News & Reports

Great News Thursday 11th Octobers Work Party Gets Abbey Meads Lake in Great Shape

Great News

Many thanks go to Roger, Martin, John, Alan and Les for a really good effort on Thursday, as in the photograph below showing before and after pics of the grass and the trees. Another bit of good news, on Thursday Martin and John replaced and refurbished the landing stages, which are now usable for racing, whilst Alan cut all the grass and opened up a wider track on the west bank. Les and I carried on cutting the trees on the west bank and now all of the big trees are gone, which you can see in the attached before and after photograph. These 3 things mean that our lake at Abbey Meads is now in the very best of health and subject to cleaner winds from the south south-west and south-west directions.

Succesful Work Party

By Mark|2018-10-13T21:38:24+01:00October 13th, 2018|Categories: News, Work Party|Comments Off

2018 BOTTLE boat Championship Report

Another good championship on the River Deben on 02 September with sunshine and an ideal breeze blowing up and down the river.

Thanks for your responses both to the request last year for BOTTLE boats that are no longer being used. I have refurbished 3 of these and they are now being used enthusiastically by 12-year-olds at and after the championship. I’m in the process of refurbishing two others and if you no longer want yours please let me know.

One disappointing aspect of the championship was that 2 enthusiasts, who have been looking forward to the event all year, were in a massive traffic jam on the M25 and had to turn back and miss the event. It was suggested that perhaps a ‘BOTTLE boat Inlands‘ event be organised at a suitable venue. Looking at the map centre of gravity of owners outside Suffolk is close to Guildford Model Yacht Clubs lake at Abbey Meads. Since the championship we discovered that our landing stages have been vandalised and currently we are unable to organise any events.

There is always the BRASS MONKEY event on Sunday, 16 December to which BOTTLE boat owners are invited, so perhaps this might attract a bigger entry than normal.

Cheers, Roger

By Mark|2018-09-26T11:36:46+01:00September 26th, 2018|Categories: Sailing|Comments Off

Ted Gearey Club Event this Saturday 15th September is Cancelled

Dear All,

Unfortunately, our landing stages at Abbey Meads have been subject to vandalism, with all the supporting posts missing and even the Western landing stage set free from its chained concrete weight and is missing. The committee will not have time to do anything this week, so the event is cancelled, but we will be meeting on the following Wednesday 19th September to discuss what to do about this.

Kind regards

Roger

By Mark|2018-09-10T23:00:36+01:00September 10th, 2018|Categories: Games|Comments Off

Young CJ Vice Reaches the Final of the YM Cup

Clockwork Orange head to head with a Lightning.

Vane A Nationals, news that I’ve just picked up from Rob is amazing.

The YM CUP is the most prestigious trophy of the National’s week and is sailed for on the Wednesday on a knockout basis and to get anywhere you need to beat at least 9 boats on a one-to-one match race system. As there are some very good boats sailing, CJ’s performance is quite remarkable, considering that the CLOCKWORK ORANGE is 47 years old and doesn’t have any of the humps and bumps in the hull shape, nor the long overhangs that are a feature of the modern A boat designed to make them faster.

Cheers, Roger

By Mark|2018-08-12T19:34:04+01:00August 2nd, 2018|Categories: Games|Comments Off

2018 Vane A Class Nationals Update

Update from Roger: our young member CJ Vice was in the top 6 on Monday night. This is quite remarkable as it is a great credit to him albeit with help from his dad. On Monday he out sailed Graham Bantock on the bank with a perfect re-trim and did the same on the run against Lester Gilbert on the run to take the 5 points. We also have Brillie Vice sailing with Zak Roberts and thoroughly enjoying his first taste of vane racing and our member from Holland, Arjan Van de Cingel sailing with his son Eric.

For me as Race Officer it was a great delight to see the Clockwork Orange going so well in its 47th year. When it first came out in 1971 it was a revolutionary lightweight by not being 50-60lb but only 36lb with only two thirds of normal sail area. Now it is one of the heavyweights with the lightest competitors being 18lb, and next lightest 27lb and the norm being 33lb. At that time the stalwarts of the class didn’t like this, nor its round sections with no flat deck, nor its double sails, nor its wing mast and probably most of all its bright orange all over colour. Now it stands out looking the most modern, as it doesn’t have horrid deck patches and its shape is not distorted by the rule that was devised at that time specifically to ban the Clockwork Orange.

