Category: 2022 Reports

Sadly another season at Gorleston comes to an end but the weather played ball and the 10 crews who ventured out had a lovely day on the water.

After a short delay to the start the Race team gave the heads up to launch by which time the sky had cleared and stayed so until we got back ashore.

The SW wind provided a good test of skill and patience with shifts, gusts and lulls a plenty, which introduced many opportunities to gain and lose places. It was a good day for the singlehanders who made up the majority of the fleet and took the top two podium places.

Don & Richard (RS400) were the start line masters of the day being in prime position in both starts. In race one they were clean away and led after lap one. Behind were Dave & John (RS400) and Richard & Robyn (RS400) who enjoyed three laps of close sailing. Not too far behind was Nick ( Phantom) who remained within a minute behind the 400’S for most of the race and Mark, sailing the club Laser who put in a quick final lap and winning the race on corrected time with Nick making it a 1,2 for the singlehanders

Team Ed joined race two and soon opened up a huge lead in their Spitfire, eventually lapping the entire fleet. Don & Richard again had pole position on the starting blocks and led the chasing pack up the first beat with Richard & Robyn and Phil & Lorna and Mark all close behind. After lap one the Spitfire lead by over two minutes with Dave & John, having recovered from a badly timed start now leading the rest with Richard & Robyn, and Don & Richard just behind and rounding together. Only a few seconds behind them were Nick and Mark, with the latter having a great start and first beat. After the second lap Nick had managed to move ahead of Don & Richard and Mark was still only a few seconds behind..

On the third downwind leg Dave & John managed to catch a gust which eluded the others opening up a gap with Nick managing to pull ahead of both the other RS400’s.

Two quick laps in the final half of the race helped Nick to win by 20 seconds ahead of Mark on corrected time with Dave & John beating Team Ed. With both Nick and Mark finishing with a first and a second apiece, Nick was overall winner of the EOS trophy as winner of the final race.

Many thanks to the Race team of Tom and Pawel for a near perfect days sailing. Once back ashore Chef Brown served the final meal on the prom for this year. He and his helpers have done a great job throughout the season keeping us well fed after a day’s sailing. He will however have a night off on the forthcoming club dinner and prize giving when Chef’s Keith and Ed take charge.

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

Several pictures on the club Flickr site – https://www.flickr.com/photos/gygsc/albums

The forecast earlier in the week wasn’t looking promising with 20 mph winds, gusting 30 mph. However, as the week passed the forecast eased and today we enjoyed a very pleasant sunny day on the water with a F2-3 off shore wind. This provided some good tactical sailing as the wind shifted around NW and WNW.

The Race team set windward leeward course with a spacer to offset the tide which was flooding. The Commodore was in good form following the Phantom Nationals winning all three races. Appears he’s picked up a few go faster techniques

Race race – Nick and Richard & Robyn (400) opened up a good lead on the rest of the fleet with Phil (Contender) leading the chase. On the final lap Adrian (D-One) suffered a spinny downhaul failure, unfortunately limiting him to mainsail only for the rest of the day. On corrected time Steve (Europe) split the two leading boats to claim second.

Race two – the fleet were closer packed throughout the race but with Richard & Robyn just beating Nick across the finish line. Phil (Contender) and Don & Ed (400) had a race long battle with just a few seconds between them on each lap with Phil leading across the line. On corrected time the results were as race one.

Race three – Nick made an early claim for the lead which he held throughout the race. Richard & Robyn were chased by Don & Ed all race but stayed just ahead. On corrected time there was no change in the leading three with Nick picking up three bullets.

With one week in the series to go it’s close with Steve leading.

Thought(s) of the day

Two sails are better than one – just ask Adrian

Watching sailing when you really want to sail is frustrating – just ask Phil

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

Several pictures on the club Flickr site – https://www.flickr.com/photos/gygsc/albums

Whilst the mist had cleared the wind was absent at Gorleston when we arrived at the club. With the forecast of a F2 Southerly wind later on, the Race Team made the decision to postpone racing for a while until the wind arrived.

Some decided to pack their boats, but those who waited were rewarded for their patience as a F2 from the East filled in and the race team advised we were going racing.

Four teams rigged their boats which comprised of two Vareo’s, a D-One and a Europe. With HW around 10.30 the ebb tide had just started to pick up. The race team set a slightly smaller course which proved just right for the conditions.

