April – May 2003 (6/4/03) (21/4/03) (4/5/03) (Downs Olympic
Day ~ 5th May 2003) (11/5/03) (26/5/03)
Downs sailors took 4 of the top 6 places at the Buzz National Championship which was held in Portland harbour, Weymouth over the Bank Holiday Weekend. The weather was superb with plenty of sunshine and good winds over all 3 days. The venue was excellent with many competitors staying in Portland which is a short distance from the sailing club. If Britain hosts the Olympics in 2012, this will be the venue for the sailing. On the first day the wind was a steady force 3-4 from the South West and the racing was dominated by Ben McGrane and Joe Crabb from Chew Valley SC who won all 3 races. Close behind, the competition was fierce with either Steve and Katie Restall or Simon Cory and Annie Smith from Downs SC attempting to catch the leaders. In the third race a port-starboard incident led to a capsize for Cory at the hands of the Restalls, however he did well to recover and gain a 4th place. David and Geoffrey Smart and Chris Dutton and Martin Wyman were also in the hunt, with the Blaze class starting at the same time, getting clear air on the line was essential and competitors who got caught up in this larger fleet soon got left behind. Windward-leeward courses were used throughout the event for the Boss, Iso, Buzz and Spice classes, with a wing mark for the Blazes. On the second day, the wind strength rose to a Force 4-5 which Neil and Catherine Mant found more to their liking, posting three top six places. However, at the front, McGrane and Crabb continued to dominate, taking another 3 wins. There was close competition between the Smarts and Cory/Smith for third place, but a 7th for Cory in the 6th race gave David Smart the edge. The Restalls were very consistent with either 2nd or 3rd positions in all the races, so it looked like 2nd slot would be theirs. After an excellent barbecue on Sunday night, there were 2 races scheduled for the 3rd and final day, however, first thing in the morning the harbour was glassy and racing looked in doubt. Fortunately the wind began to fill in and sailing was able to start on time. The Blaze and Buzz starts were separated and this gave more room on the start line which Dutton and Wyman took full advantage of to lead the fleet for the first lap. However, a close tacking duel with McGrane and Crabb allowed the Restalls to catch up and at the finish it was McGrane/Restall/Dutton in 1st/2nd/3rd. The wind filled in some more for the last race and the finishing order matched the final results with McGrane and Crabb taking the title followed by the Restalls and the Smarts.
Results: 1st Ben McGrane and Joe Crabb (Chew Valley SC) 2nd Steve and Katie Restall (Downs SC) 3rd David and Geoffrey Smart 4th Simon Cory and Annie Smith (Downs SC) 5th Chris Dutton and Martin Wyman (Downs SC) 6th John Cass and Julia Brazil (Downs SC)
On Sunday Downs SC held a Topper Open Meeting, with a training day on Saturday which was attended by nineteen Topper sailors from a number of different clubs. The weather was excellent with sunshine and a moderate breeze of Force 4 from the South. Instruction was provided by World Champion Mark Heather and Chris Catt who finished second in the World Championships last year. The event was organized with help from Downs SC members, by Steve Restall who recently finished third in the Inland Championships. The sailors got expert tuition on a number of topics including starting, tacking, gybing, using the waves and rig settings.
The racing on Sunday was dominated by Chris Catt who won three out of the four races. Robert Waite, also from Downs, took second place with three other Downs boats in the top 10.
Results: 1st Chris Catt (Downs SC) 2nd Robert Waite (Downs SC) 3rd William Espiner (Great Moor SC) 4th Sam Rowe (Downs SC) 5th Louis McVeigh (Wimbledon Park SC) 6th Andy Field (Broadwater SC).
