It was a beautiful sunny start to the day at Gorleston with a F2-3 from the NW and the sea a smooth as a broad. With many of the regular members either on holiday or attending championships the fleet was slightly reduced in numbers.
Time to launch
Race one started with a good flood tide still flowing causing a few late starts! The fleet split with some going inshore and some taking mid course route which, for a short while looked to be the best option as the wind filled in the middle of the course but unfortunately this was short lived and the inshore route proved the fastest to the windward mark. After lap one Team Ed, in a Spitfire were leading just ahead of the 505 of Tom and Angus. The wind became quite fickle for a while and on lap two Tom and Angus took the lead followed by Team Beckett in a RS400, finishing in that order, with the Spitfire third. As the rest of the fleet made their way down the final run to the line the wind shifted and increased turning the leg into a good broad reach to the line. On corrected time Team Beckett claimed victory with Richard second in his Solution (despite the fact he mistakenly put his small sail on) and Tom & Angus third.
Tom & Angus head upwind
After a quick adjustment to the course (Thanks Jamie & Pawel) race two got underway. Team Ed quickly established a big lead eventually lapping all bar ’Quick Phil’, who led the chasing pack.
The wind was now a good F3 from the NNE making for a much better sail with the asymmetrics planning off wind. Team Ed earned an extra lap for being so quick with Phil in his Contender a clear second across the line and easily winning on corrected time with Team Ed second and Team Beckett third.
Team Ed prepare to the beat
It was almost slack water at the start of race three and the wind now a F3-4, with a few white horses (ponies really!) . Richard was no longing complaining about his sail choice ! The Spitfire once again shot into the lead and after three laps had a comfortable lead however, on the final lap helm, ‘Old Ed’ had an untimely dunking when the hook on his trapeze harness broke resulting in him leaving the boat in the sole charge of ‘Young Ed’, who was until that point enjoying his first ride in the catamaran! Although Ed managed to take the helm ultimately the cat capsized. Old Ed was about 50 metres from the boat but was eventually reunited with some help from the Safety crew. Back to the race and Phil was continuing his good form from race two and leading the fleet to the line. Second to finish was the consistent Team Beckett with Darell showing a good turn of speed in his Contender finishing third, which turned out to be how things finished on corrected time.
The Safety team were once again called upon for a rescue, this time it was only a hat which Richard lost when he and Keith capsized on their final gybe.
Quick Phil enjoying the conditions
Once again the day concluded with lunch on the prom in glorious sunshine and temperature around 20 degrees, and the good news is that the forecast looks good for next Sunday!
Several photos of the days racing on the club Flickr site.
A busy weekend at the club which hosted the Solution Nationals. Thanks to everyone who gave up their time to help out making for a successful and enjoyable weekend for the club and hopefully for the Solution fleet.
Joe’s great Yachts & Yachting report below which he earned the right to compose having finished third overall !
After a grey forecast leading up to the weekend, 15 Solution sailors turned up to a sunny Norfolk coast for the 2021 Solution Nationals hosted by Great Yarmouth and Gorleston Sailing Club (gygsc.org.uk). Much to the trepidation of the pond sailors and sea sailors alike the first task of the day was getting into the sea. With F3/4 dead onshore and the launch scheduled at low tide, getting off the beach through the shorebreak and surf would be a test in itself. Fortunately a team of GYGSC members were on hand to lift each boat in, add the sailor and give them a shove between the waves to send them on their way, whether they were ready or not. The North Sea was on form offering the full sea sailing experience with large swell, some chop and flowing tides. The course of choice for the class this year was a P course, which gave the sailors a chance to test every point of sail.
Making way up the beat
Race One got away cleanly with Josh Hamer claiming his first of many bullets, with Kevin Clark second and Joe Crabb in third sailing the very first (of two) boats Kevin Clark had made in 2006 when starting the class. An impressive swift recovery from a capsize saw Kathryn Partington-Smith get back to 4th.
Race Two saw Josh with another win, followed by Jack Turnbull and Joe in third. Race 3 saw Josh step aside for Jack to take the win with some impressive upwind speed, with Josh second and Kathryn third. Lots of surfing waves and long reaches gave for some exciting sailing with surprisingly few capsizes.
Rounding the gybe mark
The next job was to get back on shore safely with the surf still rolling onto the leeshore. Sailors queued up taking it in turn to sail downwind directly at the brave GYGSC members who were standing waist deep in the surf ready to catch and turn boats head to wind and lift them out.