By the time race one got underway the wind was from the SE, after lap one Adrian had a small lead on Steve who had a small lead on Dave who was just ahead of Richard. Adrian gradually pulled clear ahead finishing a minute and half ahead of Dave who just pipped Steve across the line. On corrected time Steve winning by over a minute.

The wind had picked up a tad for race two which was shortened to two laps in order to fit in a third race. Dave and Adrian headed offshore to the windward mark whilst Steve and Richard opted to stay inshore out of the tide. However the offshore route proved the quickest with Dave leading after lap one with Adrian second, these positions remained unchanged on lap two.  On corrected time Dave emerged the winner

By the time race three started the wind was a F3 and the best sailing conditions of the day with all crews now hiking to keep the boats flat. The stronger ebb tide brought with it the added bonus for the spinnaker boats of being able to broad reach directly to the leeward gate which gave them quite an advantage. Dave led across the line just ahead of Adrian with Steve and Richard not too far behind.  Dave holding his time on handicap.

Thought of the day

Good things come to those who wait ! – just ask the four crews who sailed

Postponing the racing for a short while resulted in three excellent races, many thanks to the Race team of Mark and Darell and to Anna and Keith who patiently waited on shore until we came back and assisted when we came ashore.

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

Due to the determination of a few we managed to get our ‘Thursday Finale’ sail. With last week’s weather best suited to the surfers, this week’s proved much better despite the odd downpour prior to sailing. Four eager crews rigged their boats with Ed launching his recently acquired Sunfish for the first time on the sea. Some may not have heard of the Sunfish but surprisingly it’s outsold the Laser dinghy by far with nearly half a million sold since its introduction in the early 50’s, although most are in the USA.

Following the last downpour the wind had just about died however, by the time we launched the wind was a pleasant F2 from the SSW and the flood tide made short work of the beat.

After lap one the two lasers were heading the fleet with Dave inches ahead of Harry as they rounded the gate with Adrian, who opted not to fly his spinny on the run just behind.

After lap two Dave was just ahead of Adrian who was now using his spinny but the wind strength made for a tricky decision as to soak or close reach and pick up some boat speed.

After lap three Adrian crossed the gate still flying his spinny mistakenly thinking it was the finish, by the time he had dropped it Dave had rounded the gate and opened up a small gap which he held to the finish although Adrian closed the gap considerable. Not too far behind was Harry who claimed second spot on corrected time.

With the light fading we sailed back to the shore, the transition from light to darkness has become noticeably shorter. By the time we had packed the boats up it was dark, made worse by some impressive cloud cover.

Big thanks goes to Lorna and Phil who offered to run the racing despite having an eight hour drive the next day!  Also to Keith and Michael who assisted in launching and getting back up the beach after racing and to Hugh and his quad bike, who towed the RIB back up the beach, probably the fastest we have ever done it!

This year’s lovely weather has provided some great evening sailing, twenty eight races in total and twenty six competitors, most of which were single handed dinghies.

Thought(s) of the day

Don’t forgot your rudder – just ask Adrian

Wetsuit boots are better than trainers when helping people launch – just ask Keith

Apres sail suppers have been enjoyed on most evenings after sailing and this year and we’ve had quite a variety. The evenings starting off with Chef Brown’s infamous ‘Butcher’ pies but later we opted for a few different options including Lasagne, Pizzas,  BBQ, Chinese takeaways and tonight we opted for the traditional Fish and Chip supper, thanks to Phil for organising this.

On returning to shore we heard the sad news of the passing of Her Majesty. She served dutifully and graciously during her long 70-year reign and her dedication and legacy will continue to live on. Our heartfelt condolences are with The Royal Family.

Pictures – GYGSC’s albums | Flickr

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

The fine summer weather was still with us for Act 2 of the autumn series. 23 degrees and a warm F3-4 from the SSE providing perfect conditions and another great day on the water for the 12 crews competing.

The race team set a good sized windward leeward course. Whilst the sea was relatively flat inshore there was a noticeable swell offshore. The flood tide assisting the upwind legs and providing more time ‘surfing’ downwind back to the leeward gate.

Race one – Ed & Will, sailing the Spitfire soon raced away from the fleet completing five laps in just over forty three minutes. Mid fleet, the 400’s, 700 and D-One managed four laps and not being lapped by the Spitfire. The slower singlehanders, comprising of Lasers, Vareo’s and a Europe managed three laps and the view of the Spitfire sailing past. However, on corrected time the singlehanders took all the podium places with Steve  (Europe) beating Carl (Laser) by six seconds for first place and Richard  (RS Vareo) third.

