Strong winds caused the cancellation of Tuesday's race, but on Sunday there was more rain than wind. By the start of the Pursuit race, the wind had strengthened to a good Force 3 from the South-East. Ben Hills in a Laser was first to start followed by Claire Stubbs and Chris Shelton. After a short reach, there was a long beat out to sea followed by a run back in. The chasing pack of Buzzes gradually overhauled the slower boats with Chris Dutton and Martin Wyman in front. However they was passed by Ed and Sarah Styles just before the finish.
Results Pursuit 1st Ed and Sarah Styles (Buzz) 2nd Chris Dutton and Martin Wyman (Buzz) 3rd John Cass and Julia Brazil (Buzz) 4th Claire Stubbs and Roger Phillips (RS200) 5th Chris Shelton (Phantom) 6th Ben Hills (Laser).
In the Points race, Nigel Cureton in his Contender got the best start, followed by Ed and Sarah Styles. Chris Dutton and Simon Cory were close behind. Ed overhauled Nigel and pulled out a good lead. Chris Dutton and Martin Wyman were close enough behind to beat the Contender on handicap. In the Slow Handicap, Chris Shelton in a Phantom pulled far enough ahead to beat Claire and Roger.
Results Fast Handicap 1st Ed and Sarah Styles (Buzz) 2nd Chris Dutton and Martin Wyman 3rd Nigel Cureton (Contender) 4th Simon Cory and Penny Jordan (Buzz) Slow Handicap 1st Chris Shelton (Phantom) 2nd Clare Stubbs and Roger Phillips (RS200) 3rd Ben Hills (Laser)
The mild conditions on Tuesday evening attracted nineteen boats for the race at Downs SC. The wind was Northerly Force 2-3 and there was a slight swell from the stronger winds earlier in the day. The Race Officer had set a rectangular course with the first leg a beat against the tide towards Ramsgate, there was slightly more wind offshore and so the boats that kept out to sea were first round the windward mark, this included Steve Restall and Simon Cory. Frank Catt was also going well in his RS300. There was a pile up at the third mark as several boats called for water, this allowed the chasing boats of Ed Styles and Chris Dutton to catch up. The Hornet of Eric Styles was also up with the leaders. At the finish Steve Restall finished first, ahead of Frank Catt. In the slow handicap, Clare Stubbs and Rob Waite led the fleet home, with Roger Phillips in second. James Blackman did well in his Topper to beat some of the faster boats on handicap.
Results Fast Handicap 1st Steve Restall and Chris Catt (Buzz) 2nd Frank Catt (RS300) 3rd Ed and Sarah Styles (Buzz) 4th Simon Cory and Katie Restall (Buzz) 5th Eric Styles and Thomas (Hornet) 6th Chris Dutton and Martin Wyman (Buzz) Slow Handicap 1st Clare Stubbs and Rob Waite (RS200) 2nd Roger Phillips and Judy Restall (Laser 2000) 3rd Tim Ellis (Laser) 4th Phil Spicer (Blaze) 5th James Blackman (Topper) 6th Mike Martin-Short (Streaker)
On Thursday the warm conditions attracted twenty-two entries for the evening race. In the fast handicap, Ed and Sarah Styles had a close contest with Frank Catt but eventually pulled ahead to win the race. In the slow handicap, Chris Catt and Rob Waite pulled out a good lead over fellow RS200 sailors Clare Stubbs and Judy Restall.
Results Fast Handicap 1st Ed and Sarah Styles (Buzz) 2nd
Frank Catt (RS300) 3rd Richard White and Tony Cook
(RS400) 4th Simon Cory and Penny Jordan (Buzz) 5th Mike Heeley (RS400) 6th Chris
Stubbs and Jon Waite (Laser 4000) Slow Handicap 1st Chris Catt and Rob Waite
(RS200) 2nd Clare Stubbs and Judy Restall (RS200) 3rd Roger Phillips and Amy
Sleep (Laser 2000) 4th Tim Ellis (Laser) 5th Phil Spicer (Blaze) 6th Steve Stagg
(Blaze)
Sunday saw the best conditions of the week with bright
sunshine and a steady Force 4 from the South. In the Pursuit race, the slow
handicap boats dominated, taking the first four places. In the Points race, the
start was competitive, with Nigel Cureton being forced over. After a beat
against the tide there followed a long run towards Dover. The Laser 4000 of
Chris Stubbs was first round, followed by the Contenders of Nigel Cureton and
Tony Cook.
