Pictures from 2017 Season
Many thanks to Mandy Pollard for taking all the photos, unless otherwise specified
19th March
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| All looks under control at this point as the three-boat fleet start the race | An impressive bow wave from the Bosun | Elliot on the plane with the rescue boat watchful in the background | Nathan planing at speed |
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| Nathan having to work hard to keep the Topper boom from digging in too far on the beat from Inlet to Middle | Jane Chadney (newly returned from 'down under') and Paul Anderson (also back from foreign climes) watch Brian Pollard as he has to go 'up over' as part of the delicate process of righting the turtled Bosun | Little freeboard, so a very gentle tow back to the pontoon | Back to dry land at last.... |
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| Roger Heasman leads the 3-boat fleet towards Dam Green | Onto starboard as both Streakers head back across the lake for the first mark | Adam Hilton gets the Bosun round Dam Green in first place | Even with the smaller Wave sail, Roger having to hike out to keep the boom off the water |
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| All stuck in a heap.... except Paul Anderson's Laser that has got away clear; nice to see Roger Ford's Wayfarer out racing at Tamar again, even if it wasn't the weather for it | Standing, kneeling, sitting, but nobody's going anywhere very fast... | Not really Bosun sort of weather, either. Cilla Gilbert and Brian Pollard waiting for the wind.... | Something seems to have happened with the perspective in Mandy's camera... Jane Anderson heads for Dam Green whilst the radio-controlled boats in the foreground are also nearly motionless |
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| Vicki's Topper steals a march on the fleet in the afternoon race when a proper breeze arrived (in defiance of the weather forecast), much to the chagrin of club members who had given the day up as a bad job and put their boats away | Nathan Pollard's Laser in close company with Jane Anderson's Radial as they beat away from Dam Green | Sharp close-up of Paul Whybrow in a race when the Solos were all placed high up the fleet | The Vice-Commodore's Solo heels to the breeze, with Roger Heasman's Streaker just behind |
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| James Pollard gets away on port at the windward end of the line, whilst in the background Jane Anderson is heading across lake on starboard | James Pollard, with sailing skills honed by University-level competition, leads the fleet, whilst Brian Pollard and Cilla Gilbert must be sailing a blinder at this point, keeping their Bosun up amongst the Laser fleet | John Dabbs's Gull going well to be keeping up with the Solos of Geoff Floyd and John Savage | Probably the best photo of the day, with James Pollard and Steve Axford taking advantage of the Force 4 wind to get up onto a broad reach plane |
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| A bit more wind for the Wayfarer this week, with Elliott and Rachael at the head of quartet of boats, with Linda Spiller's Laser, Roger Heasman's Streaker and the Pollard/Gilbert Bosun just behind | Start of the afternoon Commodore's Cup, with Jane Anderson this time the only helm to opt for a starboard start, whilst the remainder of the fleet head up the lake on port | Still tight competition in the Solo fleet | Good to see close boat-on-boat competition at Tamar, even as the race enters its later stages |
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| All very tight on the line as the fleet gets away into the north-westerly breeze in the midday race | Sue Murray seems to be well positioned on the first beat, with her Laser 4.7 well up and to windward | James Pollard going great guns in his full-rig Laser, prior to his subsequent breakage and consequent enforced retirement | A diverse quartet of boats bear away round Pinky |
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| Quieter conditions as Paul Whybrow's Solo leads the fleet away in the afternoon race | Paul still with a clear lead as they head towards the first mark | A happy smile from Linda Spiller as she and Nathan Pollard glide back downwind | Still enough breeze to get Sue Murray's Laser 4.7 onto the plane, with the bright gorse-clad banks of Inlet in the background |
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| A starboard tack start for the Sailboat Trophy race in the morning, with Roger Heasman's Streaker looking to be in danger of getting shut out at pin end of the line | The dinghies heading off into the gentle breeze, with Bob Sampson's Laser apparently well placed at the head of the fleet | Commodore Sue Murray gliding downwind, just ahead of Jane Anderson | Pollard pere et fils trying out an RS200 (loaned by Bob) |
