Author: David Houghton

For the early arrivals at Gorleston things looked very promising with a lovely warm ESE’erly F3-4 breeze . There was a gentle flood tide which was to prove a hinderance to some on the start line. Eight boats took to the water including four lasers providing some good class racing for their helms. With a three short race format planned, it was going to be a busy evening. By the time the racing started the wind had eased to a F2-3. With many boats crowding the line early it looked possible for a recall but only one boat was over with the others managing to counter-act the impact of the tide just in time. Don, sailing his D-One had a set back when his clew strap decided to detach itself from the boom just before the start. With some help from the race team this was rectified and Don was able to join the racing but generously giving the others several minutes head start. Richard F(300) made a quick recovery from his premature start and soon lead the fleet towards the windward mark rounding just ahead of the Phil and Lorna(400) and the Laser of Tamsin. With the wind easing slightly it made for slow progress downwind. The 300 held off the 400 to cross the line first but close behind was Tamsin and the Lasers of Keith and Richard B, resulting in a Laser 1,2,3 on corrected time. There was a clean start in race two and Richard F quickly took the lead. At the windward mark he had a good lead on the rest of the fleet lead by Phil and Lorna and Keith establishing a small lead on the other Lasers. There appeared to be a little more wind on the south side of the course so most of the fleet headed start inshore with the added bonus of avoiding the remains of the flood tide. Positions remained unchanged at the line with Richard F crossing over a minute ahead of the 400 and Keith third. Tamsin stayed in front of the other two Lasers who were neck and neck all the way down to the line with Richard B just beating Daryl by 4 seconds. The D-One’s were having their own battle with only a few seconds separating them all round the course with Don just beating Adrian by a few seconds at the line. On corrected time Richard F was first beating Keith by just one second ! By the time the third race started the wind was teasing everyone occasionally showing signs of life but more often than not it was only a F1…..ish, with the sea now more resembling a mill pond. At the windward mark the 300 and 400 rounded close together with a big gap to the rest of the fleet led by D-One Don. Phil and Lorna must have been fully concentrating downwind as they slowly built up a small lead over Richard F to cross the line first. On corrected time it was a dead heat between them and Richard F with Don beating Keith by one second for third place. With the sun just setting as we headed back ashore it was a lovely end to very pleasant evenings sailing. Many thanks to young Ed and Noah for their assistance on the committee boat and to Phil and Lorna for organising supper. Full results on the club website.

Nine boats took to the water, for what was best described by Will, the OOD as ‘a mixture of sailing pleasure’! For what is becoming the norm at the moment, we ‘suffered’ beautiful blue skies and temperature in the mid twenties. With low water forecasted at 11.38 race one started with a weakening ebbing tide and a shifty F2-3 from the West. With lots of opportunities to make or lose places in the shifty wind the 400’s appeared to managed well taking the top three places with Dave and John claiming top spot. During the countdown to the start of race two the sea breeze decided to make an appearance, converging with the land breeze at the start line, result… wind coming in all directions and sometimes not at all ! Only Richard & Carol (400) and Richard & Robyn(400) crossing the line on time with the rest of the fleet struggling to make the tide as the wind played it’s games. A short way up the ‘beat’ the sea breeze filled resulting in a drag race to the mark. The race team sensibly shortened the race after lap one with Richard & Carol well clear of the fleet, Richard & Robyn holding on the their second and just eight seconds separating the next four boats with Keith & Anna (500) claiming third. The next two races provided the best sailing of the day with a reasonably steady ENE’erly F2-3. In race three Dave & John caught some good pressure on the first downwind leg to open up a short lead on Richard & Carol which they maintained to the finish. Don (D-One) showed good downwind speed staying close to the two leading 400’s throughout the race to claim third place. Due to the pleasant conditions the race team kindly offered to run an extra race which was greatly appreciated. This provided some very close racing between the 400’s of Richard & Carol, Richard & Robyn and Dave & John. With the latter leading at the windward mark but leaving the gybe to the leeward gate a little late these three were almost side by side going down to the leeward gate. It remained close on second lap with Dave & John just pipping Richard & Carol on the line with Richard & ​Robyn third. Just behind were the D-One’s of Nick and Don who had been having their own close tussle with Nick just beating Don over the line.
Huge thanks to the race team of Will, Tom, Matt & Ed for a most enjoyable days sailing.