The wing mark was identified by a large customs boat which had moored near it
and by this time Chris Dutton and Martin Wyman had pulled into second place.
They went on to establish a good lead over the other boats and win the race. In
the slow handicap, there was a battle between the RS200s of Chris Catt and Clare
Stubbs, with Chris winning out in the end.
Results Pursuit 1st Chris and Frank Catt (RS200) 2nd Clare Stubbs and Hamish (RS200) 3rd John Sharvil and Tim Waite (Laser 2000) 4th Phil and Dave Spicer (Laser2000) 5th Chris Dutton and Martin Wyman (Buzz) 6th Sue (Laser Fun)
Results Fast Handicap 1st Chris Dutton and Martin Wyman (Buzz) 2nd Simon Cory and Penny Jordan (Buzz) 3rd Chris and Helen Stubbs (Laser 4000) 4th Tony Cook(Contender) 5th Mark Styles and Thomas Salvio (RS400) 6th Nigel Cureton (Contender) Slow Handicap 1st Chris and Frank Catt (RS200) 2nd Clare Stubbs and Hamish (RS200) 3rd Phil and Dave Spicer (Laser 2000) 4th John Sharvil and Tim Waite (Laser 2000) 5th John Turgoose (Laser) 6th Roger Phillips and Poppy McGoldrick (Laser 2000)
Last weekend saw the second session of the Downs Sailing
club children's sailing course. The calm weather of Friday evening allowed them
to go afloat in Deal on the club's Dart 16 catamaran and also do some RIB
driving. We then moved to the Redoubt SC in Hythe for the Saturday session where
perfect condition enabled the 16 young people to improve their skills. The older
children, Melanie and Poppy McGoldrick, Grant Motion, Alexander and Olivia
Feeney, Vicky Hayles, Matthew Greenslade and Matthew Halpin spent the day mainly
in Toppers but were also offered the two man RS Feva taught on the water by Rob
Waite, Rory Sharvill and Mitch Webb. The younger group, Joseph Lord, Kelanie
Styles, Jasmine and Vivienne Hayles, Katy and Danny Skinner, Sam Cooke and Beth
Houghton were in Optimists and did amazingly well. Some of this group had never
sailed before or had only one day afloat but were sailing around the lake on
their own by the end of the day. Thanks to the Redoubt SC for their hospitality
and facilities.
A Northerly Force 3 and a relatively flat sea greeted the sailors for the Thursday evening race. The first leg was a beat against the tide towards Ramsgate, Frank Catt gained the best start by swinging round the distance mark from uptide. Dick White and Steve Restall led the fleet round the windward mark and on to the three downwind legs, the third of which became too tight for the spinnakers when the wind swung more to the North-West. Ed and Sarah Styles recovered from a poor start but were unable to catch the leaders. In the Slow Handicap the RS200 of Clare Stubbs beat the Laser 2000s. The Toppers of Nathan Brazil, James Blackman and Rosie Lord did well to complete the course in a dying wind.
Results Fast Handicap 1st Steve and Katie Restall (Buzz)
2nd Richard White and Martyn Styles (RS400) 3rd Ed and Sarah Styles (Buzz) 4th
Frank Catt (RS300) 5th Chris Shelton and Dave Webb (RS400) 6th John Cass and
Julia Brazil (Buzz) Slow Handicap 1st Clare Stubbs and Sally Waite (RS200) 2nd
Roger Phillips (Laser 2000) 3rd John Sharvil and Tim Waite (Laser 2000) 4th
Nathan Brazil (Topper) 5th James Blackman
(Topper) 6th Rosie Lord (Topper)
In contrast to Sunday's boisterous conditions, a gentle breeze and flat sea at high tide led to relaxing conditions for Thursday's race. However the fleet were eager to start and this led to a general recall, at the second attempt Frank Catt and Eric Styles were first round the windward mark, closely followed by Chris Dutton. The fleet bunched up on the downwind leg with Steve and Katie Restall overhauling the early leaders. Due to the tide, the beat involved a long starboard tack and those boats which were able to take advantage of the frequent lifts make large gains, this included Richard White and Martyn Styles in their RS400. For the second and final lap, the wind swung round more to the South. Steve and Katie Restall had pulled out a good lead, but were caught on the final beat by Chris Dutton and Martin Wyman and just managed to keep their nose ahead to win the race.
Results Fast Handicap 1st Steve and Katie Restall (Buzz) 2nd Chris Dutton and Martin Wyman (Buzz) 3rd Simon Cory and Penny Jordan (Buzz) 4th Eric Styles (Hornet) 5th Frank Catt (RS300) 6th Richard White and Martyn Styles (RS400)
On Sunday, a fresh Force 4/5 breeze from the South and a flat sea at high tide provided excellent sailing conditions. The Contenders of Nigel Cureton and Tony Cook dominated the racing taking the top two positions in both races. In the Pursuit race the Hornet of Mark and Eric Styles was going well and finished just behind the Buzzes of Ed Styles and Simon Cory. The wind increased for the Points race and the Race Officer moved the inshore marks further out as the tide began to drop. Once again the Contenders pulled ahead. The reach out to sea was very tight for the spinnaker boats and John Cass took a dip when a large gust caught him on this leg. The following run provided excellent planing conditions followed by a fetch back inshore. Ed Styles won the battle of the Buzzes with Simon Cory and Chris Dutton close behind.
Results Pursuit 1st Nigel Cureton (Contender) 2nd Tony Cook
(Contender) 3rd Simon Cory and Penny Jordan (Buzz) 4th Ed and Sarah Styles
(Buzz) 5th Mark and Eric Styles (Hornet) 6th Chris Dutton and Martin Wyman
(Buzz) Results
Fast Handicap 1st Nigel Cureton (Contender) 2nd Tony Cook
(Contender) 3rd Ed and Sarah Styles (Buzz) 4th Simon Cory and Penny Jordan
(Buzz) 5th Chris Dutton and Martin Wyman (Buzz) 6th Mark and Eric Styles
(Hornet) Results Slow Handicap 1st Chris Shelton (Phantom) 2nd Clive Godderidge
(Streaker)
A gentle Southerly breeze and flat sea provided ideal
conditions for the Tuesday Points race at Downs SC. Fifteen boats took to the
water and commenced the first leg, which was a beat with the tide towards Dover.
There was drama at the first mark when Ed Styles capsized and was narrowly
avoided by the surrounding boats. The next leg was a close reach out to sea,
followed by the longest leg of the course which was a run against the tide.
The RS800 of Rory Sharvil pulled out a good lead followed by the A-class
catamaran of Brain Cory. The Toppers were also going well and kept the faster
boats in sight, they completed a single lap whilst the faster boast went on to
do a second lap. The closest battle of the evening was between the Buzzes of
Steve Restall and Simon Cory which were never more than a few seconds apart
throughout the whole race. At the North mark, it looked like Simon would gain an
overlap to take the lead, but Steve was just able to keep ahead, and on the
final leg, Frank Catt passed both the Buzzes.
Results Fast Handicap 1st Brian Cory (A-class catamaran) 2nd Steve Restall and Nikki Catt (Buzz) 3rd Frank Catt (RS300) 4th Simon Cory and Katie Restall (Buzz) 5th Ed and Sarah Styles (Buzz) 6th John Cass and Zara Brazil (Buzz) Slow Handicap 1st Nathan Brazil (Topper) 2nd Rosie Lord (Topper) 3rd RS Feva 4th Tim Ellis (Laser) 5th Phil Spicer (Blaze) 6th Roger Phillips and Judy Restall (Laser 2000)
On Saturday twelve young sailors took part in the Downs
sailing club children's sailing course held at Redoubt sailing club in Hythe.
They were helped in part by cadet members of the Downs S.C. who themselves
started their sailing at such an event and are now qualified sailing
instructors.