Sailing conditions on Tuesday were almost perfect with a flat sea and a gentle Southerly breeze. In the fast handicap the tide pushed a number of boats over the start line and they had to return. Chris Dutton and Martin Wyman got away cleanly and led for the first two legs until they were passed by Steve Restall, crewed by Sarah Styles. Behind them John Cass was going well until his spinnaker got caught in a knot and by the time he had untied it the leading boats had pulled out a comfortable lead. The breeze freshened towards the end of the race and allowed the crews to stretch their legs on the trapeze. In the slow handicap, Chris Stubbs won the battle of the Laser 2000s although on handicap, Robert Waite in a Topper did well to achieve 2nd place.
Results: Fast Handicap 1st Steve Restall and Sarah Styles (Buzz) 2nd Chris Dutton and Martin Wyman (Buzz) 3rd John Cass and Rick Clemence (Buzz) 4th Nigel Cureton (Contender) Slow Handicap 1st Chris and Helen Stubbs (Laser 2000) 2nd Robert Waite (Topper) 3rd Roger Phillips and Nathan Brazil (Laser 2000) 4th Alan Dewar (Laser 2000) 5th James Cooke (Laser) 6th Ron Bramwell (Laser)
Downs Olympic Day ~ 5th May 2003
Dave Webb - Commodore
Downs Sailing Club, being proud to be able to boast of not one but two of it’s members currently in the British Olympic Squad, ran a fund raising day to support Jenny Heeley (470’s) and Hugh Styles.
The first problem we had to
overcome was finding a date when they would both be in the U.K. at the same
time. This involved much consultation and comparing of diaries between their
respective Dad’s, Mike and Martyn. Finally, the Bank Holiday Monday was settled
upon, which the Club was able to accommodate with a minor re-adjustment of it’s
published sailing programme.
After a bright and sunny
Bank Holiday Saturday and Sunday, Monday dawned more overcast, but with a
promising wind, and reassuringly no sign of rain. We were also pleased to
welcome Adam to the Club, who had come along to lend a hand with proceedings.
Their first job was to set up and rig one of their Tornado’s, that they just
happened to have with them. This made a very impressive welcome in the dinghy
park to people arriving to participate in the day. However, the Hon. Sailing
Secretary was heard to mutter, “If he wants to leave that there, we’ll have to
charge him for two parking spaces.” Inside the Clubhouse, Hugh’s Mum Di had set
up a stall of brand new clothing supplied by Gill, one of Hugh’s major
sponsors, to be sold at bargain prices, as well as various bits of string used
once discarded.
We were also extremely
pleased to welcome another honoured guest, George Clarke, Chairman of the RYA.
George had visited the Club last year as a Topper parent during the Topper
Nationals, and had enjoyed the atmosphere of the Club so much that he was
delighted to accept our invitation to come along and participate in the days
activities.
The morning was spent with
Hugh, Adam and Jenny coaching some of the members ashore and afloat. Jenny
spent her time with the Club’s developing Buzz fleet, along with a Laser 2000
of a recent member, and her Dad joining in with his RS 400. Meanwhile, Hugh
spent his time with three teenage Laser sailors. Whilst showing them just how
hard the rig had to be tightened down on the kicker and downhaul, one concerned
parent and financier looked at the amount of bend in the mast and commented,
“This looks expensive” and returned to the Clubhouse for a coffee out of sight.
The wind was a reasonably steady force 4/5 from the South, which made launching
at low tide easy. The conditions made for some great sailing, with the three
coach boats on the water struggling to keep up with some of the three sailed boats
at times. It was particularly pleasing to see two Toppers of young relatively
inexperienced cadets heavily reefed, but nevertheless anxious to be out with
the action in the presence of greatness. All came ashore (eventually) at lunch
time with broad grins on their faces.
After a brief break for
lunch, Principal Race Officer for the day, Derek Crossley, got the fleet afloat
again for three races back to back for the Fred Herbert Memorial Trophy. The
Club commissioned this trophy last year in remembrance of Fred Herbert, a long
standing Club Member who sadly died two years ago. Fred had known Hugh and
Jenny well, and had watched their development from raw novices to aspired
sailors with great interest and support. Fred always made time to talk to the cadets,
and was genuinely interested in their progress and development. We were also
pleased to greet his son, daughter in law and young grandson to the Club as
guests for the afternoon.
