(8/4/02) (14/4/02) (21/4/02) (5/4/02) (7/5/02) (19/5/02)
(26/5/02)
After several mid-week races had been lost due to adverse weather, the Downs sailors were keen to get back on the water to contest the Thursday evening race on 23rd May. Eighteen boats took part including the RS Vareo of Rick Clemence which was to have its maiden voyage. The wind was a moderate South-Westerly Force 3-4 and the evening sunshine was very pleasant. The first leg was a short beat with the tide towards Dover and the Safety Boatskipper, Eric Styles, had set a good line which meant that the fleet was well spread out along its length. As they converged at the mark it was theRS400 of Richard White and Martyn Styles and the Buzz of Simon Cory and Annie Smith which rounded first. They set off on a reach which took them to the South of the wing mark, behind them Ed and Sarah Styles in their Buzz took a more direct route to the mark and began to catch up with the leaders. Eventually they passed Simon Cory when his spinnaker got caught around the bowsprit. Further back the Buzzes of John Cass and Chris Dutton had a close battle throughout the race which was eventually won by Dutton on the last lap. The RS Vareos of John Waterfall and Rick Clemence showed encouraging bursts of speed, punctuated by the odd capsize.
In the slow handicap fleet, the RS200 of Steve and Katie Restall led the way home followed by the Laser2000 of Chris and Helen Stubbs. On the last lap, the wind begun to die away and the slower boats struggled to reach the finish line against the tide which had turned during the race and was now heading towards Ramsgate.
Results: Fast Handicap 1st Richard White and Martyn Styles (RS400) 2nd Ed and Sarah Styles (Buzz) 3rd Simon Cory and Annie Smith (Buzz) 4th Chris Dutton and Martyn Wyman (Buzz) 5th Chris Shelton and Dave Webb (RS400) 6thJohn Cass and Julia Brazil (Buzz) Slow Handicap 1st Steve and Katie Restall (RS200) 2nd Chris and Helen Stubbs (Laser 2000) 3rd Rory Sharvill (Laser)4th Mitch Webb and Rob Waite (RS200) 5th Clare Stubbs (RS200) 6th James Cooke (Laser)
Two Downs SC cadets travelled to Westbere on Saturday to take part in the Kent Schools Sailing Association junior regatta. In strong force 5 winds, even stronger in the gusts, many of the fleet had to put a couple of reefs in their sail in order to keep control of their boats. Despite this every competitor managed to capsize at some time during the racing. The third and sixth races having to be abandoned as the fleet had been flattened by the strong wind.
At the end of the day having managed to complete 4 of the 6 race programme James Blackman Downs SC managed to finish4th overall and took the Chesworth Trophy for the highest placed novice racer while Toby Clarke finished a credible 5th
Topper
London and South-East Area Championship (19/5/02)
Competition at the head of the fleet was fierce with Mark Heather from Wilsonian SC, Jonathan White from Pevensey Bay SC and Chris Catt from the home club all vying for position. In the first race, the wind was Force 4-5 from the South West, inshore the sea was flat but further out to sea it was fairly lumpy with wind against tide setting up a steep chop. The race officer had set a long beat from opposite the clubhouse to a mark off Walmer Castle and it was the boats that could maintain their speed over the waves that pulled away. On the downwind leg there was some exciting surfing and a fair number of capsizes, but there were plenty of rescue boats on hand to help out including support from both Dover and Ramsgate. At the finish, Mark Heather took the gun followed by Jonathan White and Doug Horner.
In the second race the fleet was treated to the sight of 40 or more yachts competing in the Round-the-Goodwins race flying downwind under spinnaker close inshore. At the start, Mark Heather was over the line and had to come back to restart, this let Jonathan White get away, closely followed by Chris Catt. Heather sailed extremely well to catch up with the leaders and at the finish was overlapping White who won with Catt in third place. This meant that the Championship result depended on the last race, either Mark Heather or Jonathan White would take the trophy if they won. In the end, the order was Heather, White then Catt and so the trophy stayed in Kent with Mark Heather from Wilsonian SC.
Results: 1st Mark Heather
(Wilsonian SC) 2nd Jonathan White (Pevensey Bay SC) 3rd Chris Catt (Downs SC)
4th Doug Horner (Wilsonian SC) 5th Kyle Paternoster (Grafham Water SC) 6th
Steve Restall (Downs SC)
There was no racing at Deal on Tuesday (too much wind) or Thursday (too
little wind).