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| A trio of Laser sailors, led by Jane Chadney, followed by Penny Abbott (returned from the slopes) and Linda Spiller | Good to see Toby Tobias (in his trademark red-hulled Bosun) out for the first time this season, followed by John Weller (venturing for a rare foray in his Laser) and John Dabbs, sailing above his station to be keeping in close company with the faster boats |
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| Port and starboard tacks boats look to be converging on a single point at the start of the midday Sailboat Trophy series race | With the newly-replaced Dam Red as the windward mark, Bob Sampson gets away clear downwind, as the RS200 makes the turn | Sufficient wind in places to get the Topper heeling to the breeze, as the Solo and Laser keep close company behind | On a day when strong winds were forecast, there's a decided absence of whitecaps in the afternoon Pursuit Race |
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| The two Solos of John Savage and Adam Hilton sailing gently where the lee of the hill gives a wind shadow from the Easterly breeze | Bob Sampson's Laser starting with the Pollard's RS200 | Happy smiles in the RS from Brian and James Pollard | Eventual winner of the Pursuit, Adam Hilton's yellow-hulled Solo, in the foreground, with second-placed Bob Sampson behind |
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| Boats still getting to the start line too early, not helped by the fact that the wind had swung and made the start into something approaching a broad reach, so that slowing down was nearly impossible for helms | The front of the fleet ghosts almost to a standstill as they approach Inlet White, with a line of Lasers closing up on Jane Anderson; Robin Spiller is going well in the interloper Streaker at the end of the file | Heading up the lake towards Pinky; nice to see Stuart Mealing out on the water in his Laser, second from left | Similar line of approach for the start of the second race, but with rather more wind; Steve Axford having to bear away downwind from the line in the foreground |
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| A cluster of boats beating up the lake on starboard; nice to see Raily Graham out and going well in her Topper (But note in the background, Jane Chadney, also on starboard, has found a huge lift and seems to be heading at almost 90 degrees to the other boats) | Roger Heasman, having an excellent afternoon race in his Streaker, rounds Dam Green, with Penny Abbott in the background | Vicki giving Raily some helpful directions | Nice head-on shot of Jane Anderson holding off Steve Axford as they prepare to harden up round Dam Green |
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| Vicki leads the fleet away for the midday race | Jane Anderson keeping a close eye on the burgee, whilst Paul is looking very determined as he accelerates away from Inlet White | Nathan Pollard's Laser Radial just ahead of Sue Murray's Laser 4.7 as they come out of the lee of the hillside by Inlet White and start to plane across to Zebra | Adam Hilton in splendid isolation as he planes downwind, showing just what the Solo is capable of in the right conditions |
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| Paul Whybrow's red-hulled Solo times the start right, whilst the heron takes flight (or possibly fright) in the foreground | The two Solos head up the lake | A good telephoto shot with almost the whole fleet in view as they come back from the downwind mark, with Jane Anderson in a clear lead | Brian Pollard back out on the water in the Bosun, with John Savage making a guest appearance as crew |
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| Adam's Solo capsized in the background (with mastop buoyancy to stop inverting) whilst the fleet are lining up at the start | Heading downwind for what was probably an awkward gybe at Middle in the unpredictable gusts | Jane Chadney just ahead of Roger Heasman in a momentarily calm patch as they bear away round Dam Green | Start of the afternoon race, with Jane Anderson's Topper apparently stealing a march on the rest of the (now smaller) fleet |
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| The two Bosuns just ahead of John Weller helming the Enterprise as the trio head for Dam Red | The trio of Toppers, with Adam Hilton's Solo keeping them company, Tamar's pine-clad 'cliff' in the background | Brian Pollard and a returning-after-injury Cilla Gilbert on their way to a first place across the line (and an impressive third on handicap) | The suddenness and intensity of the gusts illustrated by this shot of the red-hulled Bosun, with the gunwale almost in the water despite sailing three-up (and with Toby and Sally hiking out) and with Otter sails |
