AM: Tamar Memorial Trophy 3

The prospect of sunny weather tempted out 15 competitors for the morning Tamar race, though it 
was still overcast as the fleet assembled on the water. Despite changeable winds a very keen fleet 
finally got away after 2 false starts, even then a single false start sailor had to return and restart! 
(The Race Officer was tempted to fly the black flag on the third attempt, the dinghy racing 
equivalent of' tipping the black spot in 'Treasure Island' – it signifies that if you're over the line at 
the start, then you're instantly disqualified – but at the critical moment the flag couldn't be found, 
so this rarely-used threat wasn't invoked in the end.)  Winds died and blew from all directions 
making it a challenging race.  Rounding Inlet White buoy could be particularly difficult: on the first 
lap, Jane Anderson ghosted towards the buoy with a reasonable lead, only for the wind to desert 
her and allow a whole phalanx of pursuing Lasers behind her to close right up.  Sailing remained 
something of a lottery for the whole race, with the fitful breeze often blowing from West to East at 
one end of the lake and from East to West at the other.  Nevertheless, the race still ended with 
Jane Anderson, Steve Axford and Jane Chadney making up the top three, suggesting that good 
sailing skills will often triumph over the most fluky wind conditions.

Results:

1st Jane Anderson (Laser Radial)
2nd Steve Axford (Laser)
3rd Jane Chadney (Laser)
4th John Buckett (Otter)
5th Penny Abbott (Laser)
6th Nathan Pollard (Laser Radial)
7th Robin Spiller (Streaker)
8th Roger Heasman (Streaker)
9th John Dabbs and Sally Wills (Gull)
10th Linda Spiller (Laser) 
11th Alan Comber and  John Weller (Enterprise) 
12th Geoff Floyd (Solo)

Paul Anderson (Laser), Vicki Duncalf (Topper) and Stuart Mealing (Laser Radial) rtd




PM: Commodore's Cup 4

The wind was more settled for the afternoon Commodore's Cup and boats chased round in the 
warm sunshine. The wind looked to be going more northerly over the lunch interval, so the Race 
Officer set a revised course with what was intended to be a long beat from the start up to Pinkie.  
Much of the time things did work out according to plan, although every so often the wind would 
briefly veer to the East in small areas, so that one or two helms could sometimes head almost 
straight for the mark, whilst all around their competitors were having to put in multiple tacks to 
get to the same end-point.   Places were lost by several helms when they sailed the wrong course 
but then rectified their error so avoiding disqualification.  At the front of the fleet, Jane Anderson 
was in first place in her Laser Radial at the end of the second lap and although Steve Axford in his 
Laser overtook and had pulled out an 80 second advantage by the end, it wasn't sufficient to 
overcome the PY difference between Laser and Laser Radial and Jane made her second win of the 
day on handicap.  Paul Whybrow also sailed well to bring his Solo home in third place.

Results: 

1st Jane Anderson (Laser Radial) 
2nd Steve Axford (Laser)
3rd Paul Whybrow (Solo) 
4th Roger Heasman (Streaker)
5th John Buckett (Otter)
6th Penny Abbott (Laser)
7th Robin Spiller (Streaker)
8th Linda Spiller (Laser)
9th Nathan Pollard (Laser Radial)
10th Vicki Duncalf (Topper) 
11th John Dabbs and Sally Wills (Gull)
12th John Weller and Alan Coomber (Enterprise)

Railly Graham (Topper), Geoff Floyd (Solo), Jane Chadney (Laser) rtd