19/03/2023 Sunday Club Racing
Todays DF65 19/3/23. Wind North Westerly 1 to 6 mph & and can’t find the right expletive to describe how hard it was to sail in .Temperatures were colder than expected first thing but warmed as the day went on . We had 6 skippers today 5 on A+ 1on A ‘s for a while then on to A+ for 13 races , course was 5&6 start, 1 p, 5p, 1p, 5p, and finishing at 2&1. . These were extremely long races so the last 4 were done over 1 lap because the wind had dropped off some . Race 2 proved a bit tricky with the new tablet so everyone was given their average for the day . During the lunch break Terry changed to the more normal A+ sail and found that much improved . Buzz had to leave us at this point also Geoff who had helped on the lines . It was without a doubt the strangest day I’ve ever experienced bringing about many changes of your place in the fleet. The points table couldn’t of been much closer at the pointy end with only 0•2 of a point between Mick and Terry and a very consistent Steve close behind them . Well done to everyone on such a trick day 👏👏👏. Final round of the Numb Thumbs next Sunday and that will conclude all the winter series for 22/23 so look forward to seeing you all trophies up for grabs I believe. 😘
05/03/2023 Frozen Fingers Round 6
The final round of this winters DF65 Frozen Fingers championship took place today. 5 skippers took to the start line with a light, but chilly, WNW prompting a compromised course to be set of; start 8 & 9, 6 port, 8 port, 6 port, 8 port, finish 6 & bank. In practise this turned out to be a good course with the fort throwing up some interesting shifts & wind holes to negotiate, it produced numerous very close finishes despite the very different routes taken by the skippers to get the line. With 8 races completed before lunch & no one really dominating the mornings races, it left it all to play for in the afternoon.
A westerly wind shift resulted in a new course after lunch of; Start 10 & 11, 13 port, 10 port, 13 port, 10 port, finish 13 & bank. New course, new dilemmas, wih better pressure at the far side of the lake did you stay out for speed & face a very long tack back to 13 or put in a few tacks & sail the shorter route in lighter winds. Races were won, & lost, by using both methods, but once again the finishes were mighty close. Sadly we lost Keith after race 10 when his winch, which had proved troublesome all day, finally quit. Just the 5 races held after lunch, to get us to 13 overall, as the cold damp air was starting to get to us all.
Although one of the smallest turn outs for the championship, today’s racing was excellent, with skippers of similar abilities working their way through the shifts & variable wind speed, trying to find a small advantage. Places were won & lost by the tiniest of margins, literary the width of a bow bumpers in it, & all done with exceptionally good on water discipline.
With 6 wins from the 13 races, Geoff came out the deserved overall winner today, but he would be the first to admit he really did have to battle for it, once again the scores never reflect how close the racing was. Thank you to all who took part today & for sailing so well.
Being the final round of the championship, the final discard comes into play. Congratulations to Buzz on his overall win & to Geoff on taking a hard fought second place & a big thank you to all who supported the championship.
With the championship over now, we will revert to DF65 club sailing for the next 6 months. As class captain I will introduce some new ideas to get our new & more established members involved in the races. It wont be full on racing all the time, there will be plenty of advice, tutorials & 1 on 1 help, as well as a handicap system, so as everyone can experience being at the front of the fleet. As ever, please remember this is YOUR club & the sailing committee & class captains are there to serve you, however, whilst we have some ideas, we need your input to understand what it is you want from your club, so please don’t be shy to ask.
19/02/2023 Sunday Club Racing
A Bright, sunny morning welcomed the 9 skippers to the lake today, to face a WNW wind averaging around 10MPH. The day started with a tutorial from our Treasurer James on start line rules & etiquette which was helpful & the noticeable lack of start line issues over the day seemed to indicate we had listened.
Course setting is always a challenge with westerly winds, but a reasonable one was set towards the north end of the lake comprising; start 5 & 6, 1P, 5P, 1P, 5P & finish 1 & 2. As an experiment, a throw in mark was laid around 10 meters left of number 1 mark, this allowed the less experienced members to use number 1 as their windward mark, while the more experienced had to sail the longer course using the throw in as their windward mark.
Huge shifts all day presented the fleet with plenty of questions & chances to make or lose several places depending on how they picked them. The 8 races completed before lunch break saw 4 different winners, with the shorter course allowing our newer skippers the opportunity to experience leading the fleet & certainly mixed up the usual running order.
Only 2 races after lunch as the wind finally settled into a true westerly & dropped somewhat. In fact, the last 4 races were damn hard work with 90 degree shifts & massive holes opening up all over the course. Sadly, we lost Keith due to family commitments at the break, but everyone else made it to the end with no boat failures. On water discipline was good & it was nice to see some new faces at the front, hopefully gaining experience & confidence from the opportunity.
Once again we were indebted to Geoff A for start line & scoring duties, James for his tutorial & to all skippers for supporting the event, making for a very enjoyable days racing.
05/02/2023 Frozen Fingers Round 5
The 12 to 14 mph north easterly wind had quite a nip to it at first, but slowly warmed up & eased as the day wore on, eventually turning into a pleasant day for the 6 skippers contesting round 5.
The course was set; start 7 & 8, 5P, 11P, 5P, 11P, finish 7 & 8. Despite the wind slowly edging easterly through the day, this remained unchanged for all the races. On paper this should have been relatively straightforward, however, we don’t sail on paper & everyone found it a challenge. The runs proved hard to keep the sails driving for any length of time, port tack insisted on making your boat round up, some big shifts & a few holes made skippers really work for their places.
10 races completed before lunch today, with the majority of the fleet struggling to find any type of consistency, apart from Buzz, who gave us all a sailing lesson by winning every race.
6 races completed after lunch as the wind swung more easterly & eased. The last races really required a course change but since a practical start line could not be found, the course remained unchanged, making the run more of a broad reach at times.
On water discipline was top notch today, keep clear boats apologising & doing their turns before a word was said. The racing was good too, plenty of opportunities to make or lose places all day & some very close finishes. It was also nice to welcome Dave Bland back after illness & see Steve’s noticeable improvement over the championship rounds.
A big thank you to all who supported the event & to our Vice President Geoff for starting & scoring duties all day.
Final round of the championship next month brings in the second discard, so places still to be decided with only a few points separating the top of the championship.
15/01/2023 Frozen Fingers Round 4
A new year but still a little too much Westerly in the wind direction for the fourth round of the DF65 championship, albeit a WSW of around 20mph, with gusts up to 35 MPH, provided the six skippers with many challenges throughout the day. Everyone opted for ‘B’ rigs, although C, D, & E rigs would have been useful in some of the prolonged gusts.
The same course was used all day, despite the wind shifting a little more westerly as the day wore on, consisting; Start 8 & 9, 12P, 10S, 13P, 9P, Finish 11 & 12. Starts were tricky to time in the variable wind, the waves on the far side were huge at times, making tacking difficult, with some big wind shifts as the gusts pushed through. The reach from 12 to 10 was exciting all day, with a few speed records being set if you got it right, but that was nothing compared to the challenge of the run from 13 to 9, all submarining & broaching many times each race, but always the opportunity to gain or lose places.
The eight races completed before lunch break saw varying degrees of success for the fleet, James retired after race 5 with man flu, Dave has a trip to the dark side in race two, Buzz took six races to get on top of his sail tune, after which he was uncatchable, Geoff struggled to find consistency until the later races, Steve led race 5 from start to finish & won it by a country mile, Glenn had great upwind boat speed, but an inability to be near the line at the start & an adversity to rounding mark 9 proved his downfall.
After lunch the wind started to ease a little & the final two races were really A rig conditions, although all stayed on B’s. Geoff & Dave found some consistency, Glenn’s boat speed evaporated & the overall race times diminished. Eight races were completed before we called it a day.
A superb day’s racing, in challenging but enjoyable & warm conditions. Amazing discipline from the fleet today considering how difficult boat control was, people just doing their turns before a word was said, & as ever, some really close racing which for once the scored do reflect.
Well done to Buzz on the overall win, we said it would be close for the other places, but it was super close. This result also tightens up the overall championship places after four rounds & leaves it all to play for. G.M.
01/01/2023 Sunday Club Racing
New Years Day DF65 club days sailing. Wind 15mph Southerly. Temperature 12’ no rain . 6 skippers today for 14 races from 10.20 till 1.50. Course 5&6 start , 7p, 5p, 7p, 5p. & finish 7 & flag . The fleet was a mix of A and B rigs . With 7 A rig wins and 7 B rig wins that tells you the story . We had Colin our new member and John (soon to join) both using Terry’s boats & this left him free to coach them. We had a very welcome return of the Clarke family & a great wind strength and direction and just blowing a tad to strong at times for the A’s . The regulars were warned of taking the pee with the new boys regards right of way, but not to harshly or loudly ,we don’t need want to frighten folk off do we . I mention this because as a none combatant I’m aware that it did have a baring on the final outcome .. So it was great to see Bob and wheelchair there and what a good day he had with 6 heat wins to Chris on 5 wins giving Bob his 1st meeting win 👏👏👏. Because they tied on 22 and Ken in third on 29 points . What a good days sport particularly watching John finishing on the water at first then a few hours later finishing with the fleet and Colin able to mix it on the start and first beat . A cracking day for all 😘
04/12/2022 Frozen Fingers Round 3
Anyone who ever wondered why this championship is so named found out today, the wind chill from the stiff NE breeze making it feel around 1 degree. 8 skippers braved the cold & were rewarded with some great racing.
The course was set thus; start 13 & throw in mark, 10 P, 11P, 13P, 10P, 11P, 13P, finish 10 & 11. Despite the wind swinging a little more north over the day, the course remained unchanged for all 16 races. Most started on ‘A’ rig & this proved to be the correct choice, although there were times all wished they were on ‘B’s, as the wind speed was up & down all day. There were big shifts, wind holes near the far bank, some big gusts & that ‘pesky’ mark 10 to catch everyone out at some point, but also rewards for those who sailed well. Early pace setters were Buzz & Geoff for the first 6 races, with only James spoiling the pattern by taking second in race 3 & going 1 better in race 7 with a win. Sadly, Keith was an early casualty with winch failure, although no one will blame him for not trying to change a winch with such cold hands. 10 races were completed before the lunch break.
We knocked out another 6 races after lunch without a break, since no one was keen to stand still for too long. Alan found some form later in the day, getting to grips with his first 65 regatta at the fort, whilst other faded a little. It is becoming a bit of a cliché now, but the scores never do reflect how close the racing in this class truly is, & the on-water discipline was excellent, especially given the conditions.
Buzz took the overall, but had to work hard for many of the wins, Geoff’s consistent sailing gave him a worthy 2nd overall & Glenn sneaked a 3rd, despite fighting a losing battle with mark 10 all day.
Huge thanks to all who supported the event & for the friendly manor in which it was sailed. Special thanks to our Vice President Geoff for starting & scoring duties in the cold. Glen Meekcoms.
27/11/2022 Sunday Club Racing
Despite the forecast for decent wind speed & direction, 6 skippers arrived to find no wind, moderate rain & delayed start whilst we waited to see what would happen. Eventually a gentle breeze from SE allowed some racing to get under way on a course consisting start 7 & throw in, 12p, 7 p & finish 12 & bank. First few races were 1 lap due to the lack of wind, but after 3 races we were able to extend this to 2 laps. Racing was challenging, plenty of shifts & holes rewarding those who read the conditions best.
Bob’s boat was not sailing well & the break gave us the chance to investigate the cause & some problems were identified & fixed. Racing them moved to the middle of the lake, start 6 & throw in, 7p, throw in p, finish 7 & bank with 1 or 2 laps decided at the start by wind strength. Racing here was just as challenging, although the wind was a little more consistent here & provided the fleet with some very close racing.
James started well, had a poorer middle but finished well, Geoff was Mr consistent all day, lunch break gave us a chance to sort Bob’s boat & make it competitive, while the rest of us struggled to be consistent. In the end it was closer than we thought, with Geoff piping James to the win by 1 point.
All in all a very friendly, enjoyable days racing, especially after the unpromising start to the weather. Thank you to all who turned out & supported the event.
06/11/2022 Frozen Fingers Round 2
Eight skipper turned out for round 2 of the Frozen Fingers championship, but Mick had an attack of common sense & went home before the start. The remaining 7 were thoroughly soaked through by the persistent rain & driving SSW wind before a race was started. The course was; start 7 & 8, 12p, 5p,12p,5p & finish between 12 & bank. Most started on B rig but those who had them had changed down to C rig by race 3, to cope with the string winds & big waves. A break after race 4 saw many change up to A rigs & even A+ as the wind started to die & the rain abated.
4 more races brought in the second discard & after a very short discussion, the very wet & cold fleet opted to call it a day. Despite the rain, & using every rig in the box, we did manage to have some great racing too in the challenging conditions. Geoff’s consistency saw him deservedly win the day, & take the overall lead in the championship.
A huge thank you to all who stupid/enthusiastic enough to sail today & keep a good sense of humour in testing conditions.
02/10/2022 Frozen Fingers Round 1
A slightly late start today as the 9 skippers waited for the light wind to fill in from the NW. Initial course of start 4 & 5, 1 port, 5 port & finish 1 & 2 was used for the first 4 races, then after a short break, the wind had freshened enough to allow 2 laps. Big shifts were the order of the day & those who read them the best found some big gains along the course. Buzz took a while to get going today, although when lunch was taken after race 8, he was leading the fleet. The whole fleet enjoyed some excellent racing all morning, places chopping & changing as skippers gained or lost out on the shifts right to the line.
The northerly wind shift during the lunch break also saw the average wind speed pick up & forced a course change to; Start 5 & 6, 2 port, 5 port, 2 port, 5 port & finish 1 & 2 for the final 8 races. 2nd to 5th place was tight at lunch, with Geoff & Mick a little ahead of James & Glenn, & all to play for in the afternoon session. Sadly James & Mick form suffered a little, Geoff was consistent all day & Glenn got lucky on some big shifts.
Despite the slow start, it turned into one of the best days racing we have had, where good tactics & sailing were rewarded & ensured some really close racing. As always, the scores never do reflect how close it was, many boats finishing overlapped in each race. On water discipline was very good, the atmosphere was fun & every boat finished the day still working (just).
Congratulations to Buzz on the overall win, but we really did make him work for it this time, & a huge thank you to all who supported the first round of our 65 winter championship, lets hope the following rounds are this enjoyable.
18/09/2022 Sunday Club Racing
Autumn was certainly in the air as a chilly North Westerly wind greeted 12 skippers to the lake today. Not the lakes best wind direction as it swirled round the north end of the fort, making it super shifty & varying in speed from 0 to as much as 20 mph in the gusts. Whilst the more experienced faired better, it must be said that a certain amount of luck was required to combat the testing conditions.
Initially the course was; start 4 & 5, 1 port, 5 port, 1 port, 5 port, finish between 1 & 2. Although after a somewhat painful first race it was shortened to 1 lap until the wind filled in a little. 4 races completed before tea break, with our first-time guests Alex & Jeremy settling in to the racing nicely.
4 more races brought us up to lunch break, but from race 7 we reverted back to 2 laps as the wind had settled a little. Buzz had won 5 of the 8 races to lunch, but had been pushed to the line in several, in fact most races saw places gained & lost in the last few meters, which kept it interesting.
Following lunch, we pushed on with another 8 races, bringing the total to 16 for the day. Buzz won 7 of those 8 races, but again was pushed hard in many of them. The fight for the rest of the places was close, indeed, it wasn’t until the scores had been calculated that it became obvious just how close, with just 7 points separating 2nd to 5th.
Congratulations to Buzz on the overall win, & to the guys from Thorpe Bay Yacht Club for some great sailing & the fun they added, we do hope you enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed your company. On water discipline was good again today, especially considering the conditions, & it was nice to see such a large, competitive fleet of 65’s on the lake again.
Finally, a thank you to our vice president Geoff for doing the starting & scoring duties, it really is appreciated.
21/08/2022 Sunday Club Racing
Sunday 21st August DF65 Club Racing. Wind 4/6 mph South Westerly Temperature clouds shifted leaving it 25’ + . 8 skippers today all using A+ . and no breakdowns throughout. We had 18 races from 10-10 till 2-10 the course was set at 10&12 start, 13 p, 10p, 11 starboard, Xp, and finish 12 & flag. It was very easy to find yourself all luffed up and no drive at the start and also sail into gapping great pockets but ended up swings and roundabouts really. Nice to see Nick stay on the water all day an near the pointy end . Alan also getting to grips and finishing with the fleet at times. We had a bit of a contest going on between Mick and Terry for honours but Mick got the wins to take the day on 21 points from Terry on 31.4points then Dave in third with 50 points . Another good days clean honest sailing. So we’ll done to everyone 👏👏😘
07/08/2022 Sunday Club Racing
Those arriving at 9 am found both the lake & river Thames mirror calm & the prospects of any racing looking unlikely, especially as the forecast light westerly wind would be blocked by the fort if it ever did arrive.
However, by around 10am, a breeze had set in from the south & was beginning to strengthen, allowing a course of start 10 & 11, 13 port, 11 port & finish 13 & 14 to be set. The first 4 races were tricky, with big westerly shifts & a few dead spots ready to catch out the 8 skippers who attended. Race 4 was notable as Steve Taylor’s first race win, showing his extra sailing practise was starting to pay dividends.
Following a short tea break, Dave was hungry, the course was altered to start 10 & 12, 13 port, X port & finish 13 & 14 to cater for the now quite strong southerly, this course remaining unchanged for the rest of the day. Lunch was called after race 8, Dave was hungry again, with the scores showing Mick & Glenn leading on equal points & only separated on count back. Sadly, we lost Keith after race 7 due to water ingress & Terry struggled all day with his rig after being forced to change boats due to a rather large hole appearing in his favoured hull.
The last 8 races were completed without a break, Dave having eaten all his food, Alan had come to watch & kindly took over scoring duties, & the course proved good, the 2 long beats giving ample opportunities for some tactical racing, whilst the very long start line encouraged experimentation with stating positions.
It was good to see Bob & both Steves getting in amongst the front runners, their improvements being very noticeable. Terry overcame his rig gremlins to take bullets in race 13 & 16, Mick & Glenn were still tied up to race 11, when Mick’s superior light air skills saw him pull clean ahead as the wind lightened.
Congratulations to Mick on the overall win & too everyone who took part today, providing us all with a very enjoyable, well – disciplined close days racing.
31/07/2022 Multi Class Club Day
See Club News for report and results
17/07/2022 Sunday Club Racing
DF65 Club Race
17.7.22
After what seems forever, the DF65 fleet finally got a decent wind direction as well as beautiful sunshine, affording the 9 skippers some decent racing whilst topping up their tan.
The predominantly SSE wind strengthened during the first few races to around 10 mph, on a course Start 8-9, 11p, 5p, finish 8-9. Terry was the early pace setter, winning 3 of the first 5 races, while others tweaked their settings in search of some boat speed.
Refreshment break taken, race 5 saw the addition of a throw in mark to reduce the bias on the start line, 10 became the windward mark & 6 the leeward mark. Mark 10 proved difficult to judge, resulting in 3 boats getting tangled up & visiting ‘the dark side’ in race 6 & a few more incidents in the following races. The wind also played its part, swinging from SE to SW & all points in-between at times, making places easily lost & gained by picking the right end of the line. Lunch was taken after race 10, with Buzz leading while Terry & Glenn were separated by 1 point for second.
Racing resumed after lunch on a new course of start throw-in & 5, Xp, throw-in p, finish 8-9 to accommodate the wind shifting to SE. Although a longer course, this seemed to close the fleet up somewhat & provided the closest racing of the day. Having completed 16 races, everyone was happy to get out of the heat & go home.
Well done to Buzz for taking the overall win, but the fleet is improving & we made him count a 3rd place today. Terry’s early boat speed was slowly matched by others finding their optimum settings, & finally ended up third overall, with Glenn second. Steve showed he knows how to race in his second only event & will surely improve as he gets to grips with swapping dingy sailing to RC yachting.
As ever, the results never truly reflect how close the racing was, there were several races where 3 boats finished overlapped. Thank you to all who took part in a really fun, relaxed & enjoyable days racing.
19/06/2022 Sunday Club Racing
Sunday 19th June Baby dragons 🐉 club day. Wind Northeast 9mph , Temperature a chilly 14’ 7 skippers today using a mix of A+, A, and even B rigs when it was always A+ from the get go. The course was set with a throwing mark and 11, Yp, 13p and finish 11&12 . The start line worked really well giving no advantage where ever you chose to start. The wind strength fluctuated throughout the day or even during each race to mix it up some . We got 20 races in coping with a few breakdowns, comfort breaks & a pressure free atmosphere and time to welcome our new member Steve who comes potty trained ( knows the rules ) and doesn’t bite. He’s new to sticks but not to wind. Had a mixed bag of race winners with Mick, Dave, Keith & Terry having a good few each but there has to be a winner and todays was Mick on 29points from Terry on 45.1 & Dave in third on 51 points so we’ll done guys and another good enjoyable days sport 👏👏👏😘
Frozen Feet DF65 Round 6 17/04/2022
Due to the flooding, the final round of the 21/22 Frozen feet finally took place on Sunday 17th April. A decent SW wind, averaging around 8 to 10 mph, & unbroken sunshine provided the fleet of 7 skippers some of the best conditions of the whole championship.
The initial course of start 7&8, 12p, 4p,12p, 4p, finish 8 & 9, proved a little long, so with the wind swinging a little more easterly, was shortened to start 7&8, 10p, 7p, 10p, 7p, finish 10 & 12. Rig choice was a toss up between A & A+ with all but 2 choosing A+, which proved the way to go as the wind subsided a little once racing started. Race 3 saw Mick change up to A+ & benefit from the extra pace by taking the race win. Sadly, Bob didn’t have the option of an A+ rig so was given a 20 second start to compensate. Race 6 saw Nice terry & Alan join in, both of whom were given 30 second starts to try & even the playing field a little. The good sailing conditions encouraged the fleet to push on until race 8 before a tea break, wanting to take full advantage of a decent wind direction for once.
Race 9 saw an easterly shift & strengthening of the wind, necessitating a change of course for race 10 to; start throw in & 5, 8p, 5p, 8p, 5p & finish 7&8. This provided some excellent tactical racing, there was extra pressure down the middle & far side of the lake, but the stb tack to get there was slow, so skippers choosing the near side had the initial advantage. In the end it seemed to make little difference & everyone got to the windward mark at around the same time.
18 races were completed in all, & as usual the class provided some very close finishes. Nice Terry & Alan both continued their improvement & Bob showed that his IOM sailing has helped massively in his overall ability. All day Mick & Glenn battled for the overall lead, but despite Glenn winning 9 of the races, Mick’s better consistency saw him clinch the overall win by just 1 point, an apt close ending to a good days racing.
This 21/22 winter series has seen an impressive 26 skippers take part, covering the whole spectrum of abilities from complete novice to national event winners & it is a credit to the club how much help & support has been given to everyone in this class. Finally, congratulations to all those who won races & rounds, to Buzz for taking the overall 21/22 Frozen Fingers title & big thank you from the sailing committee to all who supported the series.
Frozen Fingers Final Results after 6 rounds with 2 discards
20/02/2022 Club Racing
DF65 Club Race
20.02.22
7 skippers turned up for the days racing to face a WSW wind averaging 23, gusting to 36 mph & 18 inch waves with white tops. C rigs were the only option to stand a chance in the extreme conditions. Terry had offered Bob his spare boat for the day, unfortunately it didn’t have a C rig, so kindly shared his own boat with him & coached him when not sailing. Plenty of boat swapping among the fleet during the day to try & ensure all had a fair sail.
Whilst the wind direction dictated the best course would have been to the southern end of the lake, moving further around provided some shelter from the most vicious of the wind & waves to help save the boats a little. A short course was set with a start from throw in mark & 5, 7p, 5p 7p, 5p & finish between 7 & bank. George suffered a radio issue from the start, causing him a trip to the dark side in race 2 & Glenn’s rudder servo failed on the way to the start line in race 1. A quick receiver change for George & servo change for Glenn allowed them to join in for most of the day, but poor Dave suffered a terminal winch failure in race 5.
The racing was difficult, battling against large waves that could stop a boat dead or throw it from 1 tack to the other in an instant, while the gusts made tacking a lottery at times. However, the racing was close, with less contact then expected in the conditions, & the wins shared out between the top 3 skippers.
14 races were completed by 1 pm, before the increasing wind, along with the threat of rain, made it prudent to call it a day.
Results were close at the top, Mick will be pleasantly surprised to see he won by a couple of points from Glenn, with Keith only 1 point behind in 3rd. Bob’s results do not reflect how much progress he made over the day, getting to grips with racing a DF65 for the first time in trying conditions. It was also nice to be joined by our president & vice president for a while, both proving their sanity by declining offers to sail a race or 2.
06/02/2022 Frozen Fingers Round5
Conditions were very difficult for the 4 hardy skippers who turned out for round 5 of the Frozen Fingers Championship today. The early rain had subsided by the time racing got underway at 10am with a blustery west wind averaging around 20 MPH, containing gusts that blew you off your feet at times even with the majority of the lake in the wind shadow of the fort. With the strong wind coming straight over the skippers’ heads, course setting was seriously compromised & the only sailable course was start 10 – 11, 13 port, 10 port, 13 port & finish between 11 & 12.
Rig selection was never going to be easy, 3 skippers started on C rigs, while Dave’s decision to start on B rig saw him win 2 of the first 3 races & was probably the way to go. Races may be a bit of an overstatement, even getting to the start proved a challenge in the blustery conditions, once across the line it just became a battle against the course with rigs flapping most of the time just getting forward drive was an achievement. Somehow, through all of this there were some really close finishes & the wins were shared out between the boats over the day.
Lunch was taken after 5 races, as the wind was showing signs of calming down. Sadly, Dave suffered a winch failure in race 5, which took him out of the final races, but he kindly stayed on to marshal the line & score for the rest of the day. Race 6 saw everyone change up to A rigs as the wind lulled a little over lunch, but no sooner had the race started it returned with force & carnage ensued. The last 2 races saw another rig change, with 2 boats on B’s & James on C’s (because his B didn’t fit), but B was the way to go & he won the last 2 races. The testing conditions made racing difficult all day & after 8 races a group decision was made to go home. Although it was a small fleet, credit must be given to the skippers for the lack of incidents on this most testing of days & actually managing to get some good races in.
Well done to James on the overall win & a huge thank you to all who supported the event.
16/01/2022 Club Racing
DF65 Club Race 16-1-22 11 skippers were joined by Jim, to try out the new HMS scoring system, & Paul, his boat was in dry dock due to radio issues, at today’s event. The recent trend for westerly winds continued, meaning the fort cast a huge wind shadow over most of the lake & compromised the course once agin. Despite this we managed to find a reasonable course starting 10 & 11, to a throw-in mark to the right of 13, back to X & finishing between 13 & the bank. 8 races were completed on this course before lunch was taken. Buzz ceased racing after the 5th race & kindly acted as starter & observer for the rest of the day. Paul & Glenn spent time coaching the newer members throughout the morning & sharing a boat for some races. James also popped down for a while & had a few races with borrowed boats. Racing resumed after a leisurely lunch break, the result of the wind swinging a little more northerly & forcing a course change. Eventually we settled for a course with a running start between 2 throw-in marks to the right of the concrete block, 15, throw in mark, 15 & finish back at the start line. All day the wind swirled around the fort, making conditions shifty & hard to get to grips with. After Buzz’s retirement, Geoff led the way with 7 wins out of the last 8 races, to finish the day a long way ahead of the fleet. As ever with the 65’s, close racing was seen all the way through the fleet & the sun even came out after lunch to help keep us warm. A big thank you to all members who supported the event, special thanks go to Paul, Jim & Buzz for their efforts, it is always appreciated.
02/01/2022 Frozen Fingers Round 4 & series result with 2 rounds to go.
DF65 Frozen Fingers Rd 4
02.01.22
10 skippers arrived for round 4 on a relatively warm, for the time of year, day to face a good SW wind averaging around 14mph, with some strong gusts thrown in to challenge us all at times. A couple of skippers opted for A rigs, whilst the majority took the safe option of B rigs, to be honest there wasn’t much to choose between them for the first races, but by race 6 most had changed to A rigs. 9 races were completed before lunch break on a course comprising start 10 -11 13 , Xp 13p Xp & finish 10-11 , with Buzz leading the way & Terry W finding good consistency all morning.
First race after lunch was carnage as a huge squall blew through shortly after the start, I think everyone broached at least half a dozen times & it became a battle of survival. Race 11 saw everyone on B rigs again, with Terry taking his second bullet & then a string of 2nd places. Race 13 had us all back on A rigs again, remaining on these for the rest of the day whilst we pushed through the last races in order to complete 16 in total.
Sadly, Dave B lost a winch due to water ingress just before lunch & was forced to retire & both Dave L & Russell, on his first visit to CHF, opted out of the last 3 races. I thought on the water discipline was good today, especially considering the conditions & the racing was much closer than the scores reflect.
Congratulations to Buzz on the overall win & to Terry on a clear second place, which will tighten up the fight for 2nd overall in the competition.
Thank you to all who supported the event & provided a great days racing.
19/12/2021 DF65 Club Racing
DF65 Club Race 19.12.21
7 skippers braved the cold, damp weather today. The wind was variable from 0 to around 7 mph, constantly swinging from NNE to E, sometimes it felt like 20 times in a race, providing both skippers & race organiser with challenges. Throw in the fog, very wet ground mixed with very cold fingers & toes, it fair to say the weather sucked for sailing today. Despite this we had a good day’s racing, the on water discipline was exceptional (please keep this up) & we all kept smiling whilst completing 16 races. Finally common sense set in & we went home.
The first few races were 4-5 start, 1 port, 5 port, finish 1 & bank, but as soon as the wind settled somewhat, we changed to 9-8 start, 5 port, X port, 5-6 finish for majority of the races. As the day wore on the wind turned a more Easterly direction, making the run more of a reach, however, it was not possible to set a better course so we stuck with it.
Racing was close as ever, & finding clean air to sail in proved more important than nailing the start. Geoff took 6 of the first 7 races, while the rest of us struggled to find consistency in the variable wind. Mick showed he’s finally stating to get to grips with the 65 with some good results, & Lance had great boat speed all day, really getting it together from race 8 to post 5 wins.