New format (7/5/02)
The first race of the Tuesday Series took place on 7th May
and took on a new format consisting of a windward-leeward course for the
asymmetric boats and a triangular course for the slow handicap fleet. The
asymmetric fleet consisted of five Buzzes, and the slow handicap fleet was a
mixture of single and doublehanders. The wind was from the North-east averaging
a Force 4, although it increased slightly towards the end of the race and the
surf was moderate so launching was not too difficult. Simon Cory crewed by
Annie Smith took the lead in the asymmetric race and held it until the end
despite the best efforts of Ed Styles and John Cass to catch him. In the slow
handicap race it was difficult to tell who was leading on handicap because the
entries were from five different classes, however, on corrected time it was the
Topper of Doug Horner who triumphed, followed by Chris Catt in a Laser Radial.
Results: Asymmetric 1st Simon Cory and Annie Smith (Buzz) 2nd Ed and Sarah
Styles (Buzz) 3rd John Cass and Andrew Robinson (Buzz) Slow Handicap 1st Doug
Horner (Topper) 2nd Chris Catt (Laser Radial) 3rd Jim Cooke (Laser) 4th John
Wilkinson and Will Hardy (Albacore)
On Thursday 9th May the wind had eased to a Force 3 from a more Northerly
direction. Consequently there was more wind off-shore, however on the upwind
leg this was counterbalanced by the increased tide which was running towards
Dover. At the start of the fast handicap race the boats were bunched at the
port end of the line and it was the RS400 of Richard White, crewed by birthday
boy Rick Clemence which got away along with Ed and Sarah Styles in their Buzz.
Behind them, the Buzz of John Cass managed to pull away from Chris Dutton and
Frank Catt who had a close battle throughout the race. In the slow handicap,
Chris Stubbs crewed by Max Cameron led the way home. Results: Fast Handicap 1st
Richard White and Rick Clemence (RS400) 2nd Ed and Sarah Styles (Buzz) 3rd John
Cass and Julia Brazil (Buzz) 4th Frank Catt (Buzz) 5th Chris Dutton and Martin
Wyman (Buzz) Results: Slow Handicap 1st Chris Stubbs and Max Cameron (Laser
2000) 2nd Topper 3rd Steve Stagg (Laser) 4th Clare and Helen Stubbs (RS200) 5th
Mitch Webb and Robert Waite (RS200) 6th Chris Shelton (Miracle)
The weekend of 11th/12th May witnessed a variety of sailing action at Deal. On
Saturday the Topper National Coach, Dave Cockerill was on hand to lead a
training session for 25 young hopefuls from both Downs and other Sailing Clubs
in preparation for the Topper National Championships which will take place in
Deal in the first week of August. In parallel the chairman of the Buzz Class
association, Andy Holmes led a two day training course for both experienced and
new Buzz sailors. Both events involved intensive on the water training followed
by feedback using video footage. On Sunday, two races took place in mild,
overcast conditions with a gentle Forec 2-3 breeze and flat sea. For the
Pursuit race, a small traingular course was set which meant that the boats were
always close together and boat handling in tight situations was important.
Katie Restall put her Topper training to good use to win overall on personal
handicap followed by John Wilkinson crewed by last year's commodore, Sally
Waite. For the Points Race, the fleet split into slow and fast handicap fleets.
In the fast handicap, the four Buzzes attempted to put their training from the
previous day into effect, leading initially to close competition. However, as
the race progressed, Ed and Sarah Styles pulled out a good lead. Behind them
Chris Dutton and Martin Wyman managed to pass Simon Cory and Amy Sleep who
subsequently also allowed John Cass and Julia Brazil through, following a
capsize. John Waterfall had chance to get to grips with his new boat, an RS
Vareo. In the slow handicap, the Stubbs family dominated proceedings, taking
the top two places. Results: Pursuit 1st Katie Restall (Topper) 2nd John
Wilkinson and Sally Waite (Albacore) 3rd Clare and Helen Stubbs (RS200) 4th
John Cass and Julia Brazil (Buzz) 5th Chris Dutton and Martin Wyman (Buzz) 6th
Chris Stubbs and Zara Brazil (Laser 2000) Results: Fast Handicap 1st Ed and
Sarah Styles (Buzz) 2nd Chris Dutton and Martin Wyman (Buzz) 3rd John Cass and
Julia Brazil (Buzz) 4th Simon Cory and Amy Sleep (Buzz) 5th John Waterfall (RS
Vareo) Results: Slow Handicap 1st Chris Stubbs and Zara Brazil (Laser 2000) 2nd
Clare and Helen Stubbs (RS200) 3rd Katie Restall (Topper) 4th John
Wilkinson and Sally Waite (Albacore)
Downs SC will host the Topper National Championships during the 1st week in August and several Downs members took part in the corresponding Inland Championships which were held at Grafham Water in Cambridgshire on 4th/5th May.
There was a huge entry for this event with almost 250 boats taking part, this bodes well for August when we are likely to see the waters off Deal filled with Topper sailing dinghies. Downs sailors performed extremely well taking 3rd and 4th places (Chris Catt and Steve Restall respectively) and winning the overall Team prize for the best three results from one sailing club. The third member of the team was Robert Waite who finished in 28th position.