A pleasant evenings sailing was enjoyed by all on Thursday with two races sailed in a warm SE F2 wind. With 2 x D-One’s, 2 x RS300’s and 2 x Lasers only the RS500 was without a sailing buddy. Richard Fryer (RS300) set the pace all evening leading both races from start to finish despite some confusion round the windward mark in the first race, was it port or starboard ! In race one the two Lasers were neck and neck until the final lap when Richard Brown managed to break free to lead Tamsin at the finish line. In the second race Dave Houghton (300) and Don O’nions (D-One) spent most of the race rounding the marks together but Don’s better upwind pace saw him open up a short lead on the penultimate beat which he held until the finish. Big thanks to Phil and Lorna for once again stepping in as Race Officers. With only two more weeks (officially) to go it’s a Laser 1, 2 as Tamsin leads Richard by 3.5 points with only Keith and Anna (Laser/RS500) able to threaten the top two. Full results on the Results page

Another great days sailing at Gorleston. Unbroken sunshine, a warm F3-4 from the SE and temperatures in the 20’s, what’s not to like.
Race 1 was sailed in the last of the flood tide so most of the fleet headed offshore for the beat. David Brief (Shadow X) rounded the windward mark first and led the fleet throughout the race. Behind, the D-Ones and RS400’s were battling it out with Chris Sallis (D-One) leading the 400’s of Richard Fryer & Carols Smalls and Dave Houghton & John Symonds. Close behind the D-Ones of Nick Favell and Don O’nions were neck and neck and just behind them the 400’s of Simon Beckett from WOBYC and Phil Harlow & Lorna Peirce. Sallis maintained his position throughout the race take his first win of the day with Houghton & Symonds second.
Race 2 was sailed in minimal tide and there was a split in the fleet going upwind for the first time. At the windward mark it was those who went inshore who appeared to gain. Brief did a horizon job on the fleet lapping all bar the top three. Sallis continued his good form to lead the D-One / RS400 pack to take another first with Fryer & Smalls just pipping Brief to take second.
The wind had increased and the sea a little more choppy for the final race of the day. The ebb tide seemed reluctant to set so once again there appeared little tide to contend with. Sallis continued his good form to take his third win with Fryer & Smalls just pipping Houghton & Symonds on the line to take second.
Full results on the club website

With the various forecasting sites predicting light winds varying between the North to South East we were grateful on arriving at the club to be greeted with a relatively stable F2 ESE – SE wind. With the added bonus of blue skies and temperatures in the mid 20’s it made for a glorious days sailing. With racing starting on the last of the ebb tide and finishing as the flood tide started to pick up there was little tide to contend with for the nine boats that ventured onto the water.

Ed picked the perfect day to swap two hulls for one exchanging the Hobie for the club 400 and quickly getting to grips with Wing-wangs!
Phil (700) took on the role of Akela for the day leading the fleet around the course in every race. In race one the key upwind was judging when to venture out to the windward mark. Tom & Will (505) and Dave & John (400) timed it best to follow Phil around the course. Race two saw Phil and Lorna (400) judging the beat to perfection to head the 400’s around the windward mark. In the final race Richard & Robyn (400) and Dave & John (400) led the chasing pack, although Phil’s(700) superior downwind speed enabled him to open up a considerable lead almost lapping some.
Full results on the club site.

Top marks to the race team, Anna, Keith & Nick for three good races and a quick turnaround between races. The only downside of the day was the fact that the great weather conditions meant Gorleston beach more resembled the Costa Brava making finding a route back to the prom quite a challenge.

GYGSC hosted their Beach Regatta on the 23rd and 24 th June.
Locals were joined by visitors from WOBYC and RBSC with eleven different classes competing, ranging from a Solo to an RS800.
Despite the day starting in sunshine and a NE F2-3, the conditions got tougher as the day proceeded. The Race team set a large Windward / Leeward course and with racing starting around low water the first race was sailed in slack water.
Chris Sallis, swapping his usual vessel, a D-One for his Tasar and sailing with Matt Frary were a class apart and led the fleet in the first two races to record two comfortable wins. Nick Favell sailing his D-one was consistently quick upwind and led the chasing pack to record two seconds. As the sky clouded over the wind steadily increased to provide some challenging conditions. There were a number of capsizes with some deciding to head for shore by the end of the second race.
The wind had increased to a F4-5 by the start of the final race with saw a reduced number of starters. With most competitor choosing the play safe and not fly spinnakers they were no capsizes despite the tougher conditions. Nick Favell led from start to finish to claim line honours with Phil and Dennis Manning, sailing a Wayfarer finishing second.
The forecast on Sunday proved partially correct as we enjoyed a day of unbroken sunshine. However, the wind for race four was stronger than forecast, with a good F4 from the NE. With the tide still ebbing it made for an easier beat to the windward mark for the hiking boats. The Tasar once again set the pace early up the first beat, only being pasted by Jamie Freeman and Tamsin Highfield in an RS800 halfway up the beat. With a long run against the tide back to the leeward gate the boats with spinnakers made some big gains over the others throughout the race. Jamie and Tamsin opened up a large lead, lapping some of the boats to record a first with the Wayfarer of Phil and Dennis Manning just pipping Nick Favell for second.
The wind had eased by the time race five started and now a F3. Once again Jamie and Tamsin did a horizon job on the rest of the fleet, this time lapping nearly half the fleet. Behind them was a close battle between the D-One’s of Nick Favell and Steve Gray plus the RS400 of Dave Houghton and John Symonds with only a few seconds between them throughout the race. Jamie and Tamsin recorded their second bullet and the ever consistent team of Phil and Dennis another second. The battle for third was close with Steve Gray finishing a few seconds ahead of the next two boats.
The wind had eased to a F2 for the final race. With the lighter conditions the faster boats struggled to plane downwind and with the Wayfarer never far behind they claimed their first victory of the event. Nick Crickmore sailing a D-One managed the downwind legs better than most to record a second, his best result of the event.
It was close overall with just two points in it. The Wayfarer of Phil and Dennis overall victors with 10 pts, Nick Favell second on 12 pts and David and John third on 20 pts.

