The 7 of us were delighted to arrive in the dry, having driven through heavy rain to get to Abbey Meads. However before we could even think about racing there were a few obstacles in the way.

Firstly, the inner gate padlock proved very difficult to unlock and needed WD-40 to ease the circular hasp. Secondly, we couldn’t get into our metal ‘clubhouse’ because some potential thief had bent the locking bar and we could not get our padlock off.

Fortunately John Townsend lives close by and went home to get a large hammer, a scaffold pole battering ram and a long metal bar. With these we managed to bend back the bar and release our padlock. Thirdly, the tide has come up and we needed to raise the outer end of the launching platform on the southern bank. Conceived as a dry method of getting the supports down to the ground using a pulley system, this didn’t work out and it was wetter than being in the boat to do this.

Whilst we were waiting for John, Mark’s new UPROAR GBR 5165 fitted out this week by Roger was launched. Mark was delighted, not just being presented with a new Marblehead, but also because it performed well, with a 2nd in its 2nd race. Mark’s comment after 5 races was “I have forgotten how good this is” and will be back for more club racing in 2019! His friend Peter Miles also enjoyed himself sailing Roger’s UP for some of the time.

Mark Mortimore first launch of new UPROAR Marblehead

Martin set a short windward leeward course from the south-west corner, which avoided the visible calm area and this made for some close racing in the basically light and very variable wind conditions. This favoured Roger’s UP, but also allowed Martin’s PRIME NUMBER and John’s ROK to get a couple of wins, with Alan, also with his PRIME NUMBER won Race 9. The racing was a lot of fun with a great deal of banter on the control area, particularly when John won Race 10 and was so shocked by having to record the scores that his boat ran into the reeds and had to be rescued. We stopped after 12 races soon after 2 PM as we were feeling the cold, but then had to face another obstacle when packing up, because we could not get the padlock back on the clubhouse door. After several goes at bashing and bending, Alan struck the vital blows and allowed us to lock up.

Alan’s spreadsheet with the results is attached along with photo of Mark launching his SISTER SLEDGE, and the Hydonia trophy which interestingly was given for racing 10 raters and was sailed during wartime in 1940. It was then not sailed for until 1950.’

GMYC Hydonia Trophy

2018-11-25 Hydonia Trophy Results

A sunny but cold day with brisk easterly wind greeted 10 competitors from 5 clubs for the penultimate GAMES event. This was an A rig wind, which increased to B rig for some boats later in the event.

The 3 Rivers race team set a good long course parallel to the bank with 2 laps of a windward leeward course with a separator forming a triangle on the first lap.

Colin Goodman, who has been house renovating rather than sailing his GRUNGE this year, showed that his great sailing skills have not been lost and he won the first 2 races. Roger Stollery sailing his UP won the next which interrupted Colin’s run of wins, as he went on to win the next 5 races on the trot!

Newcomer to Marblehead racing, John Howell sailing a VICKERS V1, won Race 9, only to let Colin  win again in Race 10. John Shorrock sailing a QUARK was by now becoming  tired and despondent about his poor showing in the morning, but cheered up when he won Race 11 and went on to win Race 13! His wins were only interrupted by Roger, who won Races 12 and the last Race 14.

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The breeze was far from steady with a very calm area created by the trees near the windward mark, where an element of luck was needed to get round with any sort of speed on. There were some very short strong gusts, which whilst allowing these  fantastic oats to plane very impressively off wind,  also led to boats going out of control by broaching. Phil Holliday, sailing his NIOUTRAM was unlucky in one vicious gust in Race 4 to break his mast at deck level. Sailing with his B rig, was  then not so much of a disadvantage, as it suited the increasing wind strength.

The 3 Rivers race team showed their usual efficiency in running this GAMES event and were thanked by the prizewinners.

In addition, the club are generating both new ideas and building new Marbleheads themselves. Max Lembke had an interesting variation of an offset pivot swing rig on his own design hull, which was very simple and applied to the A rig sail proportions. Peter Popham was sailing one of the 3 UPROAR designs built by club members using Roger’s moulds, which with the copious instructions are available for DIY enthusiasts to borrow.

It is not just making new boats, but their existing Marblehead fleet is being upgraded, with John Male’s new sails making a big difference to the performance of his 18 year old  STARKERS.

Results:

1st Colin Goodman Chelmsford GRUNGE 16 points

2nd Roger Stollery Guildford UP 31

3rd John Howell Watermead VICKERS V1 42

4th John Shorrock Datchet QUARK 53

5th Phil Holliday Datchet NIOUTRAM 53

6th John Male 3 Rivers STARKERS 54

7th Dick Grainge 3 Rivers STARKERS 65

8th Trevor Innes 3 Rivers STARKERS 87

9th Max Lembke 3 Rivers MAXLEM 89

10th Peter Popham 3 Rivers UPROAR 115

Martin, Alan, Peter and myself welcomed our Canadian visitor, John Ball to Abbey Meads on Sunday on an incredibly hot day, with a light and variable northerly wind. It was almost too hot in the full sun, but Alan brought his umbrella which gave a

Martin Crysell & Peter Dunne at Arcadia 2018

little shade in the morning shared by as many of us who could cram underneath it, when we were not racing. John is used to sailing IOMs and so it made a change to sail my UP.

Arcadia June 2018

John Ball, Alan Viney, Roger Stollery, Peter Dunne & Martin Crysell.

Peter Dunne presented with Junes MEMBERS Trophy, by Alan Viney

Apart from the disappointing wind, there were loose strands of weed picked up by every boat in every race and this problem, presumably accelerated by the hot weather has arrived a lot earlier than its normal appearance in the early autumn and casts doubt on the running of our ALE series from now on.

Arcadia Trophy