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| On a course using Start Line 2, Jane Anderson gets away well on starboard in the foreground, whilst Nathan Pollard goes for a port tack start on the extreme right of the picture | Forming an orderly queue as Nathan heads a quartet of boats rounding Dam Green, with Robin Spiller, Paul Anderson and Adam Hilton lining up behind | Jane Anderson already with a good lead over the pursuing quartet | Brian Pollard and Cilla Gilbert just ahead of the Toppers, with Roger Heasman still catching up after a tardy start |
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| Looks to be lots of concentration on display in this effective close-up of Paul Anderson in the Laser and Roger Heasman in the Streaker | Alan Comber and crew Barney head downwind in the blue-sailed Enterprise in the background, whilst the Bosun picks up speed during a gust in pursuit of Adam's yellow-hulled Solo in the foreground | Vicki's Topper just ahead of John Dabbs' Gull (nursing a hastily-repaired tiller extension) in the afternoon's Pursuit race; note the point at Inlet (complete with fishermen) extending as the water levels start to drop | Roger Heasman en-route to victory in the Pursuit race on the left of picture |
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| John's Topper seems to have got a good position to windward of this quartet, just after the start of the midday race | Jane Anderson at the front of the fleet as they accelerate away downwind | The whole fleet playing follow-my-leader on the first lap | Cilla helming the 'Rob Eason' with Bob as crew, whilst just behind Geoff Floyd is getting the yellow-hulled Solo to start to lift onto the plane |
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| Cilla and Bob hard on the heels of Alan and John's Enterprise as they round Inlet Red | Really close competition as Penny and Linda arrow downwind towards the Dam in the afternoon's Pursuit race | Bob Sampson spreading spray as he seeks speed in the daunting catch-up faced by the faster boats (and helms) in a Pursuit | And James Pollard achieving similar results in a spectacular plane on his return to home waters |
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| Just after the start of the midday race, with just one of the many capsizes of the day, as Bob starts to right his Laser | Reaching back from Far, with the two Laser Radials in the lead | James Pollard hurtling downwind in a cloud of spray, shortly before deciding that the conditions were getting close to 'breakage weather' and opting to retire | Whitecaps in the background across the middle of the lake, as Bosun and Topper negotiate the conditions in different styles |
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| Sue Murray gets her Topper nicely onto the plane | The five-boat fleet gets away for the afternoon race, with conditions equally as testing as in the morning | Jane Anderson to windward as this trio of boats set out on their first lap | Bob Sampson almost ducking the end of his boom into the water as he bears away round West White, with James Pollard just behind about to start the manoeuvre |
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| Five boats almost in a line as a smaller than usual fleet heads towards Dam Green, with Robin Spiller nicely placed to windward | The leading boats catch a gust to accelerate towards Inlet White, catching out a surprised gig cox, who had to do some rapid manoeuvring to keep out of the way | The front quartet just about to round the buoy | Jane Anderson on her way to victory in the midday race, keeping an eagle eye on the burgee, vital on a day when the wind direction could (and did) vary hugely almost by the second |
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| Start of the afternoon race, where Bob Sampson is just a tad early at the line and is about to circle round and re-start | The cormorant on the RIB turns its back on the excitement as the fleet glides slowly past | On a day when the Kestrel was inclined to be wilful and headstrong, Brian Pollard and Cilla Gilbert enjoy a brief moment when a gust got the boat moving well | With a short course chosen to keep out of the way of fishermen at the top end of the lake, the race eventually started to resemble a Pursuit, with boats strung right out round the circuit. Here the eventual winner on handicap, John Dabbs heads downwind in the foreground, whilst just behind, the two Otters of John B and John S beat upwind into a breeze that had eventually swung right round to the north and started to blow with increasing vigour |
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| The majority of the fleet lines up at the windward end of the start, as James Pollard leads the fleet away on a Cup race | Nathan Pollard, in his Laser 4.7, leads Bob Sampson in the Radial on the beat up the lake | Really close, exciting, racing between the Laser Radials at the front of the fleet, with Steve Axford leading at this point | Nice character study of Jane Anderson, eventual handicap winner of the morning race, out in her Topper |