Race two – the wind had increased by the start of the race and the sea offshore quite ‘lumpy’. This provided some exciting off wind legs, particularly for the asymmetrics, and also provided a few capsizes too!  Ed & Will again raced away but appeared to have problems on lap two which put them back with the chasing pack led by Dave & John (400).  Behind, Steve and Carl were having a close battle with just a few seconds between them throughout the race.   On corrected time it was another win for Steve, Dave & John second and Carl third.

Race three – both sea and wind abated during the race which saw Ed & Will back on form and lapping all bar Phil in his 700 and impressively managing to hold their time by thirty seconds on handicap to win the race. Quite an achievement for a catamaran sailing a ‘round the cans’ course.

Phil (700) led the chasing pack with Dave & John holding off Nick (D-One) for the first two laps but succumbed to his superior downwind speed on lap three. The battle between Steve and Carl resumed but this time they were joined by Richard (Vareo), after lap one, two seconds separated the first two, lap two just two seconds separated all three of them and on the final lap Richard managed to ‘pull ahead’ finishing seven seconds ahead of Carl! However Steve was not too far behind and on corrected time beat Nick by four seconds for second place, with Phil just two seconds behind Nick.

 Heading back to shore there was not so much excitement this week as last week as the tide was high and sea flat!

Thought(s) of the day

Never chuckle at someone else capsizing, it can happen to you – just ask Dave & John

Make sure the wheels on your trolley are secure – just ask Phil

Thanks to the race team for a great day on the water, they were kept busy at times with a several ‘customers’. They were also busy taking photos of the racing with over a hundred now on the club Flickr site.  

Chef Brown was back on form providing ‘roasties’ to accompany the pies and veg, consumed sitting outside on the prom –  long may this fine weather continue!

Pictures – GYGSC’s albums | Flickr

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

It was the start of the Autumn series at Gorleston today. Now it normally feels like the season at Gorleston is coming to a conclusion when we are sailing the Autumn series however, today it was more like summer with sunshine and the temperature still around 20 degrees with most people still wearing’ shorties’.

The wind was around a F2 from the NE which became shifty and variable in strength between F1 and F3 at times. With HW just before the start of racing there was still a gentle flood tide flowing. This made for interesting days racing with different strength and eventually direction of tide on each round of the course.

Race one saw an unusual event at Gorleston, an individual recall. Although only one boat was considered over by the OOD,  three boats went back. obviously the other two felt guilty.

The RS400’s and D-One led the fleet round the course with Dave & John ahead at the finish line. At the other end  two Solutions, RS Vareo and Europe were separated by a few seconds after lap one with Richard (Solution) just ahead. By the third lap Richard had managed to ‘wiggle’ clear of the group finishing over three minutes ahead.

On corrected time Dave & John held their time to win, Richard second and third was Steve (Europe) just beating the other Solution sailed by David.

There was very little tide during race two so deciding whether to go offshore or stay inshore really depended on the shifty wind and hooking onto a lift.  The wind had also dropped a little and at times around a F1. The two RS400’s led the fleet with Don & Ed rounding the windward mark first, which and soon after become a busy spot with the rest of the fleet tightly packed.

On the second beat Phil’s trapeze line failed resulting in an unplanned and expected swim….and apparently some laughter from those nearby !

After three laps Dave & John had edged ahead to cross the line first and managed to hold their time. There was only a few seconds between the next three boats with Steve 14 seconds ahead of Richard who was just 11 seconds ahead of Harry in a Laser Radial.

Race three started with a hint of ebb tide.  Dave & John led from the start to the finish. Behind Don & Ed were ahead of Nick who was being pursued by Keith in the RS Vareo. The wind picked up a little during the race and by the final lap Nick was closing in on Don & Ed at the finish. On corrected time it was very close between the first three boats with Steve beating Dave & John by 3 seconds with Richard a further 12 seconds behind.

 

Thought(s) of the day

If there is an individual recall, if your name is ‘yelled’, check there’s not another person with same name who was over – just ask Dave

Hitting a mark is not good, but hitting the Committee boat and capsizing on it is really bad – just ask Nick

Solutions may be tricky to tack…but they surf really well – just ask Richard

Many thanks to the race team. A great course and inch perfect line made for a most enjoyable day, made even more complete when finishing off with a bit of surfing when arriving back at the beach!

Pictures – GYGSC’s albums | Flickr

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

Blink and before you know it the Thursday evening series is over. Yes it was the final night and if you hadn’t realised the weather gave a clear reminder, really overcast skies making for a gloomy evening on the water. So much so, it seemed almost dark when we launched at 18.30!