Full results on the club website here….

A big thanks to David Brief who was OOD on both days and all the other helpers who manned the rescue boats and galley on either Saturday or Sunday.

There was a lot of activity in Gorleston today with many people there to watch the Gt Yarmouth Air Show. Parking places were at a premium and the sensible ones arrived early. It was a cloudy day with the wind generally coming from the SW and ranging from F5 to F1. Race one was the most testing with some big shifts and gusts which did see a few sailors testing the water. Phil Highfield (RS700) sailed consistently well opening up sizable leads in all races to claim three comfortable wins, only being pressed by Chris Sallis (D-One) in race one. In the second race the wind settled to a relatively steady F2-3 providing some close racing amongst the D-Ones and RS400’s, with Nick Favell(D-One) claiming second. By the time the final race started the wind had eased to a F1-2 and shifting between SW and WSW. With Phil sailing his own race the others enjoyed another close battle with only a few seconds between them. This time Dave Houghton, with guest crew for the day Tom Carr (RS400) claiming second. Thanks to Jamie, Nick and Lea for providing a good days sailing and looking after those who needed assistance. Results now on club website

The forecast proved accurate on Thursday with the wind, which had been quite strong all day easing to 10 mph from the West just before the start of the racing to provide a pleasant, if testing evenings sail. However,  the wind decided to test the fleet dropping at first and eventually  doing a U-turn ! The Race team sensibly shortened the race with the single handers coping best in the conditions with Mark Porter in a club Laser winning both line honours and on handicap. Phil Alison in  his Contender was just behind to claim second.

With the wind now a steady 12mph from the East the race team moved to the ‘new’ leeward mark to start the second race. Phil Alison led the fleet for the first two laps until he decided to ‘moor up’ to one of the marks, leaving Keith and Anna in their 500 to take line honours. Mark however, was close enough behind to claim the race win on corrected time with Keith and Anna second.  Mark  proved very consistent throughout the evening putting in laps times of 7.31, 7.35, 7.32 and a late spurt on the last lap of 7.27.  Thanks to the race team of Phil and Lorna for an enjoyable evening sail and for providing supper in the club afterwards. Results are on the club website

There was quite a mixture of boats for the Britainnia Pier race, ranging from a Shadow X to a Wayfarer plus the usual batch of D-Ones and RS’s. There was a F2-3 NE-erly and with the tide ebbing it meant an easier beat to the mark just of the Britiannia Pier. The race team set the start just off the café so most ventured straight offshore into the tide. Considering the wind direction it was surprisingly shifty so there was plenty of tacks required as we headed up North. Unsurprisingly David Brief in his Shadow X was first to round followed some time later by Tom & Will in (505), Chris (D-0ne) and Dave & John(400), with the later two heading straight inshore to escape the tide and Tom & Will heading directly back south. A little way back the remaining boats rounded the mark relatively close with Steve (D-One) catching some good pressure as he headed inshore catching the others ahead. The run back to the finish was slow although David (Shadow) did a disappearing job opening up a huge lead. Chris (D-One) did a good job hugging the shore to open a gap on the others. Phil, back over from Oz and swapping foiling Wazp for a Wayfarer for the day with dad Dennis steered a beeline along the coast which for them proved the best option holding their position on the water in a fleet of faster boats. Suspect Phil would have preferred the Wazp! With Lorna swapping ships and sailing with Keith (500) as Phil was sailing with brother Paul, back here from New Zealand there may have been a little rivalry between the club top couple. At the finish it was Lorna earning bragging rights as their crossed the line just 20 second ahead of Phil. Once the times were inputted into sailwave it was David who emerged top dog with Phil & Dennis claiming second. Full results are on the website. Thanks to the race team for a pleasant day on the water.

Results are on the GYGSC site –  http://www.gygsc.org.uk/Results/2018/2018Thursday.htm