2018/19 IOM Furzton Trophy
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12 Events throughout the year held on the Friday before the last Sunday of the month ( check calendar for clarification )
Round 9 Furzton Trophy for IOM
Friday was a much more comfortable day for sailing than the previous few days of record temperatures and fortunately the predicted thunder storms kept well away, although the threat of rain was never far away, fortunately the worst that we got was a few random rain spots.
What was not so kind was the wind, blowing in a westerly direction, dictating that we should sail from the spit. this actually proved fine, course setting wise, starting between white 8 and the safety bag, with a long beat up to white 4 ( one of our normal start buoys ), leaving to port and running into the eastern bay to round red 7, then around the coastline to tackle the gate red 8/9 in the channel, before repeating the upwind/ downwind leg, this time omitting the spreader, red 7, then a final short beat back to the finish.
Indeed a fairly strait forward course but one that gave more than it's fair share of grief to almost every skipper at one time or another.
Firstly the wind was neither steady in strength or direction, nothing unusual there, but it was uncanny how the starter box seemed to control the wind.The western island did seem to have quite an influence on the wind, creating eddies and shadows, mainly in the area some way before the windward mark, with lots of involuntary tacking going on. There were definitely places to be and places not to be, the leaders found the right places , in the main whilst those of us at the other end of the fleet were left cursing the wind gods.
Not only did the wind cause us grief but the distance to the windward mark was troublesome to the optically challenged, coupled with the need to overstand the mark by some distance caused a few pile ups at the mark, especially if the wind had just died, with boats drifting onto the buoy and into each other.
On the way from red 7 to the gate, our course brought us close to the bank and the rules concerning sailing along a continuing obstruction came into play. They are an interesting set of rules which are worth getting your head around and seemed to cause a lot of confusion and discussion, so well worth a read up on.
Such were the conditions that no one skipper had it all their own way, with six different winners out of nine races, however as usual consistency and above all a good start, on a line with ever changing bias was the key to success.
The leaders were all extremely closely spaced, with Keith just a couple of points ahead of Alan Smedly, who managed to just edge in front of the next two skippers by a single point. Rob and Mike Kemp, being separated on count back for third and fourth places.
Friday was a much more comfortable day for sailing than the previous few days of record temperatures and fortunately the predicted thunder storms kept well away, although the threat of rain was never far away, fortunately the worst that we got was a few random rain spots.
What was not so kind was the wind, blowing in a westerly direction, dictating that we should sail from the spit. this actually proved fine, course setting wise, starting between white 8 and the safety bag, with a long beat up to white 4 ( one of our normal start buoys ), leaving to port and running into the eastern bay to round red 7, then around the coastline to tackle the gate red 8/9 in the channel, before repeating the upwind/ downwind leg, this time omitting the spreader, red 7, then a final short beat back to the finish.
Indeed a fairly strait forward course but one that gave more than it's fair share of grief to almost every skipper at one time or another.
Firstly the wind was neither steady in strength or direction, nothing unusual there, but it was uncanny how the starter box seemed to control the wind.The western island did seem to have quite an influence on the wind, creating eddies and shadows, mainly in the area some way before the windward mark, with lots of involuntary tacking going on. There were definitely places to be and places not to be, the leaders found the right places , in the main whilst those of us at the other end of the fleet were left cursing the wind gods.
Not only did the wind cause us grief but the distance to the windward mark was troublesome to the optically challenged, coupled with the need to overstand the mark by some distance caused a few pile ups at the mark, especially if the wind had just died, with boats drifting onto the buoy and into each other.
On the way from red 7 to the gate, our course brought us close to the bank and the rules concerning sailing along a continuing obstruction came into play. They are an interesting set of rules which are worth getting your head around and seemed to cause a lot of confusion and discussion, so well worth a read up on.
Such were the conditions that no one skipper had it all their own way, with six different winners out of nine races, however as usual consistency and above all a good start, on a line with ever changing bias was the key to success.
The leaders were all extremely closely spaced, with Keith just a couple of points ahead of Alan Smedly, who managed to just edge in front of the next two skippers by a single point. Rob and Mike Kemp, being separated on count back for third and fourth places.