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| On yet another day when competitors had to contend with sometimes evil gusts, James Pollard here generates an impressive amount of heel as he starts to harden up round Dam Red | The trio of Toppers leads the field in the afternoon's Pursuit race | A rare moment, with all three sailing members of the Pollard family in shot during the Pursuit race | Steve Axford generates a plume of spray as he surfs through the bow wave of the Bosun, which has Geoff Floyd added to the usual crew of Cilla Gilbert, to help Brian keep the boat flat in the sometimes rumbustious wind |
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| Jane Anderson gets away clear at the start of the first of two 'Spare' races | New boat on the lake, Brian Pollard's Tasar, charts a different course in the foreground as the remainder of the fleet favour the Devon bank after the start | Lovely shot of a cluster of boats in close contention rounding Dame Red and Green, with Adam Hilton's Solo going well to be up in contention with Lasers | Lots of pressure on the windward end of the line at the start of the second race |
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| Sixteen boats spread out across the lake in the second race - definitely the sign of a buoyant club (sorry) | Linda Spiller's Laser hardening up round Dam Green | Still some powerful very localised gusts, even on an apparently benign day: Toby' s Bosun almost dips its gunwale, whilst just behind, the Tasar and John Savage's Solo stay rock steady | Great action photo of Bob Sampson looking for the layline |
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| Brian Pollard goes for a port tack flyer with his Tasar in the foreground and, despite appearances, apparently just managed to get clear away in front of the advancing starboard tack boats in the background | The fleet heads down from Middle towards a gybe at Pinky | Not quite enough wind to lift the Streakers and Laser Radial onto the plane | On a later lap, Paul Whybrow's red-hulled Solo leads a group of boats heading towards the next mark at Zebra |
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| In the second race of the day, Nathan Pollard makes a great start in his Laser Radial | After a slow start, Robin Spiller is moving up the fleet as he glides downwind between Roger Heasman and Penny Abbott, on his way to an eventual win on handicap | Never mind the boats, look at all the bird life (with cormorant, heron and geese all in evidence in the background); the fleet leaders head for the windward mark at West White | Lovely photo of close quarters competition amongst the leaders, with Nathan still holding onto a narrow advantage on the water |
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| Rather a dreary day, as just a quartet of boats take to the water, with Nathan Pollard well placed to windward taking an early lead | Heading off into the murk | Nathan holds the inside line round Dam Green, whilst Brian and James Pollard are down to leeward | Vicki's Topper pointing high in the foreground, with Geoff Floyd's Solo just behind |
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| James Pollard making a high speed departure from the start line on starboard tack as he shaves just past the pontoon at the helm of the Tasar | Once more into the gloom, dear friends.... | Geoff Floyd getting his Solo well ahead of the Topper in the afternoon race | And at last the weather seems to be improving towards the later stages of the afternoon's Gosling Shield race, as the Tasar eases past the Topper |
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| The fleet unusually scattered as the horn sounds for the start of the midday race | Great shot of a tightly-packed group of boats hardening onto a reach at Middle | Nathan Pollard leading the way as the whole fleet heads back down the lake on the first lap | Sue Murray gets her Laser 4.7 onto the plane on her way to victory on handicap in the midday race |
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| Jane Anderson just ahead of Nathan on the beat to West White | The hare that didn't get caught by the hounds: Vicki beats up the lake on her way to first place in the Pursuit | Toby and John working at extracting maximum speed, goosewinging the Bosun in the foreground, whilst Paul Whybrow adopts a more nonchalant posture in the Solo just behind | Roger Heasman looking back, certainly not in anger but rather with some pleasure, as he heads towards an eventual second place in the Pursuit |
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| The fleet get away on the first beat with Linda Spiller's Laser 4.7 clear ahead | Linda looking comfortable going downwind as she negotiates the 'windy middle' of the lake | Spot the missing hull.... Jane Anderson's boat almost completely enveloped in spray at her Topper tears across (and through) the choppy water | And the award for bravery goes to.....: James Pollard opts for a full rig Laser in the midday race whilst most around him were downsizing to sails with considerably smaller square footage |