Thankfully the forecasted thundery showers never happened and it had kept almost dry at Gorleston.  Nine boats launched onto a very flat North Sea, the wind a F2-3 from the NW making for a pleasant sail. With HW at 21.00 the tide was still flooding making for a long beat.

The club boats were in demand again with four of the five in use, with just the second Laser not being used.

Phil, back in his favoured and trusted Contender had a very good first beat, picking his line to the windward mark to perfection whilst several others headed too far inshore hoping to evade the tide and ending up reaching to the mark. After the first lap Phil had a good lead on the fleet which was fairly close together.

On the second lap, Team Ed, sailing the club 400, Richard (Solution) and Dave (Laser) closed the gap on Phil, helped by opting for the pin end of the gate rather than the committee boat which was down tide.

On the final lap Phil managed to hook the windward mark with his rudder. This not only allowed the rest to catch up but also helped them to see where the windward mark was as the light at this point was getting poor and spotting the marks getting quite difficult!

On corrected time Harry, swapping his Topper for a club Laser Radial emerged as winner of the final race of the season, with Dave second and Richard third.

Observations of the night :-

1. Solutions can be hard to tack, just ask Chris
2. Hitting a mark isn’t good, but hooking one with your rudder is really bad, just ask Phil
3. If your kicker is going to break during a race, its best if it does as you cross the finishing line, just ask Harry. (although he did a very seamanlike repair on it in order to get back ashore unassisted!)

Big thanks go to Julia and Jamie for offering to do OOD duty. As it turned out it was probably the busiest night of the year for the race team so considering it was their first time they did a splendid job.

Once ashore the boats were packed away quicker than usual as the promise of a Pizza feast beckoned! A few weeks ago discussions were going on as to what to do on the final night of the Thursday evening series and the ‘Pizza on the Prom’ was the clear winner.

Thankfully is was still warm enough to sit outside with just shorts and tee shirts so tables and pizza area were set up on the Prom.

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The pizza team of Keith, Ed and Dave set up Pizza HQ comprising of two pizza ovens and the pizza preparation area.  Keith had been busy during the day creating some super pizza toppings and with Keith and Ed making dough balls, pizzas were soon being cooked in the ovens. The team could teach Domino’s a few lessons with Pizzas being produced every couple of minutes, with close on twenty being cooked during the evening. Keith’s Goat cheese and caramelised onion pizza proved extremely popular while his Nutella and banana was clear winner in the sweet pizza category.

The evening proved to be extremely popular with much talk that we ought to do it again.  It’s fair to say nobody left hungry. Big thanks must go to Keith and his able assistants for a great evening.

Whilst it was the final official Thursday evening sail several talked about continuing, much depends on the weather but watch out for news on the Thursday ‘Finale’.

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

Costa del Gorleston – this is becoming the norm of late and something we could easily get use to…. another glorious day at the club made more pleasant by the cool onshore breeze keeping the temperature around 25 degrees. I was informed it was 33 inland!

The lovely weather attracted a few more boats with 15 launching onto a calm north sea. It also attracted several visitors to the beach, thankfully there was plenty of room for everyone.

We were joined by a visiting yacht which moored close to the starting area, it would have made a very nice committee boat!

With low water just before the start of racing the tide flow was different for every race making course choice upwind and downwind difficult with everyone keeping an eye on the tide state as they rounded every mark as the flood tide was evident during the latter stage of race two.

The start line was hotly contested in all three races with some finding themselves over the line with an individual recall signal sounded, something rare for Gorleston!

The wind remained reasonably steady all day with a F2-3 from the NE, although it did get a little ‘soft’ at times during race two which prompted the race team to move the windward mark a tad for race three. Needless to say the wind picked up again for the final race!

The RS400 ‘s had a good day with Richard & Rosie and Dave & John sharing the top two places in the first two races, with Steve G (D-One) third in race one and Gary (Phantom) third in race two.

In the final race of the day Steve W managed to separate the two 400’s claiming a second.

The three phantoms enjoyed some close racing in all three races, with Nick F finishing ahead of Nick C in the first. Gary finishing just ahead of Nick C in the second and Nick F returning to form in the last race just managing to fend of Gary during a race long tussle.

