David Houghton

Spring Regatta

Sunshine all day, temperature in the high teens and a F3 from the south, with the added bonus of a gentle flood tide, assisting the upwind legs and prolonging the enjoyment downwind. All the ingredients for a great day on the water.

Race 1 – the well balanced start line saw boats all along the line, most ventured offshore to catch the tide but the sea was noticeably rougher making for an bumpy ride to the windward mark. Dave & John (RS400) rounding the mark first closely followed by Richard & Christine (RS400) and Phil in his Contender.

Behind, Steve was just ahead of Keith, who had swapped his Laser for Steve’s ‘spare’ Europe and Richard, sailing his newly acquired RS Vareo. Dave & John held their lead until lap four when they managed to trawl their spinnaker leaving Richard & Christine to take line honours. However, on corrected time it was the single-handers who came out on top with a Europe 1, 2 and the Contender beating the RS400 by eight seconds for third.

Race 2- After lap one Dave & John held a small lead over Richard & Christine, who were just ahead of Phil. A little way back Mark & Darell (RS400) were just ahead of the remaining single-handers. Most were now opting to keep in the middle of the course upwind to avoid the choppy waters offshore. All the asymmetrics were heading inshore on the off wind leg for a smoother ride, and easier gybe ! Dave & John held on to take line honours followed by Richard & Christine. On corrected time Steve put in another good performance to take the win, with the RS400’s second and third.

Race 3 – in the final race of the day the wind eased a little. After lap one Dave & John had a one minute lead over Phil who was a minute ahead of the rest of the fleet. Keith managed to stay in close proximity to Steve on the first lap but Steve gradually pulled ahead during the last two laps. Dave & John took line honours but Steve once again put in a faultless performance and took the race by over a minute, with the RS400 second and Keith making it a Europe 1, 3.

Heading for the leeward gate

Thanks to the race team for arranging great weather, excellent start lines and a great course. The asymmetrics enjoyed plenty of exhilarating off wind legs. Some, who tested it, said the water seemed quite warm!

Inbetween attending to a few capsizes, the rescue team also took some pictures which are now on the club Flickr site

Club Flickr page – https://www.flickr.com/photos/gygsc/albums

Sailing Results – http://www.gygsc.org.uk/Results/2022/2022ClubRegs.htm

Thursday evening- 19th May

A very pleasant Thursday evening sailing which proved popular with the singlehanders with two Lasers, two Europes, a Topper and there would have been two Contenders but Phil jumped ship opting to sail the club Solution. Phil & Lorna the sole representatives from the ‘two person’ fleet in their RS400.

Race 1 started in the last of the ebbing tide with a warmish F2. Dave, swapping Laser for a Europe led round windward mark closely followed by Phil & Lorna who promptly took the lead. Just behind Keith (Laser) led the rest of the closely bunched fleet. The race team sensibly shortened the race after the first lap as the wind had shifted from E to the SE.

The forecast was spot on with the wind strength as it picked up a little for race two. Phil and Lorna led the race to the finish with the Europe’s of Steve and Dave enjoying a race long tussle heading the rest of the fleet and taking first and second place on corrected time with Keith third and new member Harry, sailing his Topper just missing the podium finishing fourth.

Thanks to the race team who were kept busy but still managed time to take several photographs which are now on the club Flickr site.

Compliments to Chef Brown, the Moussaka and Lasangne were a welcome après-sailing treat.

Full results – http://www.gygsc.org.uk/Results/2022/2022Thursday.htm

Photographs now on club Flickr site – 2022 May 19th Thursday | Flickr

The comic strip presents…Thursday Evening sailing !

The 400 cannot shake off those pesky Lasers !

Phil uses the worlds longest selfie stick to get a different angle

Back ashore…and ready for a beer and pie

Full results – Sailwave results for Thursday Series 2022 at Great Yarmouth and Gorleston Sailing Club 2022 (gygsc.org.uk)

Spring Series Act 4

It was a lovely sunny day at Gorleston for Act 4 of the Spring Series. The onshore wind was surprisingly shifty resulting in several position changes throughout the day.

Steve continues to build up his Europe fleet, today revealing his latest addition, a 1970’s vintage boat which he had recently refurbished.

On the water Richard & Rosie (400) were the start line masters, leading off the line in every race.

