10 seconds short of the hour, Henry on his 6th a couple of minutes later, followed by Jane just a lap behind him a minute or so afterwards.

Tim Wellburn

The 31 March race was switched from a scheduled B course to an A after brief assessment of wind, and word of an impending river closure downstream of the railway bridge after noon.

Four sailors turned out on a somewhat grey and occasionally blustery morning. Dave B, sailing Big Polly single-handed, rounded the downstream mark just outside the grid first and maintained the lead throughout the race.  Rob C sailing Tiamat single-handed and Rob A sailing Phoebe followed round the mark soon after, however a gust pushed Tiamat over moments after. It proved impossible to right her, Rob C opted to retire and was attended to by Lev and crew and in the safety boat. Ian N in the Vibe had a slow first lap but then settled into a rhythm and was frequently seen leaning out far near the Surrey bank, making the most of the NE breeze. Rob A’s Laser appeared to have ever declining freeboard and was stopped in the shallow water at Middlesex bank on several occasions to drain water from the hull, before resuming the race and finishing 3^rd after 4 laps. Ian was 2^nd on the water, also with 4 laps. Dave’s mast came dangerously close to horizontal at the upstream mark on his 5th lap but after that, victory was never in doubt, and the whistle went after 6 laps completed around the hour mark. Many thanks to Lev, and Dave (x2) in the safety boat and Chris and James off the water.

Alex

Next week it’s another A-course at 15:30

It was a beautiful sunny spring day but as we stood on the hard the wind began to build from the NW.

Four boats rigged but as the wind increased John Bull made what proved to be a wise decision not to go afloat in his laser.

The remaining three, two enterprises and one gull, were all fully crewed with SGSC newcomers: welcome to Josh Mellor (crewing for Rob Collingwood for the second time), Caroline Watt (with Lev Kolobov) and Glenda (with Tim Young).

There was a subtle rig difference between the enterprises: Lev with a full rig and Rob sporting a firefly mainsail.

All started on the Bell and Crown line with the customary running start and Heather firmly in control thanks to young David Kolobov lending her a watch. My apologies to Paul Williamson who had canvassed me to set a beating start during the week which I failed to do. May be next time.   The three boats set off on a long A, single “sausage” course running down to a buoy off the City Barge.  A good run it was too, the first lap completed in 18 minutes. Lev was in the lead to the upstream end of the island when he was caught out by a gust and elegantly pirouetted, including a controlled gybe, letting Rob through to a lead he was to hold, more or less, to the end. But a great race between the two enterprises. The canny reduced sail of RC just out witting Lev with speed on the run but less control on the beat back.

All seemed comfortable with sailors and rescue boat. The rescue boat was full of spectators including my grandson, Billy, Louis from Corsica, Lev’s son David, and David Jones as assistant rescue.

But drama was to unfold with Tim charging for the upstream buoy in a stronger gust.  He dipped his bow and created an instability that resulted in capsize. The new Kurt Berger was on hand to rescue. Tricky rescue too. The first part, to haul Tim’s crew aboard Kurt Berger, was easy.  Did she say “I haven’t been manhandled by men like this for a long time”?   But on the second attempt the Gull was towed to the shore, righted, and then with expert seamanship from Tim, with mast lowered, she was towed back down stream through the bridge and back home. What Tim had not realised at the time was that he had lost his shorts including some weighty keys during the swimming (essential dignity and warmth was preserved by leggings).   SGSC residents please look out for them at low tide.

Rescue over we were to see the two enterprises level at the final mark only for RC to pull away in a personal wind to the line for the line honours.

Thank you for all my assistants.  Next time we have a Corsican on board I need to look up the Corsican word for “painter”!   The Kurt Berger did its job well and safely.

Rob Adams

Race Report Sunday 17^th March 2019

OOD John Bull           Safety Boat Ian Nethersell

Second race of the 2019 season and the first points race. A cold but dry day with a westerly F2 wind, gusting F4. A scheduled C course was changed to an A course to suit the wind direction and the lack of time to pass under Kew Bridge. The time of HWKB was checked, approx. 11am and it was agreed that a start of 10am would be fine. Three boats prepared for the race – Robert with Josh (new member) in Tiamat (E), Lev sailing solo in White Angel (E) and Tim in Axolotl (G).The course was set – 3 buoys, Bell and Crown pub, City Barge pub and the Kew Bank rowing buoy, with Ian in the safety boat with the assistance of Henry Brown and David Jones. The race started at 10.06. Tiamat and Axolotl raced away with Lev struggling to find the wind to cross the start line. Sailing was close between Tiamat and Axolotl rounding the first buoy together. Axolotl choosing to take the Kew Bank behind Oliver’s Island with Tiamat tacking upstream on the Strand. In the meantime, Lev in White Angle had capsized. However, Lev quickly righted his Enterprise, bailed out and continued on to round the first buoy.

Tiamat was moving further ahead of Axolotl, although Axolotl’s move behind the Island did not lose too much ground. Tiamat rounded the next two buoys and raced across the line at 14.16, Axolotl followed at 18.50.

Race conditions were becoming difficult with strong gusts of wind and strangely the tide was turning early, only 18 minutes into the race. Lev in White Angel capsized again and again he quickly recovered but decided to retire. Tiamat and Axolotl continued to fight the gusts and now the strengthening ebbing tide, and because of the change in the tide it was decided to conclude the race at two laps. Tiamat managed to complete the second lap at 29.15. Axolotl continued against the tide, but behind the trot moorings, trying to reach the Kew Buoy, had the added difficulty of avoiding numerous rowers. In particular a fast moving eight, scary. He eventually retired at 58mins. But a great effort.

An eventful race day, finished in the arch with the Commodore’PPs Rum and blackcurrant and good humour.

John Bull