With the relatively light winds Phil opted to swap his usual weapon of choice (Contender) for Nick’s ‘spare’ Vareo. Considering his limited experience with the spinnaker he soon looked at home in the boat and gave the other Vareo, sailed by Richard a shock when he rounded the windward mark just ahead of him in race two. However, Richard’s experience offwind soon saw him back in front.

 

It was the last day of the Summer series with the RS400’s claiming the top two spots,  Dave & John emerging overall winners, Richard, crewed by Rosie and Angus second and Steve W, sailing his pocket rocket third.

Next week is the Late Summer Regatta, first race starting no sooner than 10.30!  visitors most welcome.

Once again many thanks to the race team for a splendid day’s sailing, long may it continue

Chef Brown was back in the kitchen and normal service was resumed, serving up his splendid ‘butchers’ pies and cool drinks.

Results and pictures available via the club website.

Pictures – GYGSC’s albums | Flickr

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

Chef Browns idea to use up the remaining BBQ stock on Thursday evening with an impromptu BBQ proved so popular that he had to visit the butcher for more supplies! The weather obviously helped with sunshine and temperatures in the twenties….again. The evening proved a great success with many helping out with the food prep and cooking. We also discovered Don is a talented BBQ-er who spent some time overseeing the cooking, resulting in delicious burgers, sausages, chicken and lamb.

The evening proved so popular that discussions are underway for a Pizza and Pimms night on the last Thursday evening of the series in two weeks time. We will keep an eye on the weather and if favourable we have two pizza ovens lined up for some freshly cooked pizzas after sailing.

And talking about sailing yes we did some, we had a good turn out with fourteen boats venturing out, a warm F2 from the NE. Four of the five club boats were in action which is probably a record. A mixture of RS’s (400. 500 & Vareo’s), four Lasers, two Solutions, D-One, Contender Phil and Harry in his Topper. The tide was strong which rather dictated the beat. Timing the tack out to sea to round the windward mark proved crucial, some were too earlier resulting in extra time in the tide, some over cautious and fetching to the mark, which was the safer and faster option.

In the first race the two 400’s led the fleet round the two lap course. Team Ed crossing the line first but not far enough ahead of Dave (Laser) and Richard (Solution) to hold their time.

Race two saw some close racing with boats appearing to meet at every mark rounding. Team Ed were again first over the line closely followed by Dave and Phil & Lorna. Once sailwave had done its magic Dave was first, Richard second and Don, sailing the club Solution third. Credit must go to Harry for completing the course, making way over the strong tide in the Topper took some concentration and patience!

Many thanks to Nick and Sarah for running the racing and to Chef Brown’s suggestion of the BBQ, a most enjoyable evening of sailing, eating and mardling was had by all.

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

It was Costa del Gorleston on Sunday serving up a glorious day’s sailing for the penultimate day of the summer series. Plus 20 degrees, sunny, a F2-3 breeze and the race team setting a great course.

Conditions tempted some members to go for an early morning, pre-sailing paddle on their SUP’s. No doubt this may become more common as the club now has a ‘club’ board for members to use.

Nine boats made ready on the beach for three races in near perfect conditions, well prefect for the lighter weight crews, some of the heavier crews thought a little more wind would have been nice.

Racing got underway with the wind settling from a NE direction and the last of the ebb tide. Three boats opened up a gap on the fleet with Dave & John (400) leading Nick (D-One) and Phil & Lorna (400). Most headed offshore to pick up the last remains of the tide. After three laps Dave & John had opened up a good lead and saving their place on corrected time with Steve W (Europe) picking up second just ahead of Nick who beat Richard (Vareo) by twelve seconds.

The tide was almost slack at the start of race two but started to flood by the end of the race.  This time four boats sailed away from the others with Steve G (D-One) joining the previous three. The wind eased slightly during the race and after two laps the leading four were quite a long way ahead so the race team let them through to sail a third lap but finished the others after their second lap. On corrected time Dave & John won, Steve W was second and Steve G third, just ten seconds ahead of David Brief (Solution).

 

Race three and the flood tide set in. The wind had moved slightly to the East which allowed boats lee bow the tide, something many did to good effect. The race team did an excellent job moving the leeward gate halfway through the race which perfectly reset the course.

Dave & John took their third win of the day, with Richard second and David third.

 Many thanks to the race team for a lovely day’s sailing and to the weather gods for supplying such perfect conditions. Also to young Ed for his assistance in the dinner preparations, the stand in chefs failed to remember to turn off the oven before they left shore, fortunately Ed did….so no burnt pies!

Results and pictures available via the club website.

Pictures – GYGSC’s albums | Flickr

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