Race one saw a three way battle between Richard & Rosie, Dave & John (400) and Phil, sailing his 700 for the first time this year and claiming line honours. However, on corrected time it was a 400 1,2,3 with Richard & Robyn putting is a quick final lap to claim third just ahead of the vintage Europe.

The wind eased a bit during race two. After lap one the fleet was led by three 400’s and the start of a race long battle between the three with some very close racing with positions changing every lap. Dave & John led at the line, closely followed by Richard & Rosie then Richard & Robyn for another 400 1,2,3 on corrected time. Keith, swapping 500 for his Laser had gained a good lead on the Europe to get fourth by one second.

The battle of the 400’s continued in race three. Richard & Rosie had a good first lap leading by 30 seconds with the other two rounding together. After lap two only 10 seconds separated the three, lap four saw a lead change with Dave & John just ahead and incorrectly thinking it was the finish, promptly headed for shore. Unfortunately Richard & Robyn also headed for shore leaving Richard & Rosie to complete a fifth lap alone. Meanwhile ‘One second’ Keith had put in some quick laps to snatch the race win from Richard & Rosie by one second on corrected time. His new ‘super-duper’ mainsheet block was obviously working. David, sailing his Solution and using his lovely new sail for the first time taking third position.

Many thanks to the race team for an excellent days racing, good start line and course which is never easy to set with an Easterly wind.

Full results – http://www.gygsc.org.uk/Results/2022/2022Spring.htm

Spring Series

It was a cold day on the water for the Spring series racing. A small but hardy few braved the conditions and ventured out to the start line. Racing started at high water with a F2 wind from the SSE. Richard & Rosie (RS400) quickly headed the fleet and built up a considerable lead by the finish. Both Richard & Robyn (RS400) and Nick (D-One) had teething problems forcing retirement in order to sort the problems out. Keith, opting for the club Solution sailed a lonely race but picked up second on corrected time with Phil & Lorna (RS400) third.

The wind and sea state picked up a little for race two and at moments there was a welcome sight of the sun, unfortunately that didn’t last long! Richard & Rosie were a little too keen at the start resulting in a bear away and gybe behind the fleet. However, they had recovered by the time the fleet arrived at the windward mark just leading Richard & Robyn and Nick. At the finish Richard & Rosie had built up a two minute lead and Nick managed to pass Richard & Robyn to claim second.

By the time race three got underway the flood was ebbing, the wind had shifted a little to the east and increased a tad, and the sea state had become noticeably bigger with a confused wave pattern….and the race team were cold ! Richard & Rosie led round the windward with Richard & Robyn just a few seconds behind then proceeded to build up a good lead at the finish. Nick was flying downwind and managed to overtake Richard & Robyn to claim another second.

The cold had got to everyone and we were glad to get back to shore, Chef Brown’s pies were a welcome treat. Thankfully the forecast for next week is warmer with the bonus of some sunshine.

Full results – http://www.gygsc.org.uk/Results/2022/2022Spring.htm

Yeeha…. It’s the Start of the Season!

Apart from a chill in the S-SSE breeze everything else was just about perfect for the Start of Season racing. Blue skies all day, slick race team, F2-4 winds and a small swell to make the off-wind legs fun.

After a rather casual boat rigging session on the beach, racing got underway a few minutes late! The race team set a good sized Windward–Leeward course with the wind F2-3. The beat was assisted by the last remains of the flood tide. There was some close racing, particularly mid fleet with Richard & Ed, in their newly acquired RS400, Nick C (Phantom) and Phil & Lorna (RS400), separated by just six seconds after lap one. Dave & John (RS400) took line honours, with Nick F, sailing his lovely new D-One in second. However, Steve, sailing his pocket-rocket Europe took the race win on corrected time with Phil A, sailing his Contender and powering his way up the beats taking fourth place.

The wind increased a tad and edged a little to the East for race two. The tide was slack for the start of the race but just turning by the time the race finished. A couple of crews decided to test the water during the race…… think the opinion was it’s still very cold ! The increased wind made for some great off-wind legs for the asymmetrics. Dave & John took line honours, with Nick F close behind. On corrected time Steve just pipped Nick for second, with Phil taking another fourth place.

The final race of the day was a two lap sprint, which suited everyone as now the ebb tide was flowing, the wind now F3-4 and legs were aching! Dave & John were having a close battle for the lead with Nick F until a mis-timed spinny drop slowed Nick down. Steve was expertly working the downwind legs and took another race win, Dave & John second, with Richard & Ed just pipping David (Solution) for third.