Despite Lance’s late charge, it was Geoff’s day with is 7 wins & lowest score of 4th giving him the win from Lance in second & Mick in third. Only 1 breakdown today, but the walk to the dark side did warm me up. Thanks to those who took part today, & may I wish you all a very happy Christmas.
05/12/2021 Frozen Fingers Round 3
5th Dec 2021, Round 3 DF65 Frozen Feet.
9 skippers started in light rain & a moderate NW wind averaging 12 mph. The initial course, starting between 5 & 6, 1 port, 8 port & finish between 5 & 6, was tweaked a couple of times. Eventually we settled on 4 & 5 start, 1 port, 8 port & finish between 1 & 2 for the rest of the day. Everyone started on A rigs, with the exception of Paul who opted for B’s from the beginning. The mixture of gusts, lulls, holes & wind shifts provided plenty of challenges all day, with no one route proving consistently quickest. As it was a championship race day, we pushed on to get 18 races completed by 2.30 pm, with a few skippers opting to take a discard when they changed up to A+ rigs for the final few races. The DF classes always produce close, hard-fought racing & today proved no exception, with many battles decided at the line.
Congratulations to Buzz on the overall win, but we made him count a couple of second places, 2nd, 3rd & 4th was decided by the last race result, only being separated by 2 points in the end, with 5th place only 3 points behind that. Good to see a mixture of skippers at the front at various times of the day, & everyone posting some good finishes.
Finally, a big thank you to all who supported today’s event & didn’t give me too hard a time.
Series Results after round 3
21/11/2021 Club Racing
21.11.21 DF65 CLUB SUNDAY Wind North Easterly 14 mph gusting to 20 + at times . Temperature 7’ and feeling much colder . 16 skippers today course 7&8 start, throw in mark, 8p, Tim, 8p & finish 6&5, we got 13 races in from 10-10 till 2 ish . Sail choice was mainly A+ but a few on A’s and this gradually changed to A’s as the day progressed , but one or two stayed on A+ but their performance suffered, Glen suffered a winch failure and chose to do some coaching so missed a fair dollop of the day. We had ex member John Lambert guest for the day and got himself a win . Our new members certainly suffered in the gusty conditions so we had a lot not finishing the races. But at the front it was Buisness as usual after a slow start for Buzz with a win on 14 points from an ever present Mr C Geoff H on 31 points , and a hard trying Chris in third on 43 points. Was definitely a testing day but great fun anyway and left a lot of skippers scratching their heads on set up. So a big well done to those guys up at the pointy end 👏👏👏👏and see you in 2 weeks time at the AGM. on Saturday the 4th December . PS Don’t forget it’s 95s next Sunday 😘 Terry Wright
07/11/2021 Frozen Fingers Rnd.2 & series result to-date.
7.11.21 Round 2 Frozen Fingers Winter series. 16 skippers today all using A+ to start the day then most dropping to A’s from race 5 onwards. Wind phew!! well it was NNW 14mph But after asking most skippers for an adjective to best describe it the most popular choice was. Shit. And theirs me thinking I might have got a serious answer Temp well that was easy it was cold 12’ course was 4&5 start, 1p,9p, 1 p,9p, and finish 5&6 . This was shortened after lunch by turning at 4 instead of 9 . giving us 12 races up till 2.30. A few breakages , nice Terry broke a mast in the pits , Nick had a receiver go down, Dave S broke his elastic thus his winch ran amuck, Mick on his debut to this class also lost a receiver & Glen missed the last race ( don’t no why). However what a testing day that highlighted the skills of our second round winner Buzz who took it all in his stride a very well done 👏 👏👏 recording just 10 points the second place was hard fought for also with just 6 points in it between GeoffH and Glen but boy did Chris run them close just 1 point behind them . Really pleased to see so many of us there today for what was really competitive day no matter what place was being contested. Look forward to round 3. 😘
,
17/10/2021 Sunday Club Racing
Sunday 17.10.21. Club meeting for baby dragons 🐉 Wind Southerly 9mph , temperature 13’ dull a nd cold. 11 skippers today all using A+ for the most part , Angela and Geoff flirted with B & A respectedly the bottom 5 skippers didn’t go the distance for various reason , some winch failure , receiver failure,I’ll health. & dinner dates were but some of them . However for those that stuck to the task it was great fun with the starts being particularly interesting but in good spirit. Thanks to Glen for taking time out to help nice Terry out ( awarded average points got he’s effort) and also to Dave for spending time with him to gain 3 points scoring races👍👍you 2. Anyway Keith and he’s boat were bang on the money from the get go and it took the rest of us some time to get a fix on the tuning. But boy was that close 50 51 51 for Keith, Glen,& Geoff ( Mr C) & Chris leaving it a bit late to get going , well done everyone I think for the efforts 👏👏👏👏👏 all good practice for the second round of the FF 🤕
03/10/2021 Round 1 Frozen Fingers
Sunday 3/10/21 Round 1 of the winter series for the baby dragons. Wind south westerly gradually increasing throughout the day temperature 13’ but bright. 13 skippers today all starting on A+ then skipping the B’s then C’s the course start 8&9, 13p,8p, & finish 11&12. This was for 16 races from 10-10 till 3o/c. If nothing else was learnt at least it was blatantly obvious you need the range of rigs available to this class. It’s fair to say Paul was having a mare of a day no matter what rig he used. Terry found comfort will he’s B’s that paid dividends in the end. Our new comers didn’t have an answer to the conditions so unfortunately the fleet depleted . Buzz took the day but did allow Glen , Geoff and Terry a taste of winning Buzz 15 points, Glen28 points and Geoff H 43 points well done girls quite a spread at the front end of the fleet. Also very pleased to see little breakage throughout Next round 7th November!
19/09/2021 Club Racing
02/02/2020 Club Racing
Wind 18mph for 1 hour then 25+ mph to 1-30 Temperature 8’. The long course was set 11&12 start, 13p, Vp, 13p, Vp and finish 13&🏁 for 9 races from 10.20 till 1.25.6 skippers today all on B rigs for the 1st 3 races then an early break then all on C rigs apart from Paul who A broke done and B hasn’t got a C rig . George was trying a new TX that had the rudder reversed and took a while till someone knew how to change it, then didn’t like it anyway so got his regular outfit up and running but to no avail because it sailed about as rubbish as Terry’s. Which brings me to the points. James was unstoppable but Keith made a good effort and as for mentioned George a Terry were about half a leg off the pace☹ so James won on 7 points from Keith on 12 points and Terry on 18 points.
Frozen Fingers 2019/20 Final Results
19/01/2020 Frozen Fingers Round 4
Frozen Fingers Round 4 19.1.20 DF65 Wind none to 10.30 causing a delay ,Temp3’ stepping up to 10‘at close of play, and very sunny. 7 skippers today all using A+ rigs for 16 races through to 2.15pm Allbut one race was on a course start 5&6, 2p,8p, and finish 5&6. The field was quite close as was the result with the top 3 sharing 10 wins between them . No breakdowns as such and that’s always good to report, all penalties were carried out dutifully and promptly without any protest ( well done girls). The days honours went to Jonny on 28 points from Terry on 33 and a tie for third with George edging it on count back from Geoff.