Friday 28th June - IOM Furzton Trophy Round 8
Hi Folks,
Eight boats turned out for the latest round of the Furzton Trophy for I0M yachts. We were greeted by a nominally Easterly breeze that was well within the range of the A rig which everyone carried. Trying to make use of the wind coming through the Eastern channel we started between Whites 3 and 4 and went up to White 7 in the mouth of the channel, out to White 8 from where we headed for the 'Doom Gate' before returning to White 7 and back to the gate, then finishing between Whites 2 & 3: all single marks being taken to Port. The windward legs were a challenge with no one course being guaranteed to be the quickest way to that pesky White 7 which had wind strengths from nothing to "hello rudder": sometimes going across that range before the whole fleet had passed. Dorian made the best of it today, with the rest of us shuffling our positions throughout the races. Geoff was trying out his new 'Ellipsis', sister ship to Colin's which we saw last Sunday and suffering the same water gathering performance due to an unfastened pot to allow corrector weights to be fitted after measuring. Like Colin's the yacht was showing promise, at least when it wasn't carrying the odd half pint of lake about.
Sunday sees the DF95 fleet out for round 8 of the TIRYC Bowl: the fleet will be depleted somewhat as Dorian is off to sample his first I0M 'open' meeting and Mike E. and Geoff are off to play with 'A's at Bournville.
Cheers,
Mike
Hi Folks,
Eight boats turned out for the latest round of the Furzton Trophy for I0M yachts. We were greeted by a nominally Easterly breeze that was well within the range of the A rig which everyone carried. Trying to make use of the wind coming through the Eastern channel we started between Whites 3 and 4 and went up to White 7 in the mouth of the channel, out to White 8 from where we headed for the 'Doom Gate' before returning to White 7 and back to the gate, then finishing between Whites 2 & 3: all single marks being taken to Port. The windward legs were a challenge with no one course being guaranteed to be the quickest way to that pesky White 7 which had wind strengths from nothing to "hello rudder": sometimes going across that range before the whole fleet had passed. Dorian made the best of it today, with the rest of us shuffling our positions throughout the races. Geoff was trying out his new 'Ellipsis', sister ship to Colin's which we saw last Sunday and suffering the same water gathering performance due to an unfastened pot to allow corrector weights to be fitted after measuring. Like Colin's the yacht was showing promise, at least when it wasn't carrying the odd half pint of lake about.
Sunday sees the DF95 fleet out for round 8 of the TIRYC Bowl: the fleet will be depleted somewhat as Dorian is off to sample his first I0M 'open' meeting and Mike E. and Geoff are off to play with 'A's at Bournville.
Cheers,
Mike
Round 7 Furzton Cup for IOM Friday 24th May 2019
A fresh North Westerly top of A suite breeze and a healthy dollop of sunshine made for a very pleasant morning for the nine skippers plus Alex Robertson, who hadn't read the calendar, arriving with his DF95. Happily Alex decided that the lakeside in the sunshine wasn't a bad place to be , so he stopped and generously did the scoring and observing.
After a bit of head scratching a course was set from between red 6 and the jetty corner, beating out to Red 2, beyond the western island, which was taken to starboard, to a spreader ( red 3 ), again taken to starboard, finally running to red 7 in the bay, then repeating the upwind leg, running straight back to red 7, finishing with a short close reach to the line.
The use of a starboard rounding course, was a bit unusual and kept us on our toes but in the main proved to reasonably incident free, good practice for everyone, if nothing else.
There was plenty of close racing today as the results show, with places separated by only a single or a couple of points.
The fresh breeze did make these boats sparkle, although on a couple of occasions there were a few nosedives but in the most part everybody was enjoying the conditions. The beats were quite challenging with the usual collection of lifts, headers and calm spots but considering the direction it was better than we were expecting.
Clearly a good start was a great help but negotiating boats approaching the windward mark on starboard tack was crucial to success as some found to their cost.
The on form skippers of the day, Dorian and Mike Ewart, sharing the majority of the wins, were separated by a single point, well ahead of the rest of the fleet, with the next three skippers again separated by three points.
Despite having a technically challenging day, with a set of sails that sagged like Nora Batty's tights, due to a broken or loose top fastening, still managed a very creditable third place.
