Pictures from 2012 Season

Early Season Pictures

Taken by Toby Tobias and Mandy Pollard on a Sunday when sailing really was 'a game of two halves...'   A good sailing breeze in the morning but then the wind got up over lunchtime and as the afternoon race started, a rain squall hit the lake and was accompanied by a really strong wind - 15 minutes later and it had passed through, leaving a by-now depleted fleet sailing in a gentle breeze.  Many thanks to Toby and Mandy for taking the photos.

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The fleet rounds the first mark at Inlet White, with the leaders already on a broad reach across to West, Steve Axford's Laser in pole position	Really good close-up of Steve Axford - the sort of picture you see in the pages of 'Yachts and Yachting'	Atmospheric shot of the eventual race winner, Jane Chadney	Taken from a similar position, Mary Carter going well in her Laser 4.7
Bob Sampson and James Pollard get the gennaker pulling well in the RS200	Close-quarters competition at the back of the fleet: John Buckett's Otter just about to be overtaken by Vicki Duncalf in the Topper, with John Savage's Solo in close attendance	Jockeying before the start of the afternoon race, with the sky already looking quite dark	... and now white streaks across the water, a sure sign that the wind is seriously building
Now lining up for the start, under a dramatic sky	And the fleet sets off across a decidedly choppy Upper Tamar, with Toby and Stephanie in the RIB keeping a close eye	A few seconds later, Adam Hilton's Solo in the foreground is in trouble with a broken tiller extension, whilst Roger heads East in the Streaker	John Buckett throws in the towel and heads for the pontoon in the Otter, whilst the fleet battle their way towards Pinky

May Pictures

Pictures from the afternoon race on 13th May.  A strengthening breeze from the West meant that there were opportunities for some fast reaching going from Home up to Far, which feature in a couple of the pictures below.  Many thanks to Mandy Pollard for providing them.

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Three Toppers before the start of the race: James Pollard in the foreground, with Vicki Duncalf heading towards the camera and John Duncalf disappearing towards Inlet	The same three Toppers, plus Adeney Pooler's Graduate in the background	Just before the start; a trainee from Budehaven School being sheparded away from the start line by the circling RIB	Just after the start: Roger Heasman has the prime spot to windward of this bunch, with James Pollard next down the line
Nearly the entire fleet stretched out across the lake on  the long reach up to the first mark at Far

August Pictures

Some pictures from the midday race on 12th August, when a sizeable fleet of 15 boats (perhaps inspired by the feats of Ben Ainslie) turned out for what turned out to be an excellent race.  At the start the wind was relatively gentle (when many of these pictures were taken) but built during the race to end up as a Force 3-4, giving some excellent planing for the faster boats and even the odd capsize.  For the record, the winner on handicap was Roger Heasman in the Streaker.  Many thanks to Mandy Pollard for the photos.

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Circling before the start of the race	Interesting sidelight on the dinghy classes racing at the club these days: whereas a few years back, sometimes Lasers made up the bulk of the fleet, in this shot there's a wide variety of classes (with just one Laser, but two more were in the race)	Still jockeying before the start	One class in the ascendant at the moment is the Solo: here three are in shot - Paul Whybrow in the foreground, with Adam Hilton and John Savage visible further back
Boats in the foreground beating across towards Middle, whilst ahead boats already round the mark have borne away onto a run and the leaders are already round the downwind mark and heading back towards the Dam	Alan Comber (sailing Christine Marshall's Otter) approaching Middle, chasing hard after Simon Veal's Bosun and John Savage's Solo	The wind beginning to pick up across the middle of the lake: Mary Carter gets her Laser onto the plane, whilst behind the Bosun (with Toby Tobias and Nathan Pollard) is kicking up a bow wave	Roger Heasman heading back towards the Dam in his Streaker

Bank Holiday - 26th August

Thanks to Stuart Mealing for the photos

Excellent shot of Everitt and Judith Sharp racing in their Skipper 14	Jane Chadney, the eventual winner of both morning and afternoon races, in a classic shot of Laser sailing	Roger Heasman and James Pollard with the gennaker pulling well on a reach	Jane Chadney and Mary Carter setting off from the beach (with rudders still up)

2nd September

Something rather different: a set of atmospheric pictures in very grey, misty and damp conditions; thanks to Stuart Mealing for the photos.