05/01/2020 Sunday Club Racing
Wind South West 8 mph Temp 8’ . We had 6 skippers today for 14 races with a course of 7&8 start, 12 p, Xp, 12p, Xp and finish between 7&8 after race 8 this was changed to 11&12 start, 13 p, Vp, 13, Vp& finish between 11&12. Geoff A suffered with water ingress after a few races, and Geoff H the same thing after 10 races.Paul could not seem to over come luffing up when tacking on to port and could be heard most of the day commenting on it. Terry however put his boat on the water and didn’t touch a thing on it all day resulting in him winning the day on 18 points 👏👏👏from an ever present Glen on 22 points and a very determined George on 39 points. A low penalty day with most being owned up to and turns done without question. Well done for that. PS Frozen Fingers in 2 weeks😘
22/12/2019 Sunday Club Racing
Wind West 6-9mph Temp 10’ 6 Skippers today for 14 races from 10.15 till 1.45 on a course set at 10&11 start, 13 p,Vp,13p , 10 p and finish Flag and 13. All we’re using A rigs with a horrid direction to get to grips with and catch a few out. Steve’s return was short lived with winch failure, Terry suffered a rudder servo arm snap at the spline . Young Angus Beale showed us how much he’d improved on one of his rare visit and stole the show with 9 wins and took the day on 15 points from his Dad on 22points and his Uncle on 42 points. So a very well done to squibbet and hope to see you more often, likewise hope to see more of Steve All that remains is to wish you all the best over the festive break and a happy new year💋
21/12/2019 Frozen Fingers Series results after 3 rounds
Frozen Fingers Rnd. 3, 15/12/2019
Wind South West 17/20 mph, Temp 9’ . 11 skippers today all starting on B rigs on a course set with the start between 7&8, 13p, 9p and finishing between 11&12 for 16 races. We welcomed a potential new member Ken who started all 16 races using Terry’s spare boat , he’s left with the the choice of 65 or 95 class or IOM. James had to leave early, Geoff and Malcom changed to C rigs and their competitive abilities were short lived as the wind settled to B rig territory. It was pleasing to see no breakdowns in such strong wind conditions. Buzz set a new class record in picking up 4 penalty turns in one manoeuvre , that seemed to become a good sauce of humour to which I might add was the overriding feeling of the whole day. To the scores and yes Buzz won the day on 16 points from a strong finish ing Jim on 33, Yukio on 40 and Terry on 45, strange to see a big gap back to the rest of the fleet being a further 21 points. A very enjoyable days sailing allround💋
Frozen Fingers Series results after 2 rounds
Frozen Fingers Rnd.2 24/11/2019
Wind from 3-10 mph South West Temp 10’. Today we had 11 skippers all on A+ rigs on a course set at start 11&12, 13 p, 8 p ,13p , 8 p and finish 11&12. After race 8 the course was shortened to Vp instead of 8p. We had 16 race’s from 10-10 through to 2-05 by which time the wind had abandoned us, The main talking point was the demise of 6 boats by race 4, 2 lost rudder servos, 1 lost a winch, 1 a broken boom & 2 with sail failure + 1 with a complete deck failure around 75% of the hatch. So that was very disappointing to say the least. Anyway as you can see no such problems for the 6 that managed to stay the course in variable conditions . So a congratulations to Jonny on his win on 21 points from 2nd 3rd and 4th
27/10/2019 Race update
Sorry, as someone Pointed out the points were wrong plus he recons presented badly, a pity really almost up and running with the A fleet app ( tablet and app paid for by me ) and I have no complaint about that at all, so these are the revised points , ( no change in the order) still a well done to Geoff. Hopefully our next results will be all neat and tidy to please even the perfectionist amongst us👎
27/10/2019 Sunday Club Racing
DF65 club meeting Wind 5/6 mph a north west Swirling breeze all day, Temp a bright15’ after a chilly start. 7 skippers today all using A+ on a course Start 5&6,1p,8p,6p,8.p & finish 5&6 for 14 races from 10.10 to 1.50. No dramas other than James’s boat was marginally worse than Terry’s and remained so all day, but some good racing at the front of the fleet resulted in Mr C controlling the day with 6 wins and a score of 18 points to win the day from Paul on 28 & Keith on 30. Reminder it’s IOMs next weekend 💋
20/10/2019 Frozen Fingers Round 1
WIND North 8mph Temp 12’ 6 Skippers today for this first round with the first race at 10-45 due to no wind . A course was set start5&6,2p,Vp, and finish 5&6, later changed to 7&8 start 5p, Vp, and finish 4&5 later changed to 5&6 and we raced through to 3o/c for 29 races, All skippers used A+ but Paul was busting to use his new As for the last few races , not sure of the brand but I thought I sore a “ Kleenex “ logo. The wind shifted about a little and it stiffened as the day grew which took the edge from Jonny and fell into Terrys hands. A few minor breakdowns but all in all some really good racing as the day progressed . Fare to say Jonny had it all under control and won the day on 21 points from a hard charging but distant Terry on 41 points from Paul in third on 43points. Most skippers fell foul of the object south of mark 5 , a work party will have a butchers next Sunday to see what it is NB. ITS BABY DRAGONS 🐉 Next Sunday cause it’s IOMS (Thames cup) on the 3rd November 💋
Sunday 01/09/2019
DF65 club meeting Wind North, South,East & West at 5-mph, Temp 14-24 ‘
5 skippers today were delayed till 11-10am before anything like a possible wind direction to set a course & even then it was sketchy. The course Start 8&9,Vs,12p,9p & finish 12 & Flag.All the skippers on A+ for 12 races finishing at 1-25pm.
Good to report no breakdowns,very little contact and only a few skirmishes with a lovely upright marks, Keith stole the day on only 13 points from Yukio on 19 and Paul on 30 in third. Well done girls ,Nice to see a tiny bit of water back and let’s hope the next couple of days brings some more.
PS It took me about 5 minutes more to get to CHF today by missing out the A13, I believe Keith has posted a print out of some of the up and coming road closures we can expect, so try a keep that for future reference 😘
Sunday 18/08/2019
DF65 club meeting .Wind wicked all over the place at 6-10 mph Temp 14- 20 ‘ cloud, rain, sun . 8 skippers today all starting on As we had 18 races including a long break to miss the rain and the worst of a swirling wind. A course was set starting between 8&9,12p,9p and finish 12 and Flag. We got underway at 10-10 and raced through to 14-10 , after 6 races a few skippers changed up to A+,Jonny and squibbit both visited the dark side ( batteries I think) Terry missed race 6 due to winch failure. Geoff was one to stay on As all day and to rubbish the fleet to win on 32 points from the next 5 skippers all within 6 points of each other but a close finish with James beating Terry by a point on 57 to Terry’s 58. So a frustrating but highly enjoyable days racing was had by all ( maybe a bit of pressure on Jonny keeping two boats going). See you all in two weeks
Sunday 04/08/2018
DF65 club day Wind 7-8mph from the South West Temp 28’ in the car park when we left. We had 16 races from 10.30(late due to no wind) through to 14.12 with 8 Skippers 7 on A+ and one on As. On a course set with the start at 6 and the Flag, Hp,6p, and the finish between 8&9. James rocked up about 10.30ish with no gear , we hadn’t started no wind, Someone shoved a tranny in his hand and a boat only on As then he had the audacity to go on and win the meeting
with 21 points from Mr C on 28 points and Keith a distant 3rd on 40 points. Well done James’s !
and everyone else , what a calm, quiet, we’ll disciplined meeting it was too. See you in a fortnight
Sunday 21-07-2019
DF65 club meeting.
Sorry only results today under the circumstances.