Geoff
A fresh North Westerly top of A suite breeze and a healthy dollop of sunshine made for a very pleasant morning for the nine skippers plus Alex Robertson, who hadn't read the calendar, arriving with his DF95. Happily Alex decided that the lakeside in the sunshine wasn't a bad place to be , so he stopped and generously did the scoring and observing.
After a bit of head scratching a course was set from between red 6 and the jetty corner, beating out to Red 2, beyond the western island, which was taken to starboard, to a spreader ( red 3 ), again taken to starboard, finally running to red 7 in the bay, then repeating the upwind leg, running straight back to red 7, finishing with a short close reach to the line.
The use of a starboard rounding course, was a bit unusual and kept us on our toes but in the main proved to reasonably incident free, good practice for everyone, if nothing else.
There was plenty of close racing today as the results show, with places separated by only a single or a couple of points.
The fresh breeze did make these boats sparkle, although on a couple of occasions there were a few nosedives but in the most part everybody was enjoying the conditions. The beats were quite challenging with the usual collection of lifts, headers and calm spots but considering the direction it was better than we were expecting.
Clearly a good start was a great help but negotiating boats approaching the windward mark on starboard tack was crucial to success as some found to their cost.
The on form skippers of the day, Dorian and Mike Ewart, sharing the majority of the wins, were separated by a single point, well ahead of the rest of the fleet, with the next three skippers again separated by three points.
Despite having a technically challenging day, with a set of sails that sagged like Nora Batty's tights, due to a broken or loose top fastening, still managed a very creditable third place.
Geoff
IOM Furzton Trophy Round 6 Results - April 26th
Eight boats out yesterday but it should have been ten! Firstly KC fresh back from a holiday but clearly jet lagged arrived at the lake with his boat ready to go. But….on opening the boot - NO TRANSMITTER. It was left in the garage 29 miles away DOH!
Then Mike Kemp arrived with a newish boat a Dan 3 some 10, maybe 15 plus years old but never sailed. On the maiden outing the boat managed the preliminary practice but early on in Race 1 the winch line became tangled. This unfortunately was not to be fixed at the lakeside so Mike had to withdraw.
So back to eight boats sailing a southern wind course. An unusual start in front the of the jetty with a reach out to new red 2 back into the bay to new red 1 then a run down to new red 4 and a beat back to new red 1 and repeat. Dorian and Rob were the go to skippers with Dorian and his still new Cheinz winning with 6 first places and 10 points. Rob was not far behind on 13 points. Mike Ewart made the podium with 23 points. KC acted as scorer and remarked upon the close and excellent racing particularly from the first two skippers. Mike Kemp also ’stayed on’ and took some quality photos.
Cheers
Keith
Eight boats out yesterday but it should have been ten! Firstly KC fresh back from a holiday but clearly jet lagged arrived at the lake with his boat ready to go. But….on opening the boot - NO TRANSMITTER. It was left in the garage 29 miles away DOH!
Then Mike Kemp arrived with a newish boat a Dan 3 some 10, maybe 15 plus years old but never sailed. On the maiden outing the boat managed the preliminary practice but early on in Race 1 the winch line became tangled. This unfortunately was not to be fixed at the lakeside so Mike had to withdraw.
So back to eight boats sailing a southern wind course. An unusual start in front the of the jetty with a reach out to new red 2 back into the bay to new red 1 then a run down to new red 4 and a beat back to new red 1 and repeat. Dorian and Rob were the go to skippers with Dorian and his still new Cheinz winning with 6 first places and 10 points. Rob was not far behind on 13 points. Mike Ewart made the podium with 23 points. KC acted as scorer and remarked upon the close and excellent racing particularly from the first two skippers. Mike Kemp also ’stayed on’ and took some quality photos.
Cheers
Keith
Friday March 29th - Round 5
Good afternoon All
A good turnout of 11 IOM’s for todays Round 5 of the Furzton Trophy. The weather was sunny with the wind SSW in to the Bay of Doom but not too bad. The course was a start between the two twos into Doom Bay out to new Red 6 down to a white just off of the eastern island, a beat back to white 3 off of the jetty and repeat. A good start was very important with some doing well and others ‘out of the optimum position’ Usually a start on starboard at the leeward end of the line with an eventual tack to port to lay the first mark paid off. it was not as simple as that but that was the best strategy
At Race 1 Geoff managed to hook the leeward mark. The electric rescue boat was called for with Geoff ramming the offending boat at speed. Thankfully it was Geoff ramming his own boat! This was to no avail and Geoff was just about to fetch the inflatable when guess what….his boat drifted free???