Once dry, there was a short AGM discussing exciting developments with a new boat builder Peak Dinghies (www.peakdinghy.com ). This was followed by what could only be described as a banquet of food and drink put on by GYGSC at the sailing club enjoying beachfront views. As everyone hobbled/ stumbled back home, to their tents in the boat park or hotel, Josh was sitting in first, Jack second and Joe in third. During the evening Joe was to learn that the unwritten rule in the fleet was who finishes third and has to write the report!
First job of the day – photo shoot time
Day Two was Day One ‘lite’, with 8 to 10 knots from the East. Launching and recovery was the same slick operation but less adrenaline fueled. The race officer opted for a Starboard rounding course to work with the tide, this certainly stopped people getting stuck on the windward mark, but did make for some interesting boat on boat action at times.
Race 4 saw Josh and Joe OCS, they were kindly informed a couple of 100m up the beat and after ducking back tried their best to get up through the fleet. The caliber of the whole fleet was clear to see as gaining places once at the back was easier said than done! Kathryn took the win, followed by Iain Wilkinson and Mike Gower in third (sailing the second Clark -built boat).
By Race 5 saw the two Clark boats leading the fleet with with Mike leading Joe for the first lap, Joshes up wind speed shone threw taking the win ahead of Mike and Joe in his usual spot, the tide was starting to kick in across the race course and the wind was easing at times, with many sailors being caught out and a lot of place changes as a result.
The final race saw another win for Josh, followed by Kathyn in second. Mike finished in third showing he clearly has form in the lighter winds and maybe a sea convert being a local sailor at the inland Hickling Sailing Club!
Heading to the gybe mark
Overall we saw a clear winner (taking the win even if you didn’t give him a discard!) Josh Hamer who learnt his trade at GYGSC many moons ago now from Glossop SC taking both the National Champion Title and the Masters Trophy. Kathryn Partington-Smith also from Glossop taking second, Joe Crabb from Great Yarmouth and Gorleston Sailing Club taking third along with writing the race report “award”. The Ted Funnell Memorial Trophy for the centre of mid fleet went to Stuart Jones and a special shout out to Tim Clarke, winner of the “Sheep Dog Trophy” chasing getting everyone around every race.
Josh, overall winner of the Solution 2021 National Championship
Thanks go out to GYGSC which did a fabulous job at hosting some excellent courses set in a timely manner by the race management team, so many club members volunteering their time to catch and launch sailors on the beach in addition to providing rescue cover and preparing and serving the wonderful meals. Please do come and visit GYGSC; with prevailing southwesterly winds, the task of launching is rarely as exciting as it was this weekend. A personal thank you to GYGSC for having a club owned Solution and allowing me to take part in an excellent weekend of racing with it and thank you to the Solution Class for being so welcoming. Also thank you also to all the competitors taking time to travel to Norfolk, a county that is beautiful but famously far from everywhere in the UK.
With such a friendly and sociable fleet, with everyone sharing tips and people improving throughout, the weekend made for some close racing throughout the fleet. The Solution is a wonderful boat to sail, I would recommend everyone try one out or persuade your club to buy one! It has the additional perk that the Solution has a very similar PY to a ILCA 7/ Laser (1092 vs 1100) so you can enjoy fleet racing with them but in comparative comfort. (http://www.solutionclass.org/ or facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/151010924993/
The Safety boat team were busy taking photo’s with over three hundred on the club Flickr site :- GYGSC’s albums | Flickr
There was a lively Northerly blowing down the coast on arriving at the club, with the forecast suggesting the wind would be increasing gradually throughout the day. With the Open meeting next weekend being sailed around a P course the race team, after some discussion announced they would give this a try.
Eleven boats lined the beach awaiting their turn to be launched as the surf was on occasions more suitable for surfers!
Race one – Keith reaching to the ‘middle’ mark
The flood tide made for a tough beat which saw Richard & Ed (RS400) and Phil (Contender) quickly open up a good lead over the rest of the fleet. With two reaches the ‘P’ didn’t favour those with spinnakers as the wind and sea state had become more challenging. Rob and Tom (Xenon) had been coping well in the conditions until their jib halyard failed which resulted in a tow back to shore. The RS400 finished well clear but on corrected time had to settle for second behind Steve (Europe) who had managed to keep ahead of the Lasers and Solution..
Richard leads race two
The wind was a good F4 at the start of race two and a few had decided to head for the shore. Richard B, in his nice new shiny Solution led from start to finish but not far behind was Richard F in his Laser Radial who won by just four seconds on corrected time.
Thanks to the race team who apart from having to lay twice the normal number of marks also had quite a busy time assisting a few who took to the water.
