Please select your home edition
Edition
Melges 15

RC Laser Winter Series event 3 at Medway Yacht Club

by Jamie Blair 4 Jan 2022 07:26 GMT 2 January 2022
RC Laser Winter Series event 3 at Medway © Fiona Blair

Barton's Point Country Park welcomed the new year with sunshine and a SSW wind that was ranging between 14 and 18 knots.

Twelve sailors readied themselves and after discussion in the car park the sail of choice was the C Rig. With the fluctuating breeze and with the course set in a sheltered area to the east of the Café a number took their B Rigs to the race area.

The race area provides an area of calmer water but means the beat is relatively short. After two races the regular triangle sausage arrangement was changed to include a second triangle.

To everyone's relief we didn't have our National Judge to ensure fair play. Our pre-race briefing did confirm we were racing under the Racing Rules of Sailing and "Sorry" was not a response!

So eager were all the sailors that a practice race was run to give those not normally out could wet their appetite. Within the 12 we welcomed two from Ramsgate in Mike Brand and Paul Woodward. The success of the practice race (bad omen stuff) by Jamie Blair saw his first race go to pot; similarly, Adrian Tomlinson. Tim Townsend started from the windward end of the line and after the short version of the race registered the first bullet of the day.

After race 3 "normal service" resumed with Jamie leading the standings and Adrian just behind. No reason to be complacent as the wind had started to shift so the pin end began to favour for some of the starts.

Race 4 saw a different winner with Paul Woodward stretching out a handsome lead as traffic around marks slowed the rest of the fleet. The windward mark was some distance away and with traffic the number of boats missing the mark was not a surprise; frustrating - definitely. At this point only 3 points divided 1st to 6th.

Paul continued his winning streak for race 5 and shot the top of the standings; Jon Moon, Jamie and Mark Penny completing the top 4. A servo failure in the Tim Townsend boat scuppered the rest of his morning.

At the coffee break after race 7 it was still very tight at the top with Jamie leading from Jon Moon, Paul and Mark. Paul's time on the water was ended with electrical issues, leaving the others to battle it out over the next seven races. Adrian had behind the pack but after the break he was truly revitalised. So too was Tony Alexander who had suffered mainsheet issues after a coming together with Bob Woolford in race 3. His string of results saw him jump up the standings so next time out we expect great things.

After Race 11 Adrian and Jamie were only one point apart and Mark also snapping at their heels. Great to see Spencer Pope take away a second place and some good standings in other races. Charles Pegram also showed some new speed and an average of 6th across the 12 races to count.

Adrian continued his winning stream right through to race 14, eventually winning by 5 points after discards.

Round 3 continued to demonstrate the super competitive racing available at Barton's Point. We look forward to the next round on Sunday 9th January, weather and Covid permitting.

Round 3 Results:

PosSail NoHelmR1R2R3R4R5R6R7R8R9R10R11R12R13R14Pts
1st30Adrian Tomlinson‑12415‑851111612129
2nd51Jamie Blair‑1012‑7312743161334
3rd3Mark Penny32‑74‑735337233240
4th84Jon Moon263246‑756455‑10755
5th529Mike Brand5‑10‑96299252427659
6th72Charles Pegram6‑1163‑944686885468
7th528Paul Woodward4124118342(DNF)(DNC)DNCDNCDNC78
8th4Tony Alexander98(DNF)(DNS)6DNSDNSDNS75344590
9th62Spencer Pope878852(DNS)8(DNF)101098891
10th76Bob Woolford115(DNF)9(DNF)1069987106999
11th32Roger Gibb7910101078(DNS)(DNS)9979DNF108
12th45Tim Townsend135(DNC)(DNC)DNCDNCDNCDNCDNCDNCDNCDNCDNC126

Related Articles

Medway RC Laser Club Winter Series week 9
Where was the wind? Where was the wind? Not a breath for the course setting but for the 10am start there was just enough. Posted on 23 Mar
Medway RC Laser Club Winter Series week 8
Gusty and shifty with a Sail GP type course With wind from the N- NE and 14 - 20kts providing a drag race to the first mark before the long run to a leeward mark, a sausage leg and a reach to the finish. Posted on 16 Mar
Medway RC Laser Club Winter Series week 7
Fog, no wind, postponement but still 10 races Setting up the course was delayed for fog and no wind. Eventually a trickle from the west allowed a triangular course to be set. Posted on 3 Mar
Medway RC Laser Club Winter Series week 6
Big waves and gusty winds up to 35 knots As forecast, we would see winds from the SSW and starting at 15 knots. The direction SSW and with the gusts it felt more like 18-20kts. No question on rig size - the smallest D rig. Posted on 24 Feb
Medway RC Laser Club Winter Series week 4
With no race officier, you need an honesty box Five warmly dressed skippers met at Barton's Point on Sunday morning for week five, another gripping episode in the Medway RC Laser Club winter series. There were several absentees, most notably our RO. Posted on 10 Feb
Medway RC Laser Club Winter Series week 4
More light and shifty winds at Barton's Point Coastal Park For today's racing the wind was very much in the lower numbers. The forecast was for 5 knots and direction SE. No question on rig size - the biggest A rig. Another light wind meeting. Numbers were down with folk away and recovering from the lurgy. Posted on 5 Feb
Medway RC Laser Club Winter Series week 3
Light and shifty at Barton's Point Coastal Park For today's racing the wind was very much in the lower numbers. The forecast was for 5 knots and direction SE. No question on rig size - the biggest A rig. Posted on 20 Jan
RC Lasers at Fleetwood
With a race within a race for the Johnson family The wind was blowing from the clubhouse direction for the ten RC Laser entries. It looked to be a stock 'B' rig all-dayer, but with the light patch at the entry point, a bit of extra sail cloth helps you get through the lulls. Posted on 6 Oct 2024
RC Laser Summer 2 Series at Fleetwood week 2
Two multiple National RC Laser champions lead the battle With a forecast predicting rain for most of the day, we were pleasantly surprised to arrive at the lakeside and still not a drop of rain. A westerly breeze and the few remaining large sails were put aside after practice. Posted on 8 Jul 2024
RC Laser Summer 2 Series at Fleetwood week 1
With the wind forever increasing in strength a couple of 'D' rigs were brought out The showers had just about died out on arrival, to leave us with a nice Blowy Westerly. No need for the big sails today and it was a decider for the next 2 sail sizes, giving us a mix for the first couple of races. Posted on 18 Jun 2024