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| Adam Hilton looking inward and introspective in the Solo, whilst behind, Marlo Graham keeps a keen watch forward in Toby Tobias's red-hulled Bosun | Sue Murray also kicking up clouds of spray in her planing Laser 4.7 | Going upwind in the RS200 looks to be pretty hard work..... | But obviously lots of fun going downwind.....; huge smiles from helm Bob Sampson and crew Alison Linnell |
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| Looks as though Roger Heasman has got to the line slightly too early and had to double back in the club Bosun | Paul Whybrow's red-hulled Solo at the head of this quartet of boats, whilst just behind, it's really good to see Annie Quartermaine out in her Laser Radial again. In the foreground Nathan Pollard seems to be managing to point higher than the boats around him and on the right of the picture, John Savage's Solo is also going well | Jane Chadney planing downwind in her Laser 4.7, with the boats behind just about to bear away slightly at Middle | Jane Anderson's Topper and Adam Hilton's Solo, beating upwind on port tack, have to thread their way between a trio of boats heading downwind at speed on starboard; in the foreground, John Dabbs' Gull benefits from the services of a crew, with Brian Pollard helping out on yet another day of unpredictable, gusty, winds |
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| The fleet in line astern, all opting for the windward end of the start line, with the exception of John Dabbs's Gull, which can be glimpsed in the background going for clear air at the downwind end end of the line | Tight competition on the first beat to West White | What, taking your wind... Us....? A quartet of bigger-sailed dinghies cluster astern of Jane Anderson''s Topper - but still aren't able to prevent her from taking her second win of the day on handicap | Undefeated despite the minor matter of a snapped mast at the last mark, a determined Nathan Pollard manages to get his crippled Laser Radial across the finish line |
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| An undecided look to the fleet, with boats heading both ways as the horn sounds | That's better: everybody now facing in the right direction a few seconds later | Surprise winner on handicap, given the very light wind conditions, Elliot Pomeroy's Topper leads John Dabbs (who was himself a commendable third) | Graham Joyce and Linda Spiller in close competition as they head downwind |
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| The wind seemed to get lighter and flukier as boats neared the Dam: here Alan Comber and John Weller in the Enterprise drift gently behind Brian's Tasar, being helmed by Cilla Gilbert for the midday race | The afternoon Pursuit race in full swing: the Tasar (now helmed by Brian and crewed by Rachael) in the foreground has a daunting amount of distance to try to catch up | The two Solos on the water (Adam's and Paul's) were never separated by very much for the whole duration of the Pursuit | Robin Spiller takes a lead he was never to relinquish as he glides smoothly past John Buckett's Otter |
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| A southerly wind means a less usual start direction as the fleet heads towards the Dam | The fleet heads off downwind into a distinctly un-summery gloom, with Nathan Pollard's sail the only splash of colour on a very grey day (even down to the grey seabird faintly pursuing at far right) | 'Look out, he's behind you....'; Bob Sampson looks about to pounce as he tussles with James Pollard on the way to his eventual victory | Sue Murray and Linda Spiller in close competition as the race unfolds |
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| James Pollard starts off as he means to go on, getting away first in the afternoon race, en-route to first place | ... and has already put clear water between himself and the rest of the fleet as he prepares to round the windward mark | Around the gybe mark at West White before a brief reach across to Middle | The Tasar picks up speed as Brian Pollard bears away round Dam Green |
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| Nathan Pollard gets away clear at the start of the Teatime Tankard | Graham Joyce's Laser just heading Bob Sampson, dipping his toe into unfamiliar territory in the Topper on his way to victory on handicap | Sufficient wind for Adam Hilton to get his Solo onto the plane | And when a squall came through, John Dabb's Gull was being pushed hard over, even though he had prudently reefed down to a pocket handkerchief of a mainsail |
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| All quiet on the Tamar front: the fleet gently drifts across the start line as the horn sounds for the start of the midday race | A moment when paddleboarders moved considerably faster than any of the the racing dinghies: Robin Spiller is in front in clear air, but Jane Anderson is poised just behind, on her way to victory | Bob Sampson in a decidedly nonchalant pose, back in his customary Laser | Still little more than a drift at the start of the afternoon race, as the dinghies seek to find the gentle easterly zephyrs |