It was the first of the Autumn series at Gorleston but thankfully the weather was still in summer mode with sunshine and temperatures in the mid twenties.
Richard and Joe were seen on the prom with a tape-measure checking settings and comparing notes, only three weeks until the Solution Nationals!
The day proved a testing time for all with a shifty and gusty F3-4 Westerly, resulting in several capsizes. Three races, three different leaders at the windward mark (all 400’s) and three different race winners, all single handers !
Twelve boats launched with the majority singlehanders ranging from a Europe to a RS700
Boats and beach huts
Race one- Phil & Lorna, fresh from their success in winning the Summer series were first to windward mark. Dave & John (400) slipped past on the run to lead up to the finish. Carl (Laser) sailed a great first lap rounding the leeward gate second but eventually overhauled by Phil (Contender) and Steve G (D-One) but winning on corrected time by a minute and a half.
The pre-race bimbling obviously paid off for the Solutions who claimed the next two places with Joe finishing just over ten seconds in front of Richard after a race long battle.
Race two start
Race two- Joe, along with Don and new crew Angus port tacked the fleet at the start of race two with the latter leading at the windward mark. Curtis (RS700) stormed down the run to take the lead after lap one. Dave & John slipped into the lead after lap two closely followed by Steve G. Behind Steve W (Europe), having fixed his main halyard during race one was keeping in touch with the faster singlehanders to win on corrected time with Joe second and Dave & John third.
Asymmetrics enjoying the downwind leg
Race three- Dave & John led at windward mark maintaining this to the finish. Behind, Phil and Joe were only a few seconds apart after lap one but Phil, showing a good turn of speed upwind opening up a good lead at the finish. On corrected time it was a Solution 1, 2 with Joe beating Richard by 30 seonds and Steve W finishing third.
Joe enjoying the conditions in the Solution
After the first days sailing Joe heads the leaderboard, one point ahead of Steve W. Thanks to the Race team for a cracking days sail and for a few, some swimming. And to end the day many of us enjoyed dinner and a beer on the prom in glorious sunshine.
The Race team were also busy taking pictures with over ninety now on the club Flickr site.
With a strong sea breeze and a few white horses there was some deliberating before a late call to go out sailing. However, by the time everyone was lining up for the start of race one the sea breeze had eased to a F3 and had shifted from SE to S. For the first half of race one there was a nasty short chop to deal with but eventually the sea flattened out as the wind steadily decreased throughout the evening. The initial thoughts of a P course were changed and we reverted to the standard W/L.
Milling around prior to race one
As the boats prepared themselves for the first start the tide was still ebbing. Everyone decided to cross the line on starboard with Phil & Lorna (RS400) quickly tacking inshore as the others continued offshore. At the finish Phil & Lorna had a good lead and held their time on handicap to take the win. It was a close finish for the Richard’s with Mr Brown in his Solution just beating Mr Foster (Laser) over the line by two seconds but on corrected time Mr Foster claimed second.
More milling, only now darker !
By the time race two got under way it had become overcast with the wind now a F2 with a hint of west in it. With the last remains of the ebb tide still evident everyone headed inshore up the beat. Phil & Lorna, in the fastest boat rightly led the fleet round the course. Richard B and Phil (Contender) were only a few seconds apart for the first two laps rounding the leeward gate together on lap two, but on the final lap Richard opened up a short lead on Phil. As the boats finished the wind had dropped to a F1 making for a very leisurely end to the evening. On corrected time Richard B claimed first with Phil & Lorna second.
The sun sets, getting quite dark
As we headed back inshore the sun was setting and any longer on the water may well have it necessitated navigation lights. Once ashore many of us stayed to indulge in a beer and Chef Brown’s cooking.
With just two weeks to go one point separates the top two, Richard and Mark, with Phil & Lorna still in striking distance. Will it be Solution, Laser or RS400 that takes overall glory?
Despite earlier forecasts of possible thunderstorms the day passed without any rain or thunder. It did however start and finish with restricted visibility as a light sea mist arrived. Thankfully, for most of the days racing we could at least see the windward mark!
The race officer suggested four short races rather than the usual three race format to provide some additional starting practise. A small but select fleet launched with a light NNE wind which shifted just before we started race one. This set the scene for the days sailing with the wind direction and strength changing regularly. The race team quickly moved the windward mark and racing got underway.
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Racing underway
David B, sailing a Solution set the pace in race one managing to hold off the challenge from the two RS400’s right up to the line, with Richard & Robyn crossing just ahead of Phil & Lorna. On corrected time it was a 1,2 for the Solutions with David H, sailing the club boat second.
