DF95 Series 2023
DF 95 SAILING REPORT
24 th November 2023
Series 2 Race 9
A testing morning was anticipated and it did not fail to deliver, with 10mph winds when we
arrived, so A rigs were fitted by the 7 sailors, with the exception of those that only brought B rigs
(names redacted to protect those involved).
A previous repair to my jib needed attention, delaying the start.
With the wind from the North, as OOD I set the start line off the point, setting a course with a
windward mark due north, spreader 15 degrees to the East (to allow for an anticipated wind shift)
and a leeward mark. Each race was for 2 laps leaving all marks to starboard. By the time the course
was set the wind had increased so most sailors changed to a B rig, further delaying the start of
racing.
Julian encountered a problem with his boat which filled completely with water (Deck seal was
suspected), fully submerging the receiver with water, it ceased to work so he took over duties as
race starter and marked the results. We were now reduced to 6 helms.
It was not long before the consensus agreed to change to C rigs, at least those that had them, so
an early coffee/Tea break was taken at 10:45, by this time we had only completed two races
(apologies if this is incorrect, to be honest I cannot remember). Blackcurrant and apple pies (with
very short pastry producing a lot of crumbs) were offered and enjoyed by all.
Due to the anticipated wind shift the course was reversed using the spreader as the windward
mark and leaving all marks to port.
After the break and a change of rigs, all 3 rigs were on the water at the same time, Rob staying
with his A rig. Given the conditions and those that were able to cope with the increasing wind and
larger rigs dominated the racing.
With variable conditions and very strong gusts it was not long before a change was made to move
from the C rig back to the B rig, producing more consistent results (well at least fo me).
Only 5 races were completed and as the wind strength continued to increase the final race was
only 1 lap. It was then decided that preservation of rigs was more important than the racing which
was concluded at 12pm.
Terry
The next informal racing will be on the 1 st December with the next formal series 2 racing (Race
10) on the 8 th December – The last in series 2.
OOD for 1 st December David Wilkinson
Boat Duty for the 1 st December Mike Rogers
DF 95 SAILING REPORT 24th November 2023
Series 2 Race 9
A testing morning was anticipated and it did not fail to deliver, with 10mph winds when we arrived, so A rigs were fitted by the 7 sailors, with the exception of those that only brought B rigs (names redacted to protect those involved).
A previous repair to my jib needed attention, delaying the start.
With the wind from the North, as OOD I set the start line off the point, setting a course with a windward mark due north, spreader 15 degrees to the East (to allow for an anticipated wind shift) and a leeward mark. Each race was for 2 laps leaving all marks to starbord. By the time the course was set the wind had increased so most sailors changed to a B rig, further delaying the start of racing.
Julian encounterd a problem with his boat which filled completely with water (Deck seal was suspected), fully submerging the receiver with water, it ceased to work so he took over duties as race starