Dinghy Racing: Sept 9th

Summer Evening Series: Thursday 3rd July SW3‐4 Average Lap Trapezoid x 2

A Tale of Two Races

A shifty south westerly blew south or west with the odd nail biting gust testing the ingenuity and reflexes of Helford’s dinghy sailors on Thursday. A gentler wind in the first race favoured those with the largest sails and the lightest boats and crews. Temporarily disproving that theory, Beccy Kestin tied for third in her pocket handkerchief sized Laser 4.7 rig with Andy & Karen Biggs in the voluminous National 12. A rapturous Phil Samuel revelling in the early days of his relationship with the Solo, teased her to a second place behind arch rival Roger McDonald, who’d galloped his faithful Laser to the front of the field from start to finish.
Result 1st R. McDonald, 2nd, P. Samuel, tied 3rd A&K Biggs & B Kestin.

A stronger fickle wind in the second race pushed Phil Philpot’s bucking bronco – Blaze ‐ past McD at the head of the fleet. Lacking a consistent near sailor’s gale, Phil could not turn an accounting profit under handicap racing rules. With his filly – the N12 – proving uncommunicative, the Biggs’ were consigned to a rear view of the race to watch Andrew Hosking’s gradual improvement to handicap equalling performance in full rig laser. Beks Hosking’s Pico roared down the flat in big gusts between Durgan and Toll. McD’s usually eager Laser temporarily held back to a canter by a head wind between Toll and Committee, gave Beks ‐ after inspection of the photo finish ‐ a superb tie for second.

Extracting every ounce of advantage from the wind’s vagaries, Beccy Kestin, it was who’d whispered and gently coaxed her frisky little 4.7 to the gate to take a seasons first.

Result 1st B. Kestin, tied 2nd B. Hosking & R. McDonald

Captain Dinghies Andy Biggs thanks all those in the support of the fleet on the day ‐
Dave Church & Dan Flunder: Safety & Photography
Stephen Brooks: Q20

Good turnout for the Laser training. The wind wasn’t too cooperative, but a fun and useful couple of hours (with Duncan Skingley providing entertainment with his no-wind capsizing skills ).Many thanks to Keith Wilkins and Linda for running the session.

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Solo d’Or

Phil Philpott continues to reap success in his father Dave’s Solo dinghy at HRSC Thursday. After 60 years sailing Dave’s having a long overdue gap year but is taking the Solo back for 2013 – sooner if he can finish his leaking conservatory roof.

Dredging up the missing Committee buoy David Church and Dan Flunder provided the necessary start line at the mouth of the Helford in glorious sunshine. Intensive study of Race Officer’s Notes for HRSC Dinghies MK0 gave Brooks every confidence for his first solo race duty – ably assisted betwixt texting & self portraiture by Zoe – his 15 year old daughter. Racers were particularly helpful with advice as to the importance of synchronicity between 4 minute hooter and hoisting preparatory P flag.

In light airs McD & Beccy’s sixth sense of timing took their RS400 first over the start line and to domination of the heavier six packed frames of Berryman and Bolitho. Whilst the RS400s sailed into the distance a merry troupe close raced for a good 60 minutes. With sails : weight ratio crucial to the result before handicap correction, first to finish in ephemeral airs at Trebah were McD & Beccy with laggards B&B trailing by 2 minutes.

Always competitive Andy and Karen Biggs gracefully sailed their National 12 to 14 fine seconds before the Solo – with Emily and Tom’s RS200 gliding past 15 seconds later. Tony Statham’s lithesome 10 stone and pre race preying on his centreboard at the start line gave him the edge in the laser fleet only to throw it away with his tiller extension – expertly piped at the finish by Phil Samuel.

Sol d’Or to Phil Philpott, Argent to the Biggs and Le Bronze to McD.

Helm
Crew
Class
Name-No.

PY

Pos

Min

Sec

Sec

Correct

Phil Philpott

Solo

4785

1150

1

60

15

3615

3143

Andy Biggs
Karen Biggs
Nat 12

3326

1104

3

60

1

3601

3262

Roger McDonald
Beccy Kestin
RS400

958

948

4

51

49

3109

3280

Phil Samuel

Laser

186886

1085

5

61

20

3680

3392

Tony Statham

Laser

91500

1085

6

61

20.5

3681

3392

Ollie Berryman
Ed Bolitho
RS400

588

948

2

53

43

3223

3400

Emily Broad
Tom Lake
RS200

1145

1057

7

60

28

3628

3432

Stephen Brooks

Laser

179651

1085

Duty

Ave Points

Captain Dinghies Beccy Kestin thanks all those supporting the fleet on the day.