We all wish James a swift recovery and good luck
Sunday 07-07-2019
Sunday 7.7.19 DF65 club day , Wind North East 7 mph, Temp a chilly 13’ 7 Skippers today for 16 races from 10-20 through to 2-0 o/c. The first 10 races used a course Start 11&12, 8 p, 13 p, & finish 11&12 , the remaining races with an Easterly Wind used a course Start 13 and Flag, 10 p, 12 s, H p, 13 p and finish 11&12, The wind speed stayed quite constant throughout, just the direction changed, pleased to say no breakdowns all day other than bat flatteries and I must say rather a pleasant days sailing all round. We did find Jonny with his foot stuck firmly in his mouth after suggesting Paul tries A+ sails ( he was already using them ) both marks 10 & H prove very difficult to round ( I’m sure Paul will agree ) we had George on the lake doing some maintenance and do think we could find that obstacle near 13&14 nop ! But thanks to George for all his efforts anyway. So who one the day , we had 1 on 33 points and 2 on 34 points. And the winner is Keith with Jonny 6 wins then Yukio 4 wins both on 34 ,so we’ll done to those girls for such a close competition .
Sunday 30-06-2019
Skippers today for 20 races from 10.20 till 1.45 on a course st at Start 11&12, 13 p,Vp, and finish 13 and Flag. It’s fare to say 13 was a talking point but mainly due to the swirl going on around it rather than poor sailing. The other interesting bit was the finish line , not always easy to get across, many a leader didn’t always end up crossing the line first . So yo motto was don’t give up.Should have been 9 skippers but Malcom failed to start due to electrics,Keith continued with his frustrated week but Glen got him going for the last dozen races. Sails I forgot Geoff A stayed stubbornly with his As whilst the rest of us flirted with A+ the A’s then A+ again and the last 2 races should have been As but who’s gonna change at 1.20?
Anyway Glen ran away with the day on 23 points from Mr C on 48 and Paul in third on 63 points well done to those guys. NOT SO WELL DONE the scoring in races 14 &16. Don’t forget it’s baby dragons 🐉 again next week 😘
Sunday 16-06-2019
DF65 As you can see 5 skippers today for a very relaxed days racing on C rigs for 12 races in high winds. Geoff Howell battled with Dennis to tie on 16 points but Dennis’s 6 wins against Mr C 4 wins gave him the day and Dave on 27points came third. N.B. Please be aware it’s IOM next Sunday and also there is no IOM this Wednesday 😘
Sunday 19-05-2019 Sunday Club Racing
DF65 Club day , once again no wind , no fun.
05-05-2019 Sunday Club Racing
Wind 12 mph Temp 11’ and bright. 9 skippers today for 17 races from 10.05 through to 1.40 using various rigs . The A+ was good till the lunch break then a change to As was the best bet even so some tried Bs.The course was set and remained unchanged at Start 5&6, 2p, 1p, 8p and finish 5&6. A point of interest 8 of the 9 skippers managed to record a race win. Dave was the first to suffer with receiver failure and put him out for the day but you know us we couldn’t leave it there so we let him do the start line and score board 👍Dave , Malcom fell foul to some issues and George missed the last race with a bat flattery. The 1st windward mark seemed to draw a bit of attention along with a fare few early starters, but all in all a rather good days sailing with a bit of time out to explain some of the finer points which helped those still learning Any way Yukio won the day on 30 points ( well done) from Jim on 41 points and Mr C in third on 44 points. CU all the weekend 😘
Sunday 27-04-2019
DF65 Club day Wind North West anywhere from 5 to 14 mph and moving around like you wouldn’t believe Temp 10’ and showers 5 skippers for 12 races on A+, A and B ( A+ the one to be on all day) that 3 skippers started on , a course was set with the start at 6 and the Flag , 1p,Xp, 1p, Xp and finish at 1 and the Flag, Glen kicked the day off by hot wiring his tranny battery from his car, and Paul and Keith finally gave in and changed rigs. I think it’s fare to say everyone got caught out at sometime or another ending up in irons ( a Paul) but we did have some close finishes and a proper good days sailing.Glen always had control of the outcome to win on 14 points from Terry in second on 22 points and Paul in third on 29 points beating Keith on count back. NB don’t forget it’s baby dragons 🐉 next week 😘
Sunday 21-04-2019 DF65 Club Day
WindEast/North East8 mph Temp 21’and sunny.
We had 10 skippers today all using A+ rigs. We had a late start due to no wind but got underway at 10.20 through to 1.30 for 16 races. The course was set st Start 12& Flag 8p, 12 p, and finish 7& Flag this was later change to 12& Flag 9p, 13p, and finish between 8&9 and again was changed to 8p instead of 9 with the wind flicking from east to north east.
Today there was a lot of start line infringements to be dealt with and 9p proved to be a big mistake hence reverting back to 8p, once again glad to report no breakdowns, and George was unlucky when he missed the 8 mark no to get a long overdue win and the had to wait for the fleet to pass him, so to was the class captain who changed the course only to forget it whilst leading the race(^*+~).
The top 3 skippers all managed to recall 4 race wins apiece and the day was spread about evenly , anyway Keith went about his Buisness quietly to win on 32P
Frozen Fingers 2019 Final Results
Well Done to Jonny Beale for taking the series.
Sunday 31-03-2019 Frozen Fingers Rnd 6.
31.3.19 Sunday final round of the DF65 Frozen Fingers.
Wind North East 20-30 mph, Temp 8’ felt like 3’. 4 skippers 3 on C rigs 1 on Bs , course was set at Start 12 and Flag, 8 p, 13 p, and finish between 12and Flag for 16 races from 10.30 through till 1.30. Geoff was out in the first races and his C rig was far from fitting. Buzz was very instrumental in getting Terry’s boat set up bang on the money as the day went on , but not enough to stop Buzz from winning all 16 races and scoring 13 points from Terry on 30 and George on 32. Whilst there was more time on the clock it was agreed enough is enough in the bitter cold conditions and we called it s day.
Don’t forget if you want to play/experiment/ test your baby dragons you’re welcomed to come along on Saturday 13th April on the clubs opening day for the RG65 class ( no A+ sails) plus I’m sure there will be RG65 there for you to try other than that the baby dragons are not on the water again till Easter Sunday.
Sunday 17-03-2019 Frozen Fingers Rnd 5.
5th Round of the Frozen Fingers for the baby dragons Wind 15- 22 mph Temp 10’ 10 skippers today for 18 races from 10-10 till 2-35 on a course that was change after 3 races to start between 8&9, 12p, Zp, 12p Zp, and finish between the flag and 12. The first course proved to be to difficult to round mark 9 to port with the gust causing to much unavoidable contact for the mere mortals in the fleet and a much better day was had using the newly introduced Z mark. The wind direction lent itself to a couple of routes to the finish line which resulted in some exciting racing with lots of last minute changes to the finishing order. Geoff was first out when he’s TX strap allowed he’s transmitter to drop in a puddle after only 3 races.Terry was next out with water ingress ( poxy purple hull) after only7 races and Yukio missed the last 3 with radio ? Jonny flirted with Bs whilst Geoff stuck it out and took a couple of wins on his Bs. it proved close in the end with both Jonny and Yukio finishing on 27 points , Jonny with 7 wins to Yukio’s 6 took the day “ well done both of you” and James got a good 3 rd place. I thought once we got on the right course it was a good days sport/ racing/ fun even for all 😘
Sunday 03-03-2019 Frozen Fingers Rnd 4.
Wind Southerly 20+ mph gusts to 30+ Temp 8/9’.
8 skippers today 6 using C rigs. 2 on there smallest B rigs.The course Started at the South end if the water for a few races but proved to much and we moved to to north end for the rest of the meeting . Our course was set with the start between 1 & T, 6P, 3P,6P, 3P & finish between 6& Flag, At times it was so unpredictable at The windward mark anyone might of made the turn first. Paul & our Guest Dave Beale had sat out the early races with there B rigs but were able to join in once we moved, then Paul suffered rudder failure so shared Terry’s boot till that also failed near the end,Jonny stuffed battery failure,James lost his rudder (quick fix), and a sail failure but the fleet stayed reasonably intake considering the conditions. We did see a Beale 1,2,3. We did see plenty of white water & waves and tacking was not always a given. The race wins were shared about a bit but not enough to stop Jonny from winning the day on 23 points “ well done “from Dave on 31 points and James in 3rd on 33points and MrC 2 more behind. A red card was issued to James for getting over excited and other than that what a blinding days racing. PS Big dragons 🐉 next week 😘
Sunday 17-02-2019
DF65 Frozen Fingers 3rd Round
Wind 6-18 mph Temp a cold start gave way to a bright sunny 14’.