As arranged, members had
been invited to make sealed bids for either Jenny or Hugh to crew for them.
Mitch Webb (aged 15) fresh back from the Topper Inlands with 267 boats over the
previous two days, “won” Hugh by investing three months pocket money to crew
him in an RS 200. Hugh demonstrated some previously unseen limbo skills during
the afternoon. Meanwhile, a late bid from Club Treasurer Roger Phillips secured
the services of Jenny for a gentle afternoon’s yachting in his Laser 2000. The
Club also launched it’s Drascombe Longboat to give George a view point to
observe proceedings afloat. However, the skipper omitted to ship any alcoholic
victuals, an oversight noted on a number of occasions by the Chairman during
the subsequent proceedings.
An impressive turn-out of
27 boats contested the trophy during the afternoon, with the wind abating to
3/4, but gusting quite significantly as it swung more to the South West
offshore. All three starts were closely contested, with a number of General
Re-calls. Fortunately, Derek couldn’t find the black flag. In the end, with all
three races counting, consistency paid off. First overall was Richard White and
Hugh’s Dad Martyn in an RS 400, closely followed by the Buzz of Steve and Katie
Restall (also both “fresh” back from the Topper Inlands where they had come a
very respectable 3rd and 57th respectively). Third were
Chris Catt and Mark Heather in a 29er (runner-up 2002 Topper World
Championships and 2000 Topper World Champion respectively). Following closely
behind this podium of superstars, Jenny must have been having some effect on
Roger, as they came in a pleasing 4th, followed by Jenny’s Dad Mike
in his RS 400 crewed by her fella, Dom Johnson (who was looking considerably
younger than he ever looked on “Miami Vice”). Simon Cory and Annie Smith were 6th
in another Buzz. Meanwhile, Hugh was still trying to get under the RS200 boom,
and sort out the twists in it’s spinnaker
As the crews all came
ashore, a bar-be-que was up and running, and sailors, members and guests alike were
able to start perusing the lots on offer in the Silent Auction. These had been
donated by Club members and were as varied as they were unusual. Almost
everything was on offer, ranging from pot plants, home made cakes and puddings,
French lessons, dinner parties, ten sacks of horse manure, etc. Even the cadets
pitched in with offers of gardening and car washing, much to the amazement of
their parents. Some of the top pledges included an original oil painting of
Toppers, a flight in a light aircraft, several laps of Brands Hatch in a
classic racing Porsche 911 and a ride to Sandwich on the back of a tandem.
George looked particularly pleased with himself when it was announced that he
had won the bidding on a 5lb jar of pickled eggs. Lipscomb Volvo Centres
donated a corporate golf day, and the Fat Face store in Canterbury also donated
some items. During proceedings, participants were invited to guess the combined
weight of the Chairman of the RYA and the Club Commodore. The prize was a
bottle of surgical spirit imported especially from Poland, and marked “Polski
Vodka”. So it was apt a Doctor in the Club should get the closest guess.
The total proceeds from the
auction, coaching and bar-be-que was a brilliant £1,400 to be split between
Jenny and Hugh, which was a wonderful effort.
My personal thanks to
everybody who donated pledges, and to all that bid for them. Special thanks to
Sally Waite and Alison Sharvill for co-ordinating the auction, and adding up
all the money, and to Linda Cooke and her small band of volunteers who slaved
away in the galley all day. Also, a big thank you to our local dentist, Cyril
the Drill, who ended up writing out one of the biggest cheques of the day after
his wife bid for everything! Thank you for coming.
Finally, our best wishes
and good luck to Jenny and Hugh for your endeavors. We follow your progress
with pride. We hope you come back with a medal, but if not, what you have
achieved already is brilliant. The money from the day is a small contribution,
but more important is the moral support which we hope you will take forward
with you.