The lighter helms did well on the first day but stronger winds saw many of these sailors reefing on Sunday for some of the races. Thus it was obvious that the winner was going to be a sailor who excelled in varied conditions. The last race of the day was a decider, the top four contenders were on the line together Campbell Davidson from Largs, Steve Jackson of Hardway, Chris Catt of Downs and Sam Tozer of Papercourt. Campbell came through to win the race securing him the Championship. Fun and games at the final gybe mark saw a capsize from Steve Jackson who missed his toe strap. Chris Catt, happy to see his rival struggling also took a swim as he was forced to round the mark tightly and was still on his daggerboard as Steve sailed off for the finish. Steven was second and Chris third in the final race, positions that echoed their overall results.
National Coach Dave Cockerill was very complimentary about the sailing skills on display, he will be at Deal on Saturday to train the Downs Topper sailors in preparation for the National Championships. Other Deal sailors performed well in the testing conditions with Katie Restall finishing 50th, Sam Rowe 70th and Mitch Webb 78th.
Back at Deal, strong winds caused the cancellation of racing on Sunday 28th April and Tuesday 30th April but on Thursday 2nd May it was lack of wind that was the problem, however just as race officer Dave Webb was about to cancel the race, a light breeze began to fill in from the North. The crews of the dozen or so boats waiting on the beach got changed in double quick time and sped on to the water before the wind had chance to die again. At the start, the RS200 of Steve and Katie Restall and the RS400 of Richard White and Martyn Styles quickly pulled away from the pack and led for the rest of the race. Behind them, the RS200 of Clare Stubbs and Roger Phillips was competing well with the faster Buzzes of Ed Styles, John Cass and Chris Dutton and the Laser of James Cooke was also vying for position. On the 2nd lap the wind began to drop and the Buzz of Chris Dutton and Martyn Wyman had pulled ahead. On the penultimate leg, however, in the dying wind they misjudged the tide and allowed the three chasing boats through. Results: Fast Handicap 1st Richard White and Martyn Styles (RS400) 2nd Ed and Sarah Styles (Buzz) 3rd John Cass and Julia Brazil (Buzz) 4th Chris Dutton and Martyn Wyman Slow Handicap 1st Steve and Katie Restall (RS200) 2nd Clare Stubbs and Roger Phillips (RS200) 3rd Doug Horner (Topper) 4th Mitch Webb and Rob Waite (RS200) 5th Chris Catt (Topper) 6th James Cooke (Laser)
The North wind caused trouble again on Sunday 5th May, it was a cold Force 5-6 and this, coupled with big waves breaking onto the beach led to a cancellation. However on Bank Holiday Monday, the wind had eased to a Force 3 and the surf was smaller, even better the sun was shining and so thirteen crews were able to compete for the Marquis Medallion and the Fred Herbert Trophy. The format of the day was three short races held back to back. The Race Officer set a triangular course, beginning with a close reach towards Dover, against the tide. The Hornet of Eric Styles, crewed by Rick Clemence was first away and led for the rest of the race, behind them, the Buzz of Ed and Sarah Styles was going well, but it was the slower Laser 2000 of Chris Stubbs and Josh Cameron that took the honours on corrected time. Daughters Clare and Helen Stubbs in an RS200 were also doing well and keeping pace with the faster Buzzes and RS400s. A similar pattern was followed in the next two races, with the Laser 2000 of Chris Stubbs keeping the faster RS400’s and Buzzes in his sights and finishing close enough behind to beat them on handicap. Results: 1st (Fred Herbert Trophy) Chris Stubbs and Josh Cameron 2nd (Marquis Medallion) Ed and Sarah Styles (Buzz) 3rd Simon Cory and Annie Smith (Buzz) 4th Clare and Helen Stubbs (RS200) 5th Chris Dutton and Martin Wyman (Buzz) 6th Mike and Adam Heeley (RS400)
St. George's day (21/4/02)
St. George's day provided
almost perfect conditions for sailing, the eighteen competitors were greeted by
bright sunshine and a warm Force 3-4 Southerly breeze. The tide was ebbing and
there was a gentle current towards Dover. The race officer set a triangular
course beginning with a beat towards Walmer Castle followed by two reaches back
towards the pier. The RS400 of Chris Shelton and Dave Webb was first to the windward
mark, with the Buzz of Simon Cory not far behind. The Buzz of Ed Styles was
conspicuous by its absence, in fact it turned out that his boom had broken
shortly before the start and he was forced to return ashore to borrow a
replacement. Behind the leaders, the RS200 of Steve Restall was keeping pace
well with the faster Buzzes of John Cass and Chris Dutton. The two reaches
towards Ramsgate provided exciting three sail planing for the asymmetric boats
as they were able to catch the waves on the second reach and surf in towards
the shore.