Jane Anderson and Bob Sampson looming out of the murk at speed in their Lasers	Paul Whybrow's Solo on the plane downwind, whilst Bob Sampson leads Jane Anderson on the beat.	Paul Whybrow again	Jane Anderson downwind on the place, whilst Sue Murray's Topper Topaz is about to disappear into the fog
Bob Sampson and Jane Anderson in the foreground, with (we think) Steve Axford leading the way in the background	Bob and Jane bear away onto the run after rounding West, whilst Steve Axford beats back out before heading up to Pinky	Simon Veal and Elliot Pomeroy in the Bosun: sailing forward, looking back	Steve Axford ahead of Sue Murray as the mist gets thicker....

30th September

Many thanks to Mandy Pollard for all photos below, right up to the end of the season.

John Duncalf leads Jane Anderson in  their Toppers, whilst Mary Carter's Laser heads the other way	Toppers in a Bosun sandwich: Simon Veal with crew Alex Clifton produces an impressive bow wave in the Bosun, followed by the planing  Toppers of Jane Anderson and John Duncalf, with  Toby Tobias and Jane Chadney making an even bigger splash behind

7th October

A mixed fleet, with a good admixture of Toppers, circling before the start	Adeney Pooler's Graduate catches a gust, whilst John Savage stays flat; the three-up Bosun, helmed by Roger Heasman, with Alex Clifton and Elliot Pomeroy, is heading the other way towards Inlet White	The fleet bunched at the start of the afternoon race	The two Janes (Anderson and Chadney) lead Bob Sampson's RS200 and Alan Comber's Enterprise as they head for Dam Red

14th October

Nice to see this unusual photo from the Devon bank, with the Watersports Centre in the background as boats get ready for the start	A brilliant shot of the entire fleet of 15 boats on the first lap of the afternoon race: Jane Anderson leads the fleet in her Laser, with Stuart Mealing close behind and both Paul Whybrow's Solo and Sue Murray's Topper Trez also well to the fore	Later in the race, area of flat calm are appearing on the lake as boats inch their way round West White	Sunshine glinting off the water, but with a threatening black sky in the background

21st October

Simon gives Alex Clifton and Elliot Pomeroy a taste of speed in the Bosun, with Alan Comber and John Weller also kicking up a bow wave in the Enterprise	Bob Sampson and James Pollard sitting well out in the RS200

28th October

A good shot of all five Toppers in the race - each one with multiple reefs on account of the strong winds	The Bosun of Adam Hilton and John Dabbs dwarfs the five Toppers	The whole fleet plough backwards and forward across the lake before the start	Nathan Pollard leads Elliot Pomeroy as they head back towards the Watersports Centre
Starting to look very choppy....	James Pollard and Jane Anderson both planing at high speed	Calm water next to the pontoon, choppy further out	As the race unfolds, the Bosun of Simon Veal with crew Rachel Pomeroy (with the blue mainsail) lead the fleet

4th November

The fleet get ready for the start from the less-often used Start Line 2	It looks as though the race is underway but in fact all the boats are just circling back in readiness for the start	The whole fleet  in shot as they still prepare for the start	What happens when the whole fleet want to be on the same bit of the start line: boats squeeze past the blue Home 2 buoy and start beating towards the Dam
Some close overlaps here: the Bosun of Adam Hilton and Brian Pollard leads the Solo of John Savage and the Otter of John Buckett	A shot of the afternoon race

11th November

James Pollard at speed whilst keeping the boom from digging in	The three Toppers of (l to r) John Duncalf, Elliot Pomeroy and James Pollard	Nicky Buckett's Laser glides across the foreground	Bob Sampson keeping a wary eye under the boom of the RS 200 to see what's heading his way on starboard...
Jane Chadney completes a tack near the pontoon	A good shot of the entire fleet getting ready for the start of the morning race on the last day of the season	Looks as though the wind is starting to produce one or two awkward gusts, with Elliot having to work hard to keep his Topper upright in the background	Bob Sampson out two-up with Nathan Pollard and Alex Clifton in the afternoon race