Dave
On Bank Holiday Monday, the club's three Olympic sailors, Jenny Heeley (Women's 470) and Hugh Styles and Adam May (Tornado) provided expert coaching to around 20 club members as part of a fund-raising day. The conditions were excellent with a moderate Southerly breeze of Force 4 which freshened to a 5 at times, the coaching took place on the water with the coach boats following the crews and giving advice on rig settings and boat handling techniques. They videoed the action to facilitate later feedback. It was a unique opportunity to get help from the experts and was highly valued by all the participants. Off the water there was the opportunity to view the catamaran which Hugh and Adam hope to use at the Athens Games and in the evening there was a barbecue followed by a silent auction in aid of Olympic funds.
In the afternoon the sailors had chance to put their training into action during three short races for the Fred Herbert trophy. Club members could also bid to have one of the Olympic sailors crew for them and this certainly helped Roger Phillips who narrowly missed out on a top three placing when crewed by Jenny Heeley. There was an excellent turn-out of 24 boats and the starts were keenly contested leading to two general recalls. The first short beat towards Walmer Castle was crucial and in the gusty conditions inshore those who could keep the boat moving against the tide and read the shifts came out on top. The strong gusts led to a number of capsizes and some spectacular speeds on the downwind legs. Overall the experienced team of Richard White and Martyn Styles in their RS400 came out on top followed by Steve and Katie Restall in their Buzz.
Results: 1st Richard White and Martyn Styles (RS400) 2nd Steve and Katie Restall (Buzz) 3rd Chris Catt and Mark Heather (29er) 4th Roger Phillips and Jenny Heeley (Laser 2000) 5th Mike Heeley and Don Johnson (RS400) 6th Simon Cory and Annie Smith (Buzz).
On Sunday the Summer Points Series began in glorious sunshine and a light South-easterly breeze. In the Fast Handicap, Hugh Styles, crewed by Frank Catt pulled out a good lead to take the win from Simon Cory and Annie Smith in a Buzz. In the Slow Handicap Chris and Helen Stubbs beat Roger Phillips (minus his Olympic crew) into 2nd place.
Results: Fast Handicap 1st Hugh Styles and Frank Catt (RS400) 2nd Simon Cory and Annie Smith (Buzz) 3rd Richard White and Martyn Styles (RS400) 4th Mike Heeley (RS400) 5th Chris Dutton and Martin Wyman (Buzz) 6th John Cass and Julia Brazil (Buzz) Slow Handicap 1st Chris and Helen Stubbs (Laser 2000) 2nd Roger Phillips (Laser 2000) 3rd Ron Bramwell (Laser) 4th Allan Dewar (Laser 2000) 5th M. Tobin (Laser 2000) 6th Martin Odell (Laser).
Evening racing began this week and took place on Tuesday and Thursday. The Fast Handicap on Tuesday was an all-Buzz affair with Simon Cory coming out on top, there was a bigger turn-out on Thursday with Chris Cat taking the honours. In the Slow Handicap Chris Shelton continued his winning ways in his new Phantom.
Tuesday Results Fast Handicap 1st Simon Cory and Annie Smith (Buzz) 2nd John Cass and Julia Brazil (Buzz) 3rd Chris Dutton and Martin Wyman (Buzz) 4th Jeremy Blackman and Rick Clemence (Buzz) Slow Handicap 1st Chris Shelton (Phantom) 2nd John Waterfall (Vareo) 3rd Robert Waite (Topper) 4th James Cooke (Laser) 5th Mitch Webb (Topper) 6th Ron Bramwell (Laser)
Thursday Results Fast Handicap 1st Chris and Nikki Catt (29er) 2nd Simon Cory and Annie Smith (Buzz) 3rd Steve and Katie Restall (Buzz) 4th Richard White and Martyn Styles (RS400) 5th John Cass and Julia Brazil (Buzz) 6th Mike Heeley and Richard Pilling (RS400). Photo: Roger Phillips and Olympic crew Jenny Heeley
The cold North-easterly wind which put paid to sailing at the Downs club on Easter Sunday had swung round to a much warmer Southerly breeze for Easter Monday. Conditions were perfect with sunshine, a flat sea and a Force 3-4. Two races were scheduled, the first was the fourth race of the Spring series and the second was the Marquis Medallion. Seventeen boats jostled for position on the strat line and the first leg was a short beat with the tide towards Walmer castle. Chris Shelton, sailing his new Phantom dinghy for the first time, ghosted into a strong position behind the faster Buzzes of Simon Cory and Steve Restall. After a short reach, which became too tight for the spinnaker boats as the wind increased. Their followed a long run against the tide. The single-sailed boats such as the Lasers of Frank and Chris Catt, sailed straight towards the mark, while the faster asymmetric boats zig-zagged over the tide. The wind began to increase in strength with an occasional gust of Force 5-6 which caught out the unwary and led to a number of capsizes. the wind also began to swing slightly more to the South-west, which enabled the spinnaker boats to surf the waves on the run towards the pier. At the finish it was the Phantom of Chris Shelton which took the honours followed by the two Buzzes and the Laser Radial of Chris Catt.
