Island Barn Reservoir Sailing Club

A new month and new conditions to sail(?) in. A gentle WNW wind coming along and slightly off the clubhouse bank which faded as the night approached. When rigging and before the start a pleasant force 1 ½ , enough to sail nicely but nothing compared to recent weeks. The sun was shining, the weather was warm - it's June - perhaps it is really summer.?

The RO set a simple trapezium, start at 3, beat to F, reach to 7, run to 4 and reach back to 3. From the slow start the line was very port end. Gareth hit the line at speed close to the port end, with Chris Smith right at the end barely making it past the pin. Tricky choice up the beat, there seemed to be a lift up the bank, but the wind looked better in the middle.

The Solos split with Paul Playle going up the bank, Gareth more into the middle looking for the stronger wind and worried about getting near F under the clubhouse. As often happens in light weather finding the wind paid and Gareth rounded the windward mark with a clear lead, but Dicken Maclean in a laser was making huge inroads into the slow fleet. By now the wind was dropping further so the race became an exercise in patience and gleaning each tiny puff. Surprisingly the direction stayed relatively constant and spread over the lake even as the wind strength faded as the fleet crawled to 7 and then started the even slower run to 4. There were a few zephyrs from odd directions but generally the wind just got lighter and lighter. Gareth maintained a gap over Dicken while Paul Write-Anderson in the Rooster 8.1 was creeping through the fleet from the fast start staying surprisingly close to the RS400. The wind continued to drop and the RO shortened to one lap. Gareth crept over the line almost four minutes ahead of Dicken (but on the water that was only about 100 yards).

Despite the uncooperative wind we again had a 1,2,3 from different fleets.

In the personal handicap fleet Gareth sneaked a rare win - the totalabsence of wind after he finished giving a rather exaggerated time bonus,but with Ian Hamilton still well clear overall despite not sailing this week. 

The minor places look like a Smith monopoly.Alistair leaps into second overall thanks to a second place this week,John Smith (3rd this week) slips to third overall on count back, and Chris Smith to fourth overall.

Gareth Griffiths