Marshalls: Stephen Brooks & Daughter Zoe
Safety: David Church & Dan Flunder
Guest Photographers: Zoe Brooks & Dan Flunder

24 hours before Ben Ainslie was confirmed as the greatest Olympic sailor of all time, a quadruplet of the brave and cautious did honest battle in a Pursuit race in the mouth of the Helford.

The Biggs’ in their National 12 were first of the quarry to be coughed out of the Narrows followed belatedly by Brooks under dressed with Radial.  9 minutes later the predatory RS400s were unleashed in pursuit.  Insufficient  width of runway for two kites to fly down the moorings caused Berryman and Bolitho on full afterburners to swerve behind McD & Beccy, narrowly missing a T Bone collision with some very expensive pieces of fibreglass impeding their trajectory.  Conveniently in view of the Ferry Boat Inn & HRSC Clubhouse, the Narrows delivered an immaculately timed blast of air whilst McD and Beccy attempted a gybe.   With no further custom Sammy and Jack in Loveboat  moved to more discrete waters whilst the fleet searched for themselves  the missing Committee mark in the mouth of the Helford.  Deciding on the Gew as an alternative on the dog leg from Central to Toll,  racers reached on the run and ran on the reach as  planning gusts  to 25 knots shifted variously West & South.  Having devoured their prey in the allotted time pursuers returned with their prey on the long beat home aided by a flooding spring and complete calm under the clubhouse.

Saturday 4th August
HRSC Pursuit
SW Course
SW 4 gusting 5-6

Helm
Crew
Class
Name-No.
PY

Start Time

Pos

Min
Sec

Ollie Berryman
Ed Bolitho
RS400
588
948

34
32

1

Roger McDonald
Beccy Kestin
RS400
958
948

34
32

2

Andy Biggs
Karen Biggs
Nat 12
3326
1104

25
36

3

Stephen Brooks

Laser R
179651
1110

25
15

4

Sammy Hubbard

Laser R
7746
1110

Duty
Ave Points

 

England a 123 v Canada

Helford’s summer returned to that of a maritime climate with a soft south westerly and soothingly gentle showers for Thursday’s evening pursuit. A fleet of Canadian Ian Bruce 1970’s designed Lasers and derivatives was comprehensively thrashed by a fleet of English designed craft with their origins in the 1936 National 12 & 1956 Solo. It was Phil Samuel and his Solo that ticked all the boxes for the evening, finding wind and keeping it to rise & stay at the front of the fleet.
Power or rather sail to weight ratio was the key for the day’s success, granted the helm might have had something to do with it! First of was young Ed Hosken in his Topper Byte –in effect a superb 2 foot shorter & 14kg lighter Laser Radial designed for the smaller helm. To the delight of his father Chris, Ed stayed at the head of the laser section & fourth overall. Anton Chamberlain borrowed his son’s Laser but was under dressed with Radial sail and without wetsuit and thus not tempted to test the easy righting characteristics of his craft.
Emily Broad’s welcome return to dinghy racing in smaller clothed Laser 4.7 but with a similar handicap rating to the Byte’s helped keep her in the top half of the Lasers. Laser 2’s need a force 4-5 to get going so a lithe Chris Hosken was just able to keep ahead of Andrew & Beks Hosking sailing the angles with their gennaker. Becky Kestin’s expert trimming of the big pink gennaker of McDonald’s RS400 kept it filled on the reaches getting them past team Biggs’ beautifully sailed N12.
As Church, Flunder and Goy signalled the close of 90 minutes racing it was clear that the rare occasions the wind failed had not allowed the RS to close sufficiently to let loose her final torpedo at the Solo.
Results: 1st P. Samuel, 2nd R. McDonald 3rd A. Biggs

Tempted? why not race at Helford’s Dinghy Regatta 10am – briefing 9am – Sunday 6th July. Download Forms

Captain Dinghies Andy Biggs thanks all those in support of the fleet on the day

Dave Church in safety with Dan Flunder & Keith Goy on camera.

A Humongous thank you to the entire team making this years regatta work and of course the racers themselves travelling all the way to the Lizard from Somers YC Melbourne AUS and indeed Port Navas YC CWL.  A full report for download will be available soon.