The RS400’s owned race two quickly establishing a big lead on the rest of the fleet which was led by Adrian sailing his D-One. At the finish Richard & Robyn just beat Phil & Lorna but both were over four minutes ahead of the next boat resulting in a 1,2 for the 400’s.
David vs RS400’s
The fleet were evenly split halfway up the first beat in race three however a shift favoured those on the left hand side of the course with Richard & Robyn the biggest winners rounding the mark well ahead followed by David B. At the finish Richard & Robyn had built up a sizeable lead and completed an additional lap, comfortably winning on corrected time with David H second.
After another wind shift race four turned into a bit of a drag race at times. The 400’s led the way round but David H was close enough behind to win on corrected time with Richard & Robin second and Ed, sailing his Splash third.
Race three start
Thanks to the race team for an interesting and testing days sailing and dealing with the changing conditions well. And thanks to all who stayed behind to help relay the ‘ramp’ which now provides a much smoother run onto the beach.
The race team also managed to find time to take a few pictures which are now on the club Flickr site.
All the ingredients for a good evenings sailing at Gorleston were in place, sunshine, a good sea state, a warm F2 from the NE and an OOD keen to get us on the water and racing. The result was three close races, excellent courses and a great evening of racing. The club boats proved popular once again with all four booked out. Twelve boats launched and by the time we got to the start line the OOD was ready to start racing
Rounding the leeward gate
Race one saw the RS’s lead the fleet with Don & Molly (400) and Richard F (300) jostling for lead boat with the latter crossing the line 15 seconds ahead. Behind the two Solutions of Richard B and Joe plus Dave in a Laser swapped places a number of times with Richard B crossing the line just ahead of Dave. On corrected time Dave just beat Richard B by 8 seconds.
Richard F leads the fleet
In race two Richard F slowly increased his lead on the fleet and completing an extra lap. Don & Molly led the rest closely followed by Adrian (D-One) and the two Solutions. The RS’s were first to cross the line with Joe finishing ahead of Phil (Phantom) and Richard B. On corrected time Richard F beat Joe by nine seconds.
Angus nails start three
Race three saw new member Angus off to a great start on a port flyer comfortably crossing the entire fleet. After the first lap Richard F had worked his way into the lead closely followed by the RS400 and Richard B. Behind them a group of four boats were separated by just five seconds. Once again the 300 slowly creep away from the fleet earning an extra lap and almost catching some boats up. On corrected time it was a battle of the Richards with Mr Brown beating Mr Fryer by just three seconds.
Many thanks to the OOD for a great evening of close racing. Three races with three different winners in three different classes and with less than ten seconds separating the first two boats in each race.
With the series now well over half way through Mark, sailing a club Laser is currently in the lead but is just one point ahead of Richard B.
Several pictures of the evenings sailing are now on the club Flickr site
Despite temperatures reaching 30 degrees inland, it was cooler on the coast but with unbroken sunshine and a warm F2-3 breeze from the N-ish. Gorleston provided beautiful sailing conditions for part 2 of the Passage series. Eleven boats joined in the racing, comprising of eight different classes ranging from a Europe to a Spitfire.
Race one started at around HW. Ed and Maren sailing their Spitfire soon headed the fleet pursued by Curtis in his RS700 and the RS400 fleet. These boats pulled away from the others earning themselves an extra lap. However on corrected time it was a 1,2,3 for the slower boats with farmer Whitby (Europe) taking the win from Nick (RS Vareo) and Phil Contender) third.
The RS400 ‘s fought back in race two with all three opening up a clear gap after the first lap with Don in his D-One leading the rest of the fleet. On corrected time it was a clean sweep for the RS400’s with Richard & Robyn just ahead of Simon & Bruce with Phil & Lorna third.
The Spitfire soared away in race three doing a horizontal job, lapping the entire fleet. Curtis opened up a small lead on the RS400’s with Nick leading the rest. However the farmer was in a hurry to get back to his crops and managed to stay with the faster boats to earn his second win of the day with Ed & Maren a creditable second.
There was a light coverage of mist on arrival but by midday this had cleared eventually being replaced by sunshine. The sea bore more resemblance to a mill pond making for a very easy launch to the start line. HW was approaching so just a little flood tide remaining and a F2 wind from the SE.
Nine boats launched comprising of 2 x RS400’s, 2 x Solutions, 2 x Contender and one Phantom, Laser & Sprint
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Countdown to start one
Race one – Richard & Scarlet (RS400) got their one and only mistake of the day out of the way early by being over the line at the start. Dave & John (RS400) and Nick (Phantom) headed the fleet at the windward mark. Unfortunately Dave & John rounded the mark to starboard rather than port and in the process taking Nick with them! This let Richard & Scarlett, who had recovered quickly from their eager start to slip through into the lead.