So onwards we went. KC made a good start with a number of firsts and looked to be in a good position. However John Howell had a good ’second half’ with three wins out of the last five races. So…after discards with John able to discard a 9th place KC just beat him by one point, phew!
Not far behind on 16 points was Mike Kemp always in the mix. A really nice day sailing even though it was frustrating for some
Cheers
Keith
Good afternoon All
A good turnout of 11 IOM’s for todays Round 5 of the Furzton Trophy. The weather was sunny with the wind SSW in to the Bay of Doom but not too bad. The course was a start between the two twos into Doom Bay out to new Red 6 down to a white just off of the eastern island, a beat back to white 3 off of the jetty and repeat. A good start was very important with some doing well and others ‘out of the optimum position’ Usually a start on starboard at the leeward end of the line with an eventual tack to port to lay the first mark paid off. it was not as simple as that but that was the best strategy
At Race 1 Geoff managed to hook the leeward mark. The electric rescue boat was called for with Geoff ramming the offending boat at speed. Thankfully it was Geoff ramming his own boat! This was to no avail and Geoff was just about to fetch the inflatable when guess what….his boat drifted free???
So onwards we went. KC made a good start with a number of firsts and looked to be in a good position. However John Howell had a good ’second half’ with three wins out of the last five races. So…after discards with John able to discard a 9th place KC just beat him by one point, phew!
Not far behind on 16 points was Mike Kemp always in the mix. A really nice day sailing even though it was frustrating for some
Cheers
Keith
Friday February 22nd Round 4
Hi Folks,
What a lovely morning it turned out to be. The only thing that spoiled it for the nine of us that gathered at the lake to contest the latest round of the Furzton Cup for I0M yachts was the wind. I suppose I would be more accurate to say the lack of wind. What there was came from almost every direction, but not all at the same time. Beats became reaches and, occasionally, runs but mainly reaches, of the very soft kind. I won't try to recall the courses that we sailed suffice to say that we deliberately sailed around seven or eight of the buoys on the water, but in groups and orders that changed every couple of races or so as we tried to achieve at least one decent 'tacking' leg - and failed miserably!
Peter Ion joined the I0M fleet today with his neat looking 'Gadget', said to have a pretty good pedigree - designed by Mark Dicks' father, Chris, and built by Martin Roberts' father, Ken, this yacht could go places when Peter gets to grips with it. As is usual with meetings like this, the cream rose to the top with Keith C. and Dave Green fighting it out for the top spots with the rest of us squabbling over the remainder. Bob Lamb bucked the trend with a win in race four which saw us all following his lead from start to finish and Dave Green announced 'weed interference' in the last couple of races - weed in our lake???? :o)
Let's hope that the wind gets a bit more persistent on Sunday for the DF95 fleet: I'm not sure I can stand another day this weekend with as much excitement as we had this morning!
Cheers,
Mike Kemp
Hi Folks,
What a lovely morning it turned out to be. The only thing that spoiled it for the nine of us that gathered at the lake to contest the latest round of the Furzton Cup for I0M yachts was the wind. I suppose I would be more accurate to say the lack of wind. What there was came from almost every direction, but not all at the same time. Beats became reaches and, occasionally, runs but mainly reaches, of the very soft kind. I won't try to recall the courses that we sailed suffice to say that we deliberately sailed around seven or eight of the buoys on the water, but in groups and orders that changed every couple of races or so as we tried to achieve at least one decent 'tacking' leg - and failed miserably!
Peter Ion joined the I0M fleet today with his neat looking 'Gadget', said to have a pretty good pedigree - designed by Mark Dicks' father, Chris, and built by Martin Roberts' father, Ken, this yacht could go places when Peter gets to grips with it. As is usual with meetings like this, the cream rose to the top with Keith C. and Dave Green fighting it out for the top spots with the rest of us squabbling over the remainder. Bob Lamb bucked the trend with a win in race four which saw us all following his lead from start to finish and Dave Green announced 'weed interference' in the last couple of races - weed in our lake???? :o)
Let's hope that the wind gets a bit more persistent on Sunday for the DF95 fleet: I'm not sure I can stand another day this weekend with as much excitement as we had this morning!