It was a good day for Steve who just beat Dave & John to win the Start of Season trophy.

Many thanks to the race team for a great start to the season, we were certainly lucky with the weather. The race team took several pictures which are now on the club Flickr site. Apologies for the photo quality, water on the lens !

By the time we had the boats back up in the dinghy park there were plenty of tired bodies. Once the boats were de-rigged and packed we enjoyed lunch on the prom, Chef Brown’s tasty pies certainly went down a treat.

Full results – http://www.gygsc.org.uk/Results/2022/2022SOS.htm

Pictures on Flickr – https://www.flickr.com/photos/gygsc/albums

17th October – End of Season

Another overcast day for the start of the End of Season trophy. Ten boats were safely launched into moderate surf using the now well drilled launching process! With low water scheduled for 14.00 it was going to be a day of long beats into the SSW F2-3 wind.

The race team set a good sized course for race one. Just before the start the rudder downhaul snapped on Don & Adrian’s 400, on water attempts to jury rig a fix proved unsuccessful resulting in an early return to shore for them. At the start the fleet were spread along the even line. Dave & Keith (400) were first to head inshore which proved to be the quickest option. The majority of the fleet also headed inshore although two boats opted to stay out. The wind inshore proved to be extremely shifty with 10+ degree shifts common. Downwind it was ‘soak’ mode for the asymmetrics as the wind strength not supporting planning conditions. After lap one Dave & Keith headed the fleet with Richard & Indra (400) ahead of Steve (D-One) and Phil & Lorna (400), which remained unchanged to the finish.

The race team shortened the course for race two, to the relief of the singlehanders! After lap one ten seconds separated the first three boats with Curtis (700) sandwiched between the 400’s of Dave & Keith and Richard & Indra. Steve & Phil (Contender) were a short distance behind with Richard (Laser) leading the rest of the fleet.

Dave & Keith led to the finish with Curtis, who had lost some ground on lap two putting in a quick final lap to pass Richard & Indra.

There was a reduced entry for the final race of the year. After lap one positions at the front were similar to the previous race. Phil was ahead of Darell in the Contender battle. With a tad more wind the asymmetrics occasionally managed to get onto the plane downwind, making for a more enjoyable race for them. Even the sun managed to make an appearance during the race to brighten up the day. On corrected time it was another 1,2 for the 400’s with Phil in third position.

Birds take flight having recognised the pending change of season !

It was a good day for the RS400’s. Overall winners of the EOS trophy were Dave & Keith with Richard & Indra second and Steve (D-One) third.

Thanks to the race team for a lovely days sailing, sadly the last of the season at Gorleston.

For many of the members it’s time to migrate to their winter clubs so good luck to everyone during the winter sailing season. Even the wildlife recognised the pending change of season with a flock of birds flying overhead during the final race,

Full results here

The safety crew were busy taking some pictures which are now on the club Flickr site.

10th October – Triad series

It was an overcast and misty start to the day for the final outing of the Triad series. However, we did enjoy a few sunny periods as the mist cleared. Thirteen boats ventured out onto a calm North Sea with a light wind from the WNW. With high water still an hour away there was a light flood tide flowing.

After the start of race one most of the fleet ventured inshore but a few went offshore in search on more wind. As the boats meet at the windward mark there was little to choose from each option. After lap one Phil (RS700) held a small lead over the RS400’s of Dave & John and Richard & Robyn. Behind Steve (D-0ne) led a closely packed group of two D-One’s and two RS400’s and a Europe.

After lap two the leading three boats were nearly five minutes ahead of the rest of the fleet and were rewarded with an additional lap however, with the wind easing it turned out to be a long lap for them although the wind began to pick up as they finished. On corrected time Steve (Europe) finished first with Dave & John second and Don & Ed (RS400) third.

The freshening wind had shifted to the NNE so the race team made a quick change to the course by moving the start line inshore. By the start of the race the wind had increased to a F3 with a last of the flood tide just evident. Phil sailed his RS700 into a big lead almost lapping the entire fleet. Steve sailed a great first lap in his Europe leading many faster boats for a while and winning on corrected time. Phil almost did enough to save his handicap finishing second and Richard sailed his Laser to third finishing only a few seconds behind the Europe.

By the start of race three the wind was gusting F4, much as the weather stations had predicted.