After lap one they had a small lead over the Dave & John and Nick. Behind, Keith (Laser) headed a pack of four boats with just 14 seconds separating all four.
Lap two saw the start of a day long battle between the two RS400’s who were never far apart with now just two seconds between them. Keith had opened up a small lead on the others led by Phil (Contender).
At the finish line Richard & Scarlet had opened up a small lead on Dave & John. Nick was a comfortable third and Keith had consolidated his lead on the others finishing over a minute and a half ahead. On corrected time the faster boats took the honours with the RS400’s first and second and Nick third.
Richard & Scarlet nails start two
Race two – The wind by now had increased a tad to F2-3 with very little tide. Richard & Scarlet made amends for their previous start to lead the fleet to the windward mark. After the first lap Richard & Scarlet held a small lead on Dave & John with Nick third. Steve, sailing the club Solution led the rest who once again closely packed.
Over the next two laps positions were almost unchanged. At the line the gap between the leading RS400’s was unchanged, Nick a comfortable third and Steve just pipping Phil.
On corrected time the RS400’s took 1, 2 with Steve beating Keith by six seconds for third.
The fleet head to the windward mark
By the start of race three the tide had changed and now ebbing. Dave & John led at the windward mark and after the first lap had a small lead on Richard & Scarlett with Nick third. Behind Phil was leading the chasing pack which this time was spread out.
On lap two Richard & Scarlett had a good downwind leg closing the gap to Dave & John to just five seconds. Phil had a good windward leg closing the gap on Nick and pulling clear of the others.
On lap three the two RS400’s approached the gate on different gybes with Richard & Scarlet on starboard and had caught up enough to catch Dave & John to slip into the lead, which they held to the line. One corrected time it was another 1.2 for the RS400’s with Nick claiming another third.
RS400’s side by side
With the sun now out and a warm F3 wind the race team offered the fleet a fourth race, which all bar one were keen to join.
Once again the RS400’s were neck and neck throughout the race with Dave & John just managing to hold off a strong challenge from Richard & Scarlet. Behind Steve and Keith were fighting for next place with just four seconds between them at the line, with Steve crossing just ahead.
On corrected time the RS400’s were nearly five minutes clear, perhaps a sign of the effort and concentration both were having to invest. Keith claimed third by just a few seconds over Steve.
We may have sailed back to shore tired but we all had a terrific day on the water. Many thanks to the race team for excellent courses, a great day’s sailing and some of the best and closest racing we’ve had for a while.
During the hours leading up to ‘playtime’ the weather misbehaved with a F3 from the south turning to a F1 from the west and the early periods of sunshine turning to on/off rain !
By kick-off things had improved a tad and there was a F2 from the west and it had stopped raining and brightened up. It was to be a Solution versus Laser evening with the only other class represented a Contender sailed by Darrell who decided to spend the evening practising
Race 1 – first beat
First Half – The two Solutions led the Lasers up the beat with Richard just a few seconds ahead of Joe and Mark at the head of the Laser pack. Rounding the leeward gate after the first lap Mark was the only one to opt for the pin end which proved the right end as he caught up to the Solutions and left a good gap behind him and the other two Lasers.
After the second lap only three seconds separated the two Solutions with Mark maintaining his position close behind. On the final lap Richard managed to open up a small lead with Mark just pipping Joe across the line. On corrected time Mark took the win, with Richard second. 1-0 to the Lasers
Race two – approaching the leeward gate
Second Half – as the wind had shifted slightly to the south our diligent OOD decided to quickly move the start line after which race two got under way. The Solutions once again headed the pack up the beat with Dave just ahead of the Laser gang. As the boats approached the leeward gate Richard held a small lead over Joe and Dave was just ahead of Keith. As the boats rounded gate the wind shifted to the south turning the course into a drag race. Dave managed to hit the mark and Keith took the opportunity to overtake. The next two laps were mainly about boat speed with very little differences within the two classes. After two laps the Solutions had opened up a small lead of just over a minute on the Lasers. On the final lap the wind eased a tad and the Solutions increased their lead to nearly three minutes. Richard crossed the line first to take both line honours and the win on corrected time with Joe and comfortable second.
So 1-1 after full time. Extra time was spent eating Lasagne, thanks to Chef Brown
Many thanks for Richard for OOD-ing, having to cope with some shifting wind conditions and also acting photographer, pictures now on the club flick site.