Cheers,
Mike Kemp
Friday January 25th - Round 3 Furzton Trophy for IOM's
At least three of our regulars were away, either sunning themselves, socialising with the family or earning an honest living, meaning we only managed six skippers out today, although Alan was missing for the first few races.
Hopefully as the weather warms up and some more skippers have taken the plunge and bought, borrowed or built an IOM, the fleets should be in the double figures.
What wasn't there to love about today? A stiff North westerly top suite breeze, plenty of sunshine and temperatures into the double figures, infact almost perfect conditions.
The wind was kind to us today, allowing a start from between the inner pair of white buoys, upwind into Doom Bay, to round Red1, running to Red 8 in the opposite bay, a short reach across to the white buoy in the mouth of the channel, then the long uphill drag back into Doom Bay, followed by a very long run back to the channel and another long uphill beat over the line.
Initially the first buoy didn't give us many issues but as the wind swung more to the North, the island became an ever increasing obstacle to the wind, splitting and diverting it into two distinct streams, with plenty of no go areas.
On paper and indeed on the water this did look a long course but the stiff breeze and the fast yachts covered it with ease in the normal ten minutes or so. The larger boats also made judging the buoys so much easier than the little 65's.
It seemed an awfully long run, especially if you were up front, negotiating the dead spots, whilst it seemed that the rest of the fleet had used up all the wind and were bearing down on you at a rate of knots. The beat back on both legs of the course were where most places were made up or lost, Richard being one who made some very crafty moves to creep up and sneak over the line, making good use of the lift off the bank.
A sigh of relief when not only did Mike Stevens snag the leeward mark, whilst leading the race infront of Geoff but even more so when the boat freed its self, without needing a rescue, It may have cost Mike the win but he did get going and picked up most of the lost places on the beat to the line.
Today it was a battle of the purple boats which Geoff and Richard nip and tuck, both ending up on 14 points, count back on first places saw Geoff as today's winner by virtue of 3 firsts to Richard's 2.
Paul's lovely wooden Goth made the third step of the podium, showing that you can have beauty and performance ( sorry, that's the boat I'm referring to Paul ) and you don't need to spend ££££ on the latest wonder yacht.
Around 11:00 we had a little break allowing for Dorian, who had come to watch, to have a go with Geoff's boat in a non counting race and again after the racing Alan and Dorian had an other few races.
Geoff
At least three of our regulars were away, either sunning themselves, socialising with the family or earning an honest living, meaning we only managed six skippers out today, although Alan was missing for the first few races.
Hopefully as the weather warms up and some more skippers have taken the plunge and bought, borrowed or built an IOM, the fleets should be in the double figures.
What wasn't there to love about today? A stiff North westerly top suite breeze, plenty of sunshine and temperatures into the double figures, infact almost perfect conditions.
The wind was kind to us today, allowing a start from between the inner pair of white buoys, upwind into Doom Bay, to round Red1, running to Red 8 in the opposite bay, a short reach across to the white buoy in the mouth of the channel, then the long uphill drag back into Doom Bay, followed by a very long run back to the channel and another long uphill beat over the line.
Initially the first buoy didn't give us many issues but as the wind swung more to the North, the island became an ever increasing obstacle to the wind, splitting and diverting it into two distinct streams, with plenty of no go areas.
On paper and indeed on the water this did look a long course but the stiff breeze and the fast yachts covered it with ease in the normal ten minutes or so. The larger boats also made judging the buoys so much easier than the little 65's.
It seemed an awfully long run, especially if you were up front, negotiating the dead spots, whilst it seemed that the rest of the fleet had used up all the wind and were bearing down on you at a rate of knots. The beat back on both legs of the course were where most places were made up or lost, Richard being one who made some very crafty moves to creep up and sneak over the line, making good use of the lift off the bank.
A sigh of relief when not only did Mike Stevens snag the leeward mark, whilst leading the race infront of Geoff but even more so when the boat freed its self, without needing a rescue, It may have cost Mike the win but he did get going and picked up most of the lost places on the beat to the line.