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| But as the race developed, the long-awaited sea breeze finally arrived from a WNW direction, giving a broad reach/run all the way down from Pinky to Dam Green, with just a suspicion of a bow wave developing on Nathan Pollard's Laser in the foreground | Robin Spiller taking the bit between his teeth as he hardens up after Dam Green | A nail-biting race on the final beat to the finish between the Solos of Adam Hilton and Paul Whybrow, the boats by now moving at a very respectable speed | No tears in a Tasar: Brian Pollard and Cilla Gilbert in good-humoured mood as they near the end of their race |
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| The start of the midday race, with just a small four-boat fleet braving the miserable conditions: it looks calm as a mill-pond down by the pontoon but clearly this was just a snare and a delusion | Tight rounding the windward mark, with James Pollard holding on to his initial lead | Enough wind on the open water for Nathan Pollard to have to hike out hard in his Laser Radial | James Pollard looking happy and relaxed in his Laser 4.7 as he passes Dam Green |
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| And then clearly much more wind has appeared from somewhere as James and Adam head for Dam Red | Sue Murray gets away first in her Laser 4.7 in the afternoon race, whilst Adam Hilton is still recovering from a capsize at a critical moment - though this didn't stop him from becoming the eventual winner on handicap | Bob Sampson, now with a full sail on his Laser, is about to start blanketing Sue Murray's Laser 4.7 as they bear away around Dam Red | Bob Sampson out in front as the mist and rain descends |
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| Nathan Pollard right on the line as the horn sounds for the start of the Teatime Tankard, on the way to a comfortable victory | Annie Quartermain hiking out in the lead Bosun, with Pavol Rovensky doing the same job in the Roger Heasman-helmed Bosun just behind, whilst the fact that Robin Spiller has opted for the smaller Streaker Wave rig underlines the fact that it was yet another windy Wednesday | Gentler going downwind, with John Dabbs at the helm and Annie Quartermain and new club member Bob Bennett making up the crew | Adam Hilton and Sally Wills on a day when the usual two-person Bosun crew was fine going downwind, but sometimes made for harder work in the gusts when beating upwind |
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| Nathan Pollard gets his Laser Radial away in prime position to windward at the start of the Tamar series race | The calm before the storm, as the leading trio head for West White | Bob Sampson has moved into pole position in the foreground, whilst in the background the Solo and Topper are almost lost in the drizzle and mists in the distance | All three of the remaining Lasers are up on the plane, with a patch of darker water demarking a gust across the middle of the lake |
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| Different angle from the usual start line photos, with a picture from the Devon side of the lake as the fleet gets to grips with the less-familiar Start Line 2 | Robin Spiller, Steve Axford and James Pollard are the leading trio as they tack onto port after Dam Green | Nice close-up of James Pollard making sure he doesn't waste an inch at Dam Green | Brian Pollard making his race debut in a Laser on the left, just behind Penny Abbot |
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| Beautifully framed shot of the view from the top of the road down to the Race Hut and Watersports Centre | Tightly bunched at the start of the afternoon race, with the bow of Adam Hilton's yellow Solo just showing marginally in front of the competition | Adam Hilton apparently still holding on to his position to windward, with Alan Comber's Enterprise and Robin Spiller's Streaker just down to leeward | Helms divided as to whether to go onto port or starboard as they run downwind from Inlet, with Jane Anderson and Bob Sampson in the lead |
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| The fleet getting away (slowly) at the second time of asking, as the light zephyrs swung round to make it a running (or perhaps hobbling) start | And the wind direction staying north-westerlyish, so that, unusually, it's the second leg of the race that has become the beat | Geoff Floyd's Solo nicely placed to windward of Roger Heasman in the RS200 and Jane Anderson in her Topper | It looks as though Adam Hilton is going to be first to Inlet White, as the fleet inches across the glassy-looking water |
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| A changed course for the second race, giving something much closer to a beat for the initial leg to the first mark | Sue Murray adopts a 'crouching tiger' stance in the foreground in her Laser | James Pollard now at the helm of the Tasar, as they round Dam Green | All three of the Solo fleet in shot, with Paul Whybrow leading the trio |
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| A grey autumnal day, with at times, rain and thick mist, keeps numbers to just 5 boats as the fleet gets away for the first race | The Tasar gets away into an early lead | The gybe at Dam Green doesn't look to be much fun... | The Tasar over on its beam ends as Brian hops onto the centreboard to bring her upright again |
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| Bob Sampson now in the lead as this trio reach up the lake | Buoys, what buoys......? The thick mist descending on the lake meant that any attempt at a second race had to be abandoned |
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| The difficulties caused when the wildly swinging wind direction turns the start into a run, leaving boats quite widely scattered across the lake at the start | Hardening up after the second mark at Dam Red, Jane Anderson takes a lead that she was never to relinquish | The reflections of the sails in the not-quite-still water reveal how little wind there was for helms to work with | And not much movement towards the top end of the lake, either, as helms heel their boats to make the most of a negligible breeze |
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| A similar pattern in the afternoon race, with helms trying to avoid being carried unwillingly across the line by the following breeze | And the (slightly larger) fleet in even more of a heap in the afternoon, as helms negotiate the dogleg round Dam Green en-route to Dam Red | Paul Whybrow's distinctive red-hulled Solo leads this mid-fleet group, as they head downwind towards Middle whilst he leaves it behind | 'Tiny Clanger meets Big Flapper': Jane Chadney's Laser disturbs one of the lake's herons into a ponderous take-off from its perch on one of the race marks |
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| Using the less familiar Start Line 2, Jane Anderson is a boat length over as the horn sounds and has to duck back through the line | John Dabbs out in front in his Gull as the fleet head away from Dam Green | Paul Anderson, out in the lead in his Laser, encounters a substantial gust, despite the apparently smooth surface of the water | Back to start Line 1 as the afternoon race gets under way |
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| Almost twins: the two yellow-hulled Solos of Adam Hilton and Geoff Floyd on the downwind part of the course | Coming up smiling: Bob Sampson and Annie Quartermain recover from a capsize near the Dam | Nicky Buckett back on the water helming the Bosun, with John Buckett and John Dabbs as crew | Bob and Annie making up for lost time as they start to move back up through the fleet |
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| Just a trio of boats take to the water for the midday race, with Nathan Pollard's Laser 4.7 away from the start in the lead | The red hull of Adam Hilton's Bosun making the only bold splash in a grey wintery-looking shot, with the lichen-clad trees in the background overhanging the water making a good approximation to the forbidding dark forests of childrens' fairytales | Nathan looking ahead to victory, both on the water and on handicap | Nathan again ahead, well clear at the start of the afternoon race |
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| Elliot and Vicki head across the lake in their Toppers, whilst the club Bosun, sporting cut-down sails, heads up the lake in the background | Even though the conditions were reported to have eased for the second race, it still looks fairly wild and windy across the middle of the lake as this trio of boats beats towards Far | The complete six-strong fleet all visible in telephoto shot at the top end of the lake | An excellent crisp close-up of Roger Heasman helming the club Bosun, with Sally Wills and Geoff Floyd on crewing duties on what looks like a distinctly chilly late-October day |
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| The 'racing abandoned' flag flying tells the story of the day.... | Nathan bravely ventured out for a solitary blast back and forth across the lake | Whilst Bob and Roger in the Jaffa kept a watchful eye 'just in case'.... |
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| Steve Axford leads the fleet away, with Adam Hilton's Solo just behind | A good size fleet for a Boxing Day race, as they round Dam Green and head off downwind | Cilla Gilbert (complete with seasonal hat) and Sally Wills take the 'Rob Eason' out for a winter airing | Here come the cavalry! Brian and James Pollard accelerate away to help right the Bosun |
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