The youngest, Kalani Styles (5), Joseph Lord (6), Vicki Hayles (6), Joseph Lord
(6), Jasmine Hayles (6), Sam Cook (6) finished the day by sailing Optimist
dinghies on their own around the lake with the older children learning more
advanced skills sailing Toppers , including Matthew Halpin (8) in a dinghy for
the first time. Well done to all of them.
On Sunday, a fresh Northerly breeze of Force 4 and building waves greeted the sailors at Downs SC. Early leaders in the Pursuit race were Clare Stubbs and Chris Shelton, but they were quickly caught by Tony Cook in his Contender who found the boisterous conditions to his liking. The most exciting leg was a reach back inshore down the waves, where the boats reached some spectacular speeds as they surfed in. John Cass and Julia Brazil kept ahead of the other Buzzes to take second place.
Results Pursuit 1st Tony Cook (Contender) 2nd John Cass and Julia Brazil (Buzz) 3rd Richard White and Martyn Styles (RS400) 4th Ed and Sarah Styles (Buzz) 5th Mike Heeley and Mark (RS400) 6th Chris Dutton and Martin Wyman (Buzz).
The wind and waves increased further for the second race, building to a Force 5. Tony Cook in his Contender continued to dominate, but behind him there was a fierce battle between the Buzzes. Simon Cory and Chris Dutton had an early lead, but they were caught by Ed Styles and John Cass at the leeward mark. However in the melee, John capsized and Simon just kept his nose ahead of Ed. Richard White was also going well and split the Buzzes on handicap. In the slow handicap race, Clare and Helen Stubbs used the spinnaker to good advantage to finish ahead of Chris Shelton in a Phantom.
Results Fast Handicap 1st Tony Cook (Contender) 2nd Simon
Cory and Penny Jordan (Buzz) 3rd Ed and Sarah Styles (Buzz) 4th Richard White
and Martyn Styles (RS400) 5th Chris Dutton and Martin Wyman (Buzz) 6th John Cass
and Julia Brazil (Buzz) Slow Handicap 1st Clare and Helen Stubbs (RS200) 2nd
Chris Shelton (Phantom) 3rd Stuart Bradbeer (Laser) 4th Rosie Lord (Topper)
On Tuesday 12 boats launched into a slight sea to compete
in the Points Race. The wind was a steady Force 3 from the North-East and the
first leg was a long beat against the tide out to the North buoy. There was
slightly more wind further out to sea and this compensated for the stronger
tide, Chris Catt and James Cooke were first round in their RS800, followed by Ed
Styles and John Cass in their Buzzes. The Contenders of Nigel Cureton and Tony
Cook were going well as was the RS300 of Frank Catt. So the fleet was tightly
packed at the end of the first lap. Ed and Sarah Styles began to open up a lead
over the others and Chris Dutton and Martin Wyman recovered from a poor first
beat. The RS800 of Chris Catt was flying around until they came too close
inshore and hit the bottom, this jammed their daggerboard into the case, forcing
them to retire.
In the Slow Handicap, Roger Phillips pipped Thomas Savio to the post.
Results Fast Handicap 1st Ed and Sarah Styles (Buzz) 2nd Frank Catt (RS300) 3rd Nigel Cureton (Contender) 4th Chris Dutton and Martin Wyman (Buzz) 5th John Cass and Zara Brazil (Buzz) 6th Tony Cook (Contender) Slow Handicap 1st Roger Phillips and Judy Restall (Laser 2000) 2nd Thomas Salvio (Laser)
On Sunday a strong South-Westerly gusting to Force 6 led to
testing conditions for the eighteen boats that began the Pursuit race. The
Toppers were first off and experienced the full force of the wind as they ran
out to sea to the leeward mark. There followed a fast reach against the tide to
the North mark then a beat back to the start line. As the race progressed there
were many capsizes and retirements and so a second rescue boat was launched.
The Laser 2000 of Phil and Dave Spicer reached the front and managed to hold off
the challenge of the chasing Buzzes to win the race. John Cass just kept his
nose ahead of Ed Styles on the finish line. James Blackman in a Topper did very
well to complete the race in the fierce conditions. The second race was
abandoned as the wind strength continued to increase.