Results: 1st Chris Shelton
(Phantom) 2nd Steve and Katie Restall (Buzz) 3rd Simon Cory and Annie Smith
(Buzz) 4th Chris Catt (Laser Radial) 5th Chris Stubbs and Zara Brazil (Laser
2000) 6th Frank Catt (Laser).
By the start of the second
race the wind had increased to a Force 5 and a few competitors decided to go
ashore but those who remained had an exhilarating race, reaching some
spectacular speeds on the downwind legs. Chris Dutton and Chris Martin made a
good start at the Port end of the line and were in the leading bunch at the
first mark. The Contender of Tony Cook was also going wel and kept the leading
RS400 of Richard White and Martyn Styles in his sights. With nearly half the
fleet capsizing at some stage during the race, the advantage was with those
crews who could stay upright and the two Lasers of the Catt family did
particularly well. At the
finish it was the RS400 of White and Styles which won the race and took the
Marquis Medallion.
Results: 1st Richard White
and Martyn Styles (RS400) 2nd Tony Cook (Contender) 3rd Simon Cory and Annie
Smith (Buzz) 4th Chris Catt
(Laser Radial) 5th Frank Catt (Laser 6th Chris Dutton and Chris Martin (Buzz).
(6/4/03)
A strong Force 5-6 onshore breeze at Deal put paid to racing on Sunday, however, inland on more sheltered waters on Saturday, the club's cadets put up an excellent performance at Bewl Valley sailing Club's Topper Open meeting to take 2nd and 5th places. Here, the weather was near perfect - a moderate NE Force 3-4 wind for most of the day with cloudless skies. Forty three Toppers from Kent, Surrey, East and West Sussex, Essex, Hertfordshire, Middlesex and London, including a good showing from Downs SC, took part in four races under the auspices of Race Officer, Richard Kingsnorth. With sailors of the wide range of experience in the fleet a trapezoid course was the course of choice, with three laps for each race. The first and second races were run back-to-back before lunch. With the wind generally from the North-East it meant that Bewl's infamously variable wind direction had its own role to play. The first two races were dominated Richard Valentine (Great Moor SC), winning both. After lunch the two further back-to-back races were undertaken accompanied with an easing of the wind to Force 2-3 . Race 3 saw the only general recall of the meeting. Robert Waite and Katie Restall (both of Downs SC) won the 3rd and 4th races respectively. Katie's father Steve also put in a good performance to finish 10th and Sam Rowe came 17th overall. 1st Under-14 was Robert Spooner (Broxbourne SC) and 1st Under-12 was Ben Palmer (IBSC). The prizes were kindly presented by Mrs Audrey Warley, wife of the Club Commodore. Results: 1st Richard Valentine (Great Moor SC) 2nd Robert Waite (Downs SC) 3rd Andy Fielder (Broadwater/IBSC) William Espiner (Great Moor SC) 5th Katie Restall (Downs SC) 6th Louis McVeigh (Wimbledon Park SC)