Today it was a battle of the purple boats which Geoff and Richard nip and tuck, both ending up on 14 points, count back on first places saw Geoff as today's winner by virtue of 3 firsts to Richard's 2.
Paul's lovely wooden Goth made the third step of the podium, showing that you can have beauty and performance ( sorry, that's the boat I'm referring to Paul ) and you don't need to spend ££££ on the latest wonder yacht.
Around 11:00 we had a little break allowing for Dorian, who had come to watch, to have a go with Geoff's boat in a non counting race and again after the racing Alan and Dorian had an other few races.
Geoff
Friday 28th Dec - I0M Furzton Trophy Round 2
Hi Folks,
Seven skippers got away from the festive celebrations to have a sail with their I0Ms this morning and were blessed with relatively comfortable temperatures and some wind; not a lot of it but mainly from the West which prompted us to sail the same course as used for the last I0M meeting. This involvedstarting between the white and red marked 'line', in the lee of the Western Island which meant that wind for the starters was in short supply, heading for Red 1 to our left. From there we passed between White 3 and the jetty on our way to Red 7 and then out to Red 3: this gave us a fairly short triangular course which we sailed three times in each race, finishing between White 1 and White 3. The windward leg was basically one starboard tack, or it would have been but for the shadow of the island. As a consequence it was almost inevitably necessary to put in at least one tack or even take a banana shaped course, sailing around the edge of the shadow and, occasionally, overtaking those who had opted to attempt the 'straight route' between the two marks for that leg.
The 3 legged course gave opportunities for positions to change and all appeared to be pretty closely matched today with all having their turn at the front, back, and middle of the fleet. Despite their finishing positions, Richard, Mike S. and Rob, all led the fleet at one time or another, just failed to hold on to that position for the last few metres of the particular race. Alan managed to get home first the most with 3 one point scores but David managed a more consistent string of higher places overall, with Mike K. doing a similar job to squeeze into third place overall. Geoff's one win gave him the advantage over Rob in their tied collections of nineteen points after two discards.
Cheers,
Mike Kemp
Hi Folks,
Seven skippers got away from the festive celebrations to have a sail with their I0Ms this morning and were blessed with relatively comfortable temperatures and some wind; not a lot of it but mainly from the West which prompted us to sail the same course as used for the last I0M meeting. This involvedstarting between the white and red marked 'line', in the lee of the Western Island which meant that wind for the starters was in short supply, heading for Red 1 to our left. From there we passed between White 3 and the jetty on our way to Red 7 and then out to Red 3: this gave us a fairly short triangular course which we sailed three times in each race, finishing between White 1 and White 3. The windward leg was basically one starboard tack, or it would have been but for the shadow of the island. As a consequence it was almost inevitably necessary to put in at least one tack or even take a banana shaped course, sailing around the edge of the shadow and, occasionally, overtaking those who had opted to attempt the 'straight route' between the two marks for that leg.
The 3 legged course gave opportunities for positions to change and all appeared to be pretty closely matched today with all having their turn at the front, back, and middle of the fleet. Despite their finishing positions, Richard, Mike S. and Rob, all led the fleet at one time or another, just failed to hold on to that position for the last few metres of the particular race. Alan managed to get home first the most with 3 one point scores but David managed a more consistent string of higher places overall, with Mike K. doing a similar job to squeeze into third place overall. Geoff's one win gave him the advantage over Rob in their tied collections of nineteen points after two discards.
Cheers,
Mike Kemp
Round 1 Furzyon Trophy for IOM's Results and Report
Today might have been Black Friday, but to my eyes it was simply a very murky grey Friday being one of those days where you open the curtains and contemplate diving straight back under the duvet.
Fortunately nine IOM skippers dragged their bodies down to the lakeside, for what turned out to be a chilly, damp, drizzly morning.
I know I'm not selling it to you all but considering the weather we actually had one of the best IOM turnouts for quite some time, so please can we see the sunshine and a decent breeze next month?
The wind direction was better than of late, coming more from the east than the southerly winds we have been subjected to recently, however there wasn't much of it, granted there were some very, very calm periods but on the whole there was sufficient for us to complete eight races on a decent sized course.
