Royal Plymouth Corinthian Yacht Club

Twenty seven dinghies turned out in temperatures just above freezing  for the second date in this years Gul Winter Series Plymouth.

They were greeted with very fluky NNW winds which started as a Force 1 – 2 & ended as at the top end of a gusty force 3 with shifts to match the gusts.

This week  saw a number of new entries which included a Nacra Inter 20 and a Viper 640 along with more traditional entries from the laser fleet & other handicap entries.

Full commentaries to follow

Below are the results for today along with the overall results.

For Races 3 & 4 please Click Here

For Overall Results please Click Here

Saturday 16^th January saw 20 dinghies race in the Gul Winter Series (Plymouth) 2010.

The over night strong winds abated to a force 2 / 3 SW wind  which saw the Asymmetric fleet race a windward leeward course with a temporary mark laid South of Drakes Island & West Mallard as the leeward  mark.  The first race saw Rod Boswijk & Sharon Binney dominate the race in their B14 with John Cotgreave from Plymouth University in his RS700  managing to beat Graeme Macleod Hobie Tiger into third spot.

The fast & slow handicap fleets had a more tradition course which saw them race to Melampus then onto Asia & NW Winter before rounding West Mallard.

Martin Kimber returned to the laser class  in the fast handicap fleet with a first place to make the transition worthwhile. Keiron & Betsy Kennedy sailed an excellent race in their Kestral to claim second place ahead of Nigel Clatworthy’s Contender.

The slow handicap race saw the six Firefly dinghiesfrom Plymouth University misread the start line with all boats over the start line, Guy Mitcelmore in his Lightning managed to get the better of  Chris Rollinson in a Europe dinghy to claim first & second places respectively.

The second race saw the Asymmetric fleet take the buoys to port with West Mallard being the first buoy. The first three boats from race 1 misread the course & effectively raced a lap of the course before starting the race when the passed West Mallard to port for the first time. The SB3 sailed by George Barker from Oxford SC soon started to pull away from the second SB3 sailed by Stuart Jones who had a close battle with Jon & Nikki Buckler who had their first race in their RS400. Eventually George Barker claimed a well deserved first place ahead of Jon & Nikki Buckler’s RS400 who kept Stuart Jones SB3 close enough to beat him on handicap.

The second race for the Fast & slow handicap fleets saw the race to Melampus again, then onto Dunstone before returning to West Mallard.

The fast handicap fleet saw a reversal of fortunes for the laser & contender with Nigel Clatworthy’s Contender taking first place ahead of Kieron & Betsy Kennedy’s Kestral with Martin Kimbers laser in third spot.

The slow handicap felt saw a repeat of the first race with all of the Firefly’s over the start line. Guy Mitchelmore repeated his first race success to claim another first ahead of Chris Rollinson.

Overall the Asymmetric fleet is currently being led by Jon & Nikki Buckler’s RS400 just ahead of George Barker’s SB3 with Rod Boswijk & Sharon Binney in third place in their B14. The Fast Handicap has Nigel Clatworthy’s Contender & Martin Kimber’s Laser tied on points with Keiron & Betsy Kennedy in third place just a quarter of a point behind.

The slow handicap fleet has Guy Mitchelmore leading ahead of Chris Rollinson.

With many other boats entered in the series already the next race on the 30^th January promises to be another excellent race.

Race results for Races 1 & 2 – please click here

For Overall Series Results please click here

Following on from the successful 2009 series Gul have again kindly agreed to sponsor the 2010 Gul Winter Series.

2009 saw more than 60 entries for the series with over 40 boats on the water on many occasions.

Notice of race can be downloaded here & on line entry will be available from 01/01/10.

Gul_Winter_Series_2010_N.O.R

For Online race entry please click here

Please select the following link for Sailing Instructions for this years Gul Winter Series 

Gul Winter Series 2010 SIs 

(NOTE  : Please ensure you have the latest chartlet – Appendix A in the SI’s)

So why not work off all that christmas turkey & enjoy some competitive dinghy racing in one of the best stretches of water on the South Coast

Any queries please email sail@rpcyc.com

Saturday 19^th December saw the last race of the Autumn Series, those that were brave enough to break the ice off their covers had the joys of drifting conditions with a flood tide to add to their enjoyment.

Fancy dress was the name of the day with many Father Christmas outfits along with a few fairies to brighten up the cold day. Winner of the fancy dress competition went to Graeme McCloud dressed up as King Kong & Chris Butler dressed up as a Damsel in distress on board their Hobie Tiger.

Eventually the wind filled in enough for the race officer to set a course which saw the slow & fast handicap fleets race the same course. The fast handicap fleet started first & by the time the boats reached the first mark the wind had subsided to the slightest breath. It was not long before the slow handicap fleet caught the fast handicap where the majority of boats remained trying to beat the flood tide. Most dinghies were able to keep pace with the tide but as soon as anyone lost momentum they were seen sailing in reverse at 3 – 4 Knots much to the amusement of the others.

Iain Christie & Tim McEvoy in their 505 were the first to manage to round the windward mark & make it past the second mark before heading to the finish line.