Best Roger

By Mark|2018-08-02T21:53:02+01:00August 2nd, 2018|Categories: Games|Comments Off

Vane A class Nationals Latest News

Roger has just returned form Gosport after the first 2 days as RO.

“After all the recent good weather Sunday’s was appalling with heavy rain all day and blowing a gale from the south giving reaching conditions both up and down the lake.. Monday had the same wind direction, but much lighter with all in top suits. 6 young skippers/mates were thoroughly enjoying both the conditions. Even younger sailors competed in the Choppa race at lunchtime, where these 12” boats with no steering raced the same course with the winner nearly reaching the end before hitting the side.

Cheers Roger

Photo shows the 47 year old Clockwork Orange in tiny 3rd suit sails by Guildford member, teenager CJ Vice racing the Sunday leader, Robert Bell sailing a 27lb ‘Lightning’ in second suit. Photo taken by Gillian Pearson.

Photo shows their start and the wet and bedragled participants. Photo taken by Gillian Pearson.

Photo shows Graham Butler and Graham Bantock trying to prevent their boats hitting the bank after a collision – this was re-sailed. Photo taken by Gillian Pearson.

Photo shows the start of the Choppa race and 5 very excited children. Photo taken By Roger Stollery.

Vane A Results Monday 30 July 2018

By Mark|2018-08-02T21:48:39+01:00August 2nd, 2018|Categories: Games|Comments Off

Canadian Visitor John Ball Visits Abbey Meads

Dear All,

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.

The last time he sailed a Marblehead in the UK was at the first Marblehead International in 1975 at Gosport. Then he sailed a Chris Dicks design PTERODACTYL into second place and beat all the UK skippers, just as he did on Sunday!

Arcadia June 2018

Attached are some photo’s recording the events of the day, but not the presentation of the Arcadia Trophy, which was not available to present. At least a photograph of the trophy is shown below. This is a trophy competed for on merit and John showed his skill in sailing on Abbey Meads with the very variable wind to win the event.

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

The committee will make a decision on this just prior to the next ALE event on Wednesday, 19 July.

Cheers, Roger

By Mark|2018-07-15T22:58:30+01:00July 10th, 2018|Categories: Games|Comments Off

2018-07-01 GMYC ALE Notice

By Mark|2018-07-05T15:32:41+01:00July 2nd, 2018|Categories: Afternoons, Sailing|Comments Off

Wednesday’s ALE Event on 4 July is Definitely On

Dear All,

For once GMYC can be positive about this Wednesday’s ALE event, which is definitely on and we look forward to a good response and a good turnout. The forecast is looking good with northerly winds, which is one of the best directions on our Abbey Meads Lake, blowing straight down the middle. So please come have some fun between 2 and 5 PM. As there is no doubt about the running of this event, there is no need to ring Roger on the morning of the event.

We look forward to seeing you!

We would also like to see you next Sunday 8th of July, as we have a visitor from Canada coming to sail with us. John Ball came to race his Marblehead in the first ‘radio Marblehead international’ at Gosport in 1975 when radio racing was in its infancy and he finished second. As there is no Marblehead sailing near him in Canada he is looking forward to racing them again. For those who might recognise his name, he is one of the world’s experts on racing rules and radio racing rules in particular. He has been nominated as the Regional Officer for North America to serve on the International Radio Sailing Association Executive Committee, where he will make a very good contribution to decisions that affect all of us at national level. You are most welcome to join us in our club race on Sunday, which starts at 10 AM.

Cheers, Roger

By Mark|2018-07-05T15:33:55+01:00July 2nd, 2018|Categories: Games|Comments Off

GMYC Report of the GAMES 4 & Interclub 3 – for the Members Trophy 24 June 2018

Dear All,

Whilst it was very disappointing to receive only one entry from outside the Guildford club, we were delighted that Peter Popham came from the Three Rivers club to enjoy a warm sunny day with the wind blowing most of the time straight down the lake from the North, although somewhat spasmodically. Peter was excited, as he brought his brand-new boat which he and Max Lemke had been building over the last few months using the UPROAR moulds and copious instructions that now go with it. This is remarkable in itself, but is part of a scheme originally to build three new boats and update the Three Rivers club fleet. The plan has now been extended to 4 new boats, so this is very encouraging for the Marblehead class and in the future we hope to see more of these boats coming to GMYC open races.