The wind allowed us a good first beat most of the length of the lake, from a start between white and orange buoys front of the main jetty, which was a little too starboard biased, beating down to white buoy just off the eastern island then back to white outer start buoy via a spreader, repeated for a second lap, omitting the spreader, with tricky short upwind finish. Sorry I can't remember the buoy numbers since I had enough trouble seeing the buoys themselves, let alone the numbers on them!
Sometimes going out into the middle of the lake allowed you to pick up a decent breeze but you had to be aware of those who chose to hug the bank and approach the mark on starboard tack whilst on other occasions the inside path brought you into the doldrums.
Runs were nerve-racking too with the trailing pack catching a breeze and sailing up to or past the leading pack,
Orientation, and depth perception were very difficult today in the flat grey light, with sails all but disappearing into the gloom.
Out of the nine boats on the water, there were no fewer than half a dozen different designs of varying age and as can be seen from the results, there was nothing to choose between any of them, with some amazingly close racing.
Getting a good start, keeping out of trouble, in clean air and not stalling of finding the dead spots was as ever key to success today. one man seemed to master the conditions, turning it into a bit of a one horse race, with a perfect score after discards, going to Keith Coxon ( without a Britpop ).
Only Alan Smedley could spoil his perfect day by winning the last race. Some distance behind ( with a Britpop ) was a very quick Rob Tottey, with Alan Smedley close on his heels, to claim the final podium position.
Uncharacteristically Mike Kemp was not showing us the way round today, only managing a fourth place after a couple of unfortunate tangles, although only a couple of points separated all the following positions.
All in all, despite the dismal weather, the inaugural Friday IOM session proved to be a great success and hopefully the numbers will grow as the season progresses, if you have an IOM and can make it on a Friday morning bring it out to play, If you haven't yet got one, what are you waiting for?
I think today the warm comfort of our clubhouse at The Old Beams was more welcome than ever.
Keith
Today might have been Black Friday, but to my eyes it was simply a very murky grey Friday being one of those days where you open the curtains and contemplate diving straight back under the duvet.
Fortunately nine IOM skippers dragged their bodies down to the lakeside, for what turned out to be a chilly, damp, drizzly morning.
I know I'm not selling it to you all but considering the weather we actually had one of the best IOM turnouts for quite some time, so please can we see the sunshine and a decent breeze next month?
The wind direction was better than of late, coming more from the east than the southerly winds we have been subjected to recently, however there wasn't much of it, granted there were some very, very calm periods but on the whole there was sufficient for us to complete eight races on a decent sized course.
The wind allowed us a good first beat most of the length of the lake, from a start between white and orange buoys front of the main jetty, which was a little too starboard biased, beating down to white buoy just off the eastern island then back to white outer start buoy via a spreader, repeated for a second lap, omitting the spreader, with tricky short upwind finish. Sorry I can't remember the buoy numbers since I had enough trouble seeing the buoys themselves, let alone the numbers on them!
Sometimes going out into the middle of the lake allowed you to pick up a decent breeze but you had to be aware of those who chose to hug the bank and approach the mark on starboard tack whilst on other occasions the inside path brought you into the doldrums.
Runs were nerve-racking too with the trailing pack catching a breeze and sailing up to or past the leading pack,
Orientation, and depth perception were very difficult today in the flat grey light, with sails all but disappearing into the gloom.
Out of the nine boats on the water, there were no fewer than half a dozen different designs of varying age and as can be seen from the results, there was nothing to choose between any of them, with some amazingly close racing.
Getting a good start, keeping out of trouble, in clean air and not stalling of finding the dead spots was as ever key to success today. one man seemed to master the conditions, turning it into a bit of a one horse race, with a perfect score after discards, going to Keith Coxon ( without a Britpop ).
Only Alan Smedley could spoil his perfect day by winning the last race. Some distance behind ( with a Britpop ) was a very quick Rob Tottey, with Alan Smedley close on his heels, to claim the final podium position.
Uncharacteristically Mike Kemp was not showing us the way round today, only managing a fourth place after a couple of unfortunate tangles, although only a couple of points separated all the following positions.
All in all, despite the dismal weather, the inaugural Friday IOM session proved to be a great success and hopefully the numbers will grow as the season progresses, if you have an IOM and can make it on a Friday morning bring it out to play, If you haven't yet got one, what are you waiting for?
I think today the warm comfort of our clubhouse at The Old Beams was more welcome than ever.
Keith