Results Pursuit Race 1st Phil and Dave Spicer (Laser 2000)
2nd John Cass and Julia Brazil (Buzz) 3rd Ed and Sarah Styles (Buzz) 4th Richard
White and Martyn Styles (RS400) 5th Chris Shelton (Phantom) 6th Steve and Katie
Restall (Buzz)
More than 80 Toppers including 7 from the home club took
part in the Sunsail Topper Nationwide Event 2 that was held at Downs SC over the
weekend of 4th/5th June. Prior to the event the club provided two days of
training for the sailors which was also well attended. There was a good age
range amongst the competitors from U12 to adult with the majority being
teenagers.
Saturday saw the strongest winds of the weekend with a good Force 4-5 from the
South -West for the first race. The first leg was a long beat against the tide
followed by a fast run back, surfing down the waves. The wind increased
throughout the race and the course was shortened, Richard Ash from Chew Valley
SC took the honours followed by Alex Cooper from Stokes Bay SC and Peter
Harrison from Bexhill. For the 2nd race, the wind increased further to a Force 6
and swung to a more Southerly direction. This produced fast, exciting sailing,
the waves started to increase in size to produce testing conditions for the
younger competitors and quite a few retirements.
There were some new faces at the front, with Robert Spencer from Mudeford Bay SC
taking first place, followed by Martin Evans from Dabchicks. There was a good
result fro the home club with Steve Restall taking 4th position.
The wind strength continued to increase leading to the cancellation of Race 3
and Walmer RNLI assisted the club's safety fleet in ensuring that all
competitors were returned safely to shore.
On Sunday the wind had decreased in strength to Force 2 from the West and the
strong flood tide made the racing more tactical. There was a general recall
followed by a black flag for the second start. The first leg was a beat towards
the shore and several competitors overshot the mark due to the effect of the
tide. The race was shortened and a new winner emerged in Ben Palmer from Island
Barn SC who found the lighter conditions to his liking. A further two races were
sailed on Sunday and Martin Evans emerged as the overall winner ahead of Bleddyn
Mon from Red Wharf Bay SC. The leading sailor from Downs SC was Steve Restall in
10th place with Robert Waite slightly further back in 14th.
Results 1st Martin Evans (Dabchicks SC) 2nd Bleddyn Mon
(Red Wharf Bay SC) 3rd Thomas Weatherhead (Haversham SC) 4th Thomas Durham (Emsworth
Slipper SC) 5th Ben Palmer (Island Barn SC) 6th Edward Cowell (Broadstairs SC)
Thirteen boats took to the water for the Tuesday Points race, they launched at
high tide into a light Southerly breeze, with the tide running to Ramsgate, so
on the first leg it paid to keep close inshore, out of the tide. Steve Restall
and Chris Catt were first away in a Buzz, followed by the Laser 4000 of Chris
Stubbs. Chris Dutton and Martin Wyman were next but were passed by Ed and Sarah
Styles on the reach. As the race progressed, the wind began to die away and the
majority of the fleet finished after two laps, with the back markers struggling
to make headway over the tide. In the Slow Handicap, John Wilkinson and Will
Hardy finished ahead of Roger Phillips and Judy Restall.
Results Fast Handicap 1st Steve and Katie Restall (Buzz) 2nd Frank catt (RS300) 3rd Ed and Sarah Styles (Buzz) 4th Chris Stubbs and Rick Clemence (Laser 4000) 5th Chris Dutton and Martin Wyman (Buzz) 6th Jeremy Blackman and Julia Brazil (Buzz) Slow Handicap 1st John Wilkinson and Will Hardy (Albacore) 2nd Roger Philips and Judy Restall (Laser 2000)
Downs Sailing Club Learn to Sail A short beginners dingy
sailing course during which novice sailors will learn basic boat handling
skills.
The course will combine theory sessions at Downs SC with practical sailing in
the more sheltered waters of Dover Harbour and is suitable for adults and
children over 14.
The course commences on Friday 10th June.
For further information please contact Ysanne Spicer 01304 611544