Phil once again led the fleet with Dave & John and Richard & Robyn enjoying a race long battle for second with the former finishing just twenty seconds ahead. The increased wind caused a few capsizes with Indra, sailing for the first time at GYGSC with Keith in his RS500 experiencing a Gorleston baptism on one of the gybes. Richard, who was just ahead of Steve on the final run, did a splendid death roll in the Laser. On corrected time Steve once again pipped Phil to claim three bullets with Dave & John third.

Many thanks to the race team for a great days sailing with a good mix of conditions. They even got time to take some pictures which are on the club Flickr site

With three wins to add to the other two he already had Steve easily won the series.

Full results here

Sadly the season comes to a close next week with the End of Season Regatta. The forecast looks good so make the most of the last chance of the year!

26 th September Autumn series Act 6

Great conditions at Gorleston for Act 6 of the Autumn series. The day started with sunshine and a warm F2 from the South and ended with overcast skies and a F3-4.

The day didn’t start too well for Phil when he realised he had forgotten the sail for his Contender so made do sailing the club Solution, despite the complaints of having to hike.

At the start of racing the upwind legs were aided by the flood tide. Team Ed shot ahead in the Spitfire followed by Curtis in his 700 and the 400’s with Dave & John just ahead after the first lap. Behind, the single handers were led by Steve in his Europe, just a few seconds ahead of the Laser Radials. With Team Ed lapping the entire fleet they got to sail and additional lap. Dave & John held their lead over the other 400’s to the finish and Steve extending his lead over the Lasers to just over 30 seconds. On corrected time Steve just beat Richard (Laser Radial), with Dave & John third.

By the start of race two the wind had increased to F3 with an increase in the sea state. Team Ed once again stormed ahead followed by a closely bunched RS fleet. After lap one Steve led the single handers just a few seconds ahead of Keith in his Laser Radial. Team Ed was on a mission and again lapped the entirely fleet. With the increase in sea state the off wind legs were providing some exciting surfing opportunities, particularly for the asymmetrics. With the faster boats completing extra laps the race team did another great job finishing everyone within a few minutes with Tom & Christine in the 505 finishing first after 42.20, which happened to be identical to their finishing time in race one! On corrected time the top three places were identical to race one.

Richard & Mark under the watchful eye of a welcome visitor

During the racing the committee boat was joined by a visitor who spent some time watching the boats round the leeward gate!

The final race started at slack water. With both wind and sea state increasing slightly it was unsurprisingly to see a few capsizes. Richard & Robyn (RS400) led for a short while until overtaken by Team Ed. After the first lap the Spitfire was well ahead with Curtis heading the RS fleet. Steve once again led the single handers but with Phil, now getting to grips with the Solution only a few seconds behind. Team Ed couldn’t quite lap the entire fleet again but were close. At the line Richard & Robyn led the RS fleet, Steve leading the single handers and Phil holding off a final lap challenge from Richard in the Laser Radial. On corrected time Steve and Richard made it a 1,2 hat trick with Richard & Robyn taking third

Steve’s great form today now sees him lead the series by ten points and with only one more week to go looks hot favourite to take the series. However, the next five places are close so all depends on the final week. Many thanks to the race team for an excellent days sailing also acting as photographers for the day with over 80 pictures on the club Flickr site.

Full results here

19th September Autumn series Act 5

Fortunately the ‘summer’ weather continues and we enjoyed another warm, sunny day at Gorleston. With a warm F3 conditions were promising although the Easterly wind stirred up the sea to provide an interesting first 25 metres! The Solutions were out in force with all three club boats sailing and Steve was testing his ‘tin’ rig in his Europe.

In race one Phil A continued his good form from last week and led from start to finish in his Contender. Phil H, back from a windy RS700 Nationals which resulted in his boat now needing medical treatment, was sailing the club Solution to good effect finishing less than a minute behind with Richard, also in a Solution just behind. Once corrected times were calculated five seconds separated the first two boats with Phil H first and Steve second with Richard third.

In race two Curtis, also fresh back from the RS700 Nationals led from start to finish closely followed by Phil A. Things were closer in the chasing pack and after lap one only four seconds separated the next three boats led by Steve. However over the next two laps Phil H took over the lead with David, sailing his Solution a short distance behind. On corrected time Phil H made it two in a row with Steve recording another second and David third.

An exciting days sailing and a good day for the Solutions taking most of the podium places. Thanks to the race team for a well organised days racing and the ‘beach’ team for assisting in launching and recovery.

Full results here