We had 11 skippers using A+,A & B rigs throughout the day and the chopping and changing did test the patients of some.Likewise the course came in for changes but mainly we started st 7&8, 11 or 12 P, 7or8 P then repeat that and finish 11&12 or 12& Flag.Bill called it a day early on felt it was to cold, James got a half day in ( family comments) and Malcom wasn’t prepared to keep changing rigs( I think he may of forgotten it was a 2.30 finish), we started at 10-10 and finished our 16 race at 2.35. Buzz had to work a little harder today but still took the spoils with 15 points from Jonny on 32 points from Mr C on 40 points, Terry worked hard to sneak a 4th place from Dave and Paul. A truly good days sport with fare play ever present in what were at times tricky conditions.
NB. IOMs next Sunday and George is looking for a little help on the lake
Sunday 03-02-2019 DF65 Club Racing
Wind SW 4-7 mph Temp 5’ and sunny
We had 7 skippers today all on A+ for 12 races from. 10.15 till 1.45 on a course 10&11 Start 13 p, 10p, 13p 10p and finish 13 & flag. What started out cold soon brightened to a bright sunny day, even had skippers shedding layers , but a tricky day with the wind particularly at mark 13. A few jump starts, missed marks and some minor contact but all dealt with quietly and amicably. Keith once again having an up and down day,Dave got into the swing of things for a good day, Terry took on to much water and suffered electrical failure (so switched hulls)and Geoff seemed to make a really good job of de-tuning his boat. However Malcolm ran away with the day on 12 points (and did get wiped on the start line and never recovered that race) Mr C was having a blinding day until he started fiddling, sorry tuning but got second place on 24 points from a charging day from Dave on 35 points.
NB it’s big next week, but I will be there for anyone who wants to play baby dragons
Sunday 20.1.19 DF65 Round 2 ‘Frozen Fingers’
Wind somewhere between 0-1 mph until 12o/c then 6 mph and constant Temp a sunny 7-8’. We had 6 skippers all onA+. A difficult day to set s course but we settled on a Start 11 & 12, 7p, 11p and finish 7 &8 and despite the slow start to the day we got in 16 races. That was with only 3 races up to mid day , pleased to say no breakdowns, there was however a fare amount of hustling going on at all the marks but then always sorted out amicably . Our new boy Paul took a shine to mark 7 and then started on 11 but I think he got it out of his system. Anyway Jonny had things under control and took the honours with 25 points from Paul on 32 & Geoff on 33 debuting he’s new baby . I’m glad our patients prove worth while at least the last dozen races were good. NB a reminder it’s IOMs next week
Sunday 6.1.19 DF65 Frozen Fingers Round 1.
Wind Over the Fort in one direction or other 3mph . For the 1st round we had 9 skippers 8 on A+ 1 on A’s. A very difficult day to set a course and as last week we changed it halfway through the day. Start 8&9 12p, 9p, and finish 12 & Flag. Then it changed to 8&9 ,6p,9p,& finish at 6 & Flag. The wind was totally becalmed at times and it was very slow going to get 12 races in by 2.10 by which time the wind had vanished along with the will to live. There were however some good scraps for places right across the fleet, but it didn’t stop Buzz from taking the honours on 10 points from Malcom who was always in the mix and made Buzz work on 18 points & James once again having a strong day in 3rd on 34 points, so a big congrats to Buzz who as a sideline was there to help and advise those who were struggling
Autum Series Results 2018 DF65 Autumn Series. Results. After 11 rounds this series proved to be a very close thing on points. Both our main contenders didn’t have a particularly good day
but kept it to within 3 points. So it’s a big congrats all round to Geoff Howell on winning the series ( Mr C ) and to Glenn for giving him a good chase well done to Glenn also. For those not aware the Geoff was presented with a voucher for a set of DF65 sails and rig to his own spec from HD Sails. From me a big thank you for supporting the series an d we’ll see if we can go onward and upwards next year
Terry Wright
Sunday 30-12-2018
Sunday 30.12.18 DF65 Final Round of the Autumn Series.Wind SW 3-5 mph Temp 12’ and dull.The course was set at Start 8&9,12p,9p,12p,9p & finish 12& Flag. After a huge wind shift the course was altered to 8&9 start 6p, 9p, 6p, 9p and finish 5&6. Today we had 12 skippers 10 on A+ 2 on A and we managed 11 races from 10.10 till 1.40, pleased to say we had no breakdowns, but then James wasn’t there. Not the most exciting days racing with the wind catshiting everyone out at sometime or other, even Buzz struggled to cross the finish line on one occasion, however it didn’t stop him from running away with the day on 9 points from a very valiant effort from Keith on 23 points and Malcolm in a solid 3rd on 29 points
Terry Wright
Sunday 9.12.18
DF65 8th round Autumn series Westerly 15mph Temp 10’ 9 skippers had 14 races between 10.15 & 1.30 using A rigs then Bs, we had 7 skippers record wins in today’s tricky conditions on a course Start 4&5, 1p, 4p and finish at flag and 1( altered later to 1&2 the days racing proved close with Jim on 36 points from Glenn on 37 & Buzz on 38, good things James stayed on the water all day, it stayed dry & the top 3 in the series are split by 1 point.
Sorry it’s short I spent 30 minutes doing an in depth report just for it to ^*+~•#~ disappear
Sunday 25.11.18 Round 7
DF65 Autumn Series Wind 14 mph Northeast Temp 8’ and cold but dry all day.We had 6 skippers today for10 races + a new guy (Paul) who just tag alone on his A rig. Today’s course was started at flag and 12, 9p, 13p, 9p 13p and finish between 11&12 everyone on Bs Right from the get go the gremlins attacked , Malcom rudder, Terry no spark, Keith put the wrong sails on(don’t ask) James all sorts of dramas Geoff switch problems. So a late start it was then, a few races then off to observe the 2 minutes silence .James continued to suffer throughout the day, Geoff’s switch kept playing up,none the less there were a good few photo finish’s and remained all Smash’y and Nice’y throughout the day, the final result was Yukio 1 point clear of Keith who was 2 points clear of Geoff . Racing finished 1.15ish we did have a constant strength and direction wind today so there were no fluky wins. NB it’s IOM next Sunday girls so I’ll see you in 2 weeks
Sunday 18.11.18 6 th Round of the Autumn series for DF65 WIND easterly 14 mph Temp 6’ bright but cold, 9 skippers today for 11 long races on a course Start flag and12 9p,13p,9p,13p & finish between 11&12 . All but 1 skipper on As, then got beat by the only one on the right sail and all change down to Bs, ( extra point for that man) who had to wait for them. Anyway some very good intense racing was there to be had all day for most,James started well before PE set in and he only lasted for 5 races, Steve visited the dark side then later lost his batteries,Geoff Howell lost another winch and missed a couple of races. However a late starting Buzz took one race to tweak his boat then he won all before him , however I think Geoff Howell kept him honest and finished only one point behind and Keith quietly came home third a further 7 points back. It must be said that with the tricky conditions and the sun so low in the sky the manners used on the lake were commendable ( to the point of sickly) well done. Oh and the points are stacking up nicely. NB please park on the grass next week
Coalhouse Fort Radio Yacht Club 