April - May

The last race on the Downs Sailing Club calendar took place on Boxing Day with a keen 25 boats.

This is a cup race with fund raising for the R.N.L.I, who in turn man the race rescue boats for the occasion.

The wind was wanting with warm air and a strong tide but there was a whiff of wood smoke off shore to remind everyone of the occasion.

The leviathan ‘Hornets’ seemed to make the first impression before the race became confusing for the casual observer. The final winners were Steve and Katie Restall in an RS 200.

However the real race had only just begun, to get into the already packed clubhouse

for mince pies and festive cheer. It was the chance for younger members to show off new toys and older sailors their new socks !

It was a chance for ‘land lubber’ relatives to, to admire the bravery of the intrepid crews and perhaps purchase a raffle ticket for the even braver crews the R.N.L.I

The last of the winter series took place at Downs Sailing Club on Sunday with 15 boats.

A distinct lack of wind produced a ghostly spectacle of ‘ Mary Celestes’ drifting in a grey mist.

The old fashioned and sinister looking ‘Hornet’ of Mark Styles and Clinton Styles seemed to be the best at the drifting game, propelled by unseen hands .

Many minds are now focused on winter repairs, fresh aspirations for next year and, in some cases, the allure of a gleaming new boat.

The prize giving for the winter series took place after everyone had warmed up thanks to the club’s canteen. Everyone who participates in the winter series receives a prize from the humblest bottle of beer to silverware and Champagne.

Race Result; 1 Steve Restall and Judy Restall - RS200 2 Mark Styles and Clinton Styles - Hornet.

‘Winter Series’ Results; 1 Richard White and Martyn Styles RS400 2 Simon Cory and Clare Hansall Buzz 3 Steve and Judy Restall RS200 ( 1^st & 2^nd place were equal on points so it was decided on number of first places )

There was a sparkle on the spinnakers to rival any Christmas decoration in the cold winter sun at Downs Sailing Club on Sunday. Sixteen intrepid boats launched into a sea warmer than the frosty air !

It was the angry sting of a ‘Hornet’ (Eric and Clinton Styles) who led the field, the second placed RS400 barely staying upright with the pace.

Perhaps a wooden hull affords a warmer seat, but hands and feet still suffer and some sailors took no chances and donned ‘Drysuits’.

The long haul to the cruelly placed distant mark ensued and even the hardiest observer succumbed to the allure of a hot coco in the cosy Clubhouse.

The hornet returned but with the hum of ‘Buzzes’ and a fine showing from the RS200 of Steve and Judy Restall. A few more laps and then a difficult landing where very few would remain dry.

Result: 1 Simon Cory and Clare Hansell (Buzz), 2 Richard White and Martyn Styles (RS400) 3 Steve Restall and Judy Restall (RS200).

With bellies full of turkey and chins still dripping with gravy from the Downs Sailing Club prize- giving dinner the previous night, 20 boats launched on Sunday. They all had points to prove, some with prizes under their belts but some with only the dazzle of silverware and what might have been.

Last race winners Steve and Judy Restall were incredulous at their false start but the RS400 of Martyn Styles and Richard White tore away. They were hotly pursued by two baying Buzzes and a Laser 4000. At this point lets spare a thought for the tireless safety boat crew. Tainted with the whiff of petrol, cold and kept busy by numerous capsizes. One of the capsized was the ‘14’ of Tony Cook and Nigel Cureton. This is a type of boat resembling a mutant Buzz with a dangerous narwhal tusk at the front. They had terrified the Buzzes around the marks and could be the harbinger of things to come. There were competent performances from the Lasers of Ben Hills and Jeremy Blackman, but the race lead had never really been in doubt.

Result ; 1. Martyn Styles and Richard White 2. Simon Cory and Henri Gibeon 3. Ed and Sarah Styles.

The Remembrance Sunday race at Downs Sailing Club with its newly elected commodore Rick Clemence, began with gun metal seas leaden skies and the occasional glimpse of foreign fields.

It was a day of hasty improvisation, defence and attack and with a force 6 squall casting 5 crews into the wave trenches, to which some would never recover. It started with a close inshore bluster of spinnakers, fast and slow handicaps racing to the first mark scattering the fish stocks in front of the fishing competition in a force 4 NW.

The usual fierce racing at the front ensued with a yo-yo of position changes in the first 3 laps between the Buzz of Simon Cory and Clare Hansell and the RS 400 of Richard White and Martyn Styles.

But ominous clouds were gathering, and the wind exploded forcing frantic beach crews to launch extra rescue boats. Dinghies were breached exhausted crews left clinging to the inanimate hulls that were once sleek racing machines !

The lead Topper of Rosie Lord was toppled but new member P.Hallerin managed to cling on to the finish in tumultuous seas . This was a story of survival with smaller boats prevailing and the larger boats barely in control at times!

Results; 1 Steve and Judy Restall (RS200) 2 Simon Cory and Clare Hansell (Buzz) 3 Ed and Sarah Styles (Buzz)

The first race of the Winter Series took place at Downs SC on Sunday in mild conditions with a gentle North-Easterly breeze. A good turn-out of eighteen boats took part, but the fast handicap boats dominated in the light wind conditions. Richard White and Martyn Styles pulled out a good lead ahead of the Buzzes of Simon Cory and Ed Styles. Eric Styles was also in contention along with Chris Shelton who had swapped his usual Phantom for an RS400. Further back John Cass and Chris Dutton had a close contest with John prevailing. Best of the slow handicap boats was Roger Phillips who did well to complete 3 laps in the light breeze.

Results 1st Richard White and Martyn Styles (RS400) 2nd Simon Cory and Clare Hansell (Buzz) 3rd Ed and Sarah Styles (Buzz) 4th Eric Styles and Sebastian Hansell (Hornet) 5th Chris Shelton and Peter Hyett (RS400) 6th John Cass and Julia Blackman (Buzz)

The Buzz and Iso Inland Championships were held at Bewl Water last weekend. Around 30 boats from both fleets arrived to find the lake covered in mist with very little wind. However by the start of the first race the mist had cleared and a light breeze from the North-East had arrived. The breeze increased just after the start and swung round to the East turning the windward-leeward course into 2 reaches, Simon Cory crewed by Katie Restall took first place, with Chris Dutton and Martin Wyman passing Candice and Bryan on the penultimate leg to take 2nd. The breeze dropped again for the second race and large holes began to appear in it, which led to much place-changing, especially on the downwind leg. Roger and Penny Eyre managed to avoid the holes and took first place ahead of Ed and Sarah Styles. Simon Cory finished in 3rd ahead of Chris and Martin. The conditions were similar for the final race of the day, but this time Simon Cory and Katie Restall built a big lead ahead of Stuart Bailey and Zoe Noble. Ed and Sarah Styles made up ground to grab 2nd place at the finish. On Sunday, bright sunshine quickly cleared the early morning mist, but the breeze was even lighter than the previous day. The sailing took place in conjunction with the normal club racing which required some careful explanation from the race officer. After a very slow reach out to the starting area, the breeze increased slightly which allowed both fleets to get away after a short postponement. Simon Cory and Katie Restall were again to the fore, with Jane Noble and Mark Wilson close behind. Chris Dutton and Martin Wyman pulled up into 3rd place on the second beat, ahead of Stuart and Zoe and Ed and Sarah Styles. The order remained the same until the finish when the wind began to die away all together and the fleets returned to shore for lunch. There was no improvement in the afternoon and so further racing was abandoned. This meant that Simon Cory crewed by Katie Restall took the 2007 Buzz Inland Championship to add to his 2007 Nationals title. Ed and Sarah Styles took second place with Chris Dutton and Martin Wyman in 3rd. Following their excellent performance in the final race, Jane Noble and Mark Wilson grabbed 4th place ahead of Stuart Bailey and Zoe Noble in 5th.

Results 1st Simon Cory and Katie Restall (Downs SC) 2nd Ed and Sarah Styles (Downs SC) 3rd Chris Dutton and Martin Wyman (Downs SC) 4th Jane Noble and Mark Wilson (Langstone SC) 5th Stuart Bailey and Zoe Noble (Medway YC)

The early morning mist had been cleared by warm sunshine and a gentle South-Easterly breeze for the start of the first race at Downs SC on Sunday. The race officer set a triangular course starting with a beat out to sea. Richard White and Martyn Styles soon pulled out a good lead followed by Simon Cory crewed by Nathan Brazil. In the slow handicap, Chris Shelton pulled away from the rest of the fleet. For the second race the wind decreased slightly, and this time it was Ed and Sarah Styles who pulled ahead on the first beat. However the tide turned for the 2^nd lap and this allowed Richard White and Martyn Styles to get through when Ed tacked out to sea. At the end of the second lap, the wind began to die away and the tide increased and so the race was shortened. Even so, the only slow handicap boat to finish was Chris Shelton.

Results Sunday Points Fast Handicap 1^st Richard White and Martyn Styles (RS400) 2^nd Simon Cory and Nathan Brazil (Buzz) 3^rd Ed and Sarah Styles (Buzz) 4^th John Cass and Julia Brazil (Buzz) 5^th Mike Heeley and Mark Hall (RS400) 6^th Stuart Wilson and Guy Askew (RS400) Slow Handicap 1^st Chris Shelton (Phantom) 2^nd Jeremy Daniels (Streaker) 3^rd Roger Phillips and Atticus Hansell (Laser 2000) 4^th Ken Davis (Laser 2000) Autumn Points Fast Handicap 1^st Richard White and Martyn Styles (RS400) 2^nd Simon Cory and Nathan Brazil (Buzz) 3^rd Ed and Sarah Styles (Buzz) 4^th Mike Heeley and Mark Hall (RS400) 5^th John Cass and Julia Brazil (Buzz) Slow Handicap 1^st Chris Shelton (Phantom)