The GP14 of Sandy Cameron
and Pat Clark, one of the oldest boats in the fleet with a traditional wooden
mast, was going well and went on to finish mid-fleet, their best position to
date. At the front, the Buzz of Simon Cory and the RS400 of Chris Shelton had
swapped places a couple of times and it was Chris who finished first on the
water. However the RS200 of Steve Restall was close enough behind to win on
handicap. Meanwhile, Ed Styles was gradually working his way through the fleet
after his late start, in the end he finished in 5th place, aided by a capsize
from Chris Dutton and Martin Wyman on the penultimate leg. Results: 1st Steve
and Katie Restall (RS200), 2nd Simon Cory and Annie Smith (Buzz), 3rd John Cass
and Julia Brazil (Buzz), 4th Chris Stubbs and Josh Cameron (Laser 2000), 5th Ed
and Sarah Styles (Buzz), 6th Chris Shelton and Dave Webb (RS400)
North-easterly gales put
paid to sailing at Deal over the weekend but several club members were involved
in other races both at home and abroad
A number of youngsters had
travelled to the RYA Youth Championships, which took place at Weymouth during
Easter week. At stake were places in the prestigious Volvo RYA National Youth
Squad and a chance to represent Great Britain in Canada this summer at the
Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championships.
Rory Sharvill and James
Cooke (420), Jonathan Waite (Laser) and Chris Catt (Laser Radial) from Downs SC
all took part along with almost 300 other competitors from all over the UK.
Despite the heavy winds along most of the South coast, light fickle winds were
in evidence at Weymouth, resulting in races being cancelled at beginning of the
week. As a result, the organisers tried to squeeze 6 races into the last day.
Early starts every day (9am) curtailed social activities in the evenings.
Results: Rory Sharvill and James Cooke (420) 29th, Jonathan Waite (Laser) 22nd,
Chris Catt (Laser Radial) 26th.
Sally and Martyn Styles
travelled to Carnac, Brittany, for the first leg of the RS400 Eurocup
championships. Idyllic conditions (light breezes and warm water) were in
evidence. In a high calibre field, Sally and Martin won one of the races, and
came very creditable 5th overall.
Cadets Mitch Webb, Katie Restall,
Sam Rowe and Tim Ellis attended the first big Topper National Travellers Trophy
meeting at Island Barn Reservoir, Walton on Thames. 75 boats sailed in very
tough conditions of force 4-6 with frequent "wipe out" gusts of
40+mph (force 8!). In these survival conditions, the youngsters performed
extremely well. Results: Mitch Webb 30th, Sam Rowe 43rd, Katie Restall 45th and
Tim Ellis 47th.
Despite cold winds from the
North-East for most of the week, the weather improved enough on Sunday to allow
the second race of the Spring series to take place at the Downs sailing club.
The Spring sunshine was in evidence as the sailors rigged for the race but the
cold North-Easterly meant that woolly hats and dry-suits were much in evidence.
The wind direction was almost parallel to the shore and so the Race Officer set
a triangular course beginning with a beat towards Ramsgate followed by a reach
out to the East mark and a run back towards Dover. The first leg was short and
the eight starters were bunched together at the first mark, the Hornet of Eric
Styles was first round, followed by Ed and Sarah Styles in their Buzz and Chris
Shelton and Roger Phillips in an RS400. The reach out to the East mark was too
tight to allow the asymmetric boats to fly their spinnakers and so the boats
remained together at the gybe mark. As the tide came in, the waves started to
increase in height and it was the boats which made best use of them on the run
which began to pull away. A close battle was developing between the three
Buzzes of John Cass, Simon Cory and Chris Dutton. Simon Cory, crewed by Nigel
Cureton, held the advantage for the first lap but on the second opted to fly
his spinnaker on the tight reach, he was blown off to leeward and this allowed
John Cass, who had kept his spinnaker in the bag, to overtake.
The wind had increased to a
Force 5 and this made for some exciting surfing towards the shore on the third
leg of the course. In addition the tide, now running towards Ramsgate, was
flowing strongly. On the third and fourth laps, it paid to sail high on the
reach and hoist the spinnaker before the east mark. This allowed a fast
approach to the mark and facilitated the gybe. The run towards Dover became
slower as the strength of the tide increased and the wind abated slightly. At
the end of the race, the Hornet of Eric and Clinton Styles was first across the
line, but it was the slower Buzzes which took the first four places on
handicap.
Results: 1st Eric and Sarah
Styles (Buzz), 2nd John Cass and Julia Brazil (Buzz), 3rd Simon Cory and Nigel
Cureton(Buzz), 4th Chris Dutton and Martin Wyman (Buzz), 5th Eric and Clinton
Styles (Hornet), 6th Chris Shelton and Roger Phillips (RS400)