Eventually the race officer had no option but to end the race with only one finisher. The rest of the boats were towed home in the calm conditions & were greeted by a snowy end to the days sailing.

The results for the seventh race of the series can be found here.

The Overall results can be found here.

Congratulations to all that took part in the series. Special thanks need to be made to Keith Kendall our Race Officer & his line crew. Along with the safety boat crews of RPCYC / Plymouth Youth Sailing / Hooe Point Sailing Club who turned out in all conditions ranging from sunny days to very stormy conditions & finally snow !!

Without these people we would not be able to race.

We need more volunteers to help man the start line & the safety boats – please contact sail@rpcyc.com if you are able to help.

Saturday 5th December saw the fifth & sixth race of the RPCYC Autumn series.

Thankfully the weather abated once again to allow two races to take place with a variable force four wind which started as a WSW & gradually worked its way around towards the south as the racing progressed.

There was close racing in both the fast handicap & slow handicap fleets which saw a few capsizes here and there along with Graeme Macleod parting company with his Hobie Tiger in first race of the day.

The second race saw a few premature retirements due to gear failure ranging from a broken boom on a B14 to a hole in the bottom of Solo 986 caused by the owner putting his foot through the floor (I must go on a diet !!). Both dinghies got back safely under their own steam with repairs needed !!

For Race 5 Results please click here

For Race 6 Results please click here

For the Series Summary please click here

A special thanks to the safety boat crews and the those that man the start line. without them non of us would be able to race – THANK YOU.

Finally the next race is on Saturday 19th December FANCY DRESS MUST BE WORN BY ALL CREWS

After the racing we will gather at RPCYC for the series Prize Giving (food & drink will be available).

Finally after weeks of gale / storm force winds the weather god abated to finally allow racing to take part once again.

The winds from the west proved challenging for both the competitors & the race officer !! with the wind starting from the west then swinging to the north & disappearing altogether at one stage before going south & then east to round the compass off !!

Despite these challenges (who would want to be a race officer on these days !!)  we did manage to get three races in despite a long wait for the worlds slowest tanker to come in between the second & third races (thanks to all that stuck with it).

Results now posted

Saturday 28th November

For Race 2 results (1st race of the day) Please click here

For Race 3 Results (2nd race of the day) Please click here

For Race 4 Results (3rd Race of the day) Please click here

For the Overall Series Results – Please click here

Don’t forget the next race is Saturday 28th November – Start time 10:00

The average wind forecast is the best we have seen for sometime so fingers crossed we may be able to get out on the water once again after a long enforced break

Hope to see you on the water – Jon Buckler – RC Sail  RPCYC  (Solo – 986)

Photos Gallery (click to entry)

Saturday 7th November saw the start of the RPCYC Autumn Series with 30 dinghies of the 37 entered racing in squally conditions.

Results

The First race saw the fast Handicap fleet sail a windward leg to Ash followed by a run back to West Mallard with the asymmetric Dinghy reaching at warp speeds especially Graham McCloud who did a fantastic job to keep his Hobie Tiger the right way up !!

Rod Boswijk & Sharon Binney revelled in the conditions to take first place in their B14 with John Bower’s Phantom in second place ahead of Kieron & Betsy Kennedy who were literally flying in their Kestral.

The Slow Handicap fleet had 23 starters & they sailed a similar course with the windward mark being NW Winter with a run back to West Mard & a short reach to South Mallard.

The series has attracted a good number of laser sailors who dominated the race with close racing throughout the six laps they completed. Dan Ellis took a well deserved first place ahead of Neil Dunkley in second & Kate Sargeant in third place. Rob Lloyd sailed a fantastic race & claimed fourth place in his Topper.

After the first race the Race Officer decided to take advantage of Brittanny Ferries departing to change the course whilst the waiting for the ferry to depart. A huge squall then came through leaving many crews swimming.

 It was decided to abandon the second race to leave the rescue boats to recover those in need of help. Special thanks go the safety boat crews of Plymouth Youth Sailing & RPCYC.

If there are any volunteers available to man Safety Boats or the Start line please email sail@rpcyc.com

Following on from the successful Gul Winter Series & the Rooster Sailing Spring & Summer Series RPCYC will hold an Autumn Series with 10 races held over 5 dates.

The races will be held on alternate Saturdays with two races held back to back on each date.

Please select the following link for the Series NOR :  RPCYC_Autumn Series 2009 N.O.R

Sailing instructions can be downloaded here  :  RPCYC_Autumn Series 2009 SIs 

(Please note changes to Race Marks in Appendix A)

 Please follow the attached link for on line race entry       

Update – The first two scheduled races on Saturday 24th October have unfortunately been postponed due to a conflict with the World Offshore Rowing Regatta.

(Paper copies will be available from RPCYC from 08/10/09)

The dates for the series are :

Races 1 & 2  Saturday 24th October  Postponed – Rescheduled for Saturday 28th November

Races 3 & 4 Saturday 7th November

Races 5 & 6 Saturday 21st November

Rescheduled Races – Saturday 28th November

Races 7 & 8 Saturday 5th December

Races 9 & 10 Saturday 19th December (crews to wear fancy dress !!)

Please email sail@rpcyc.com for any further details.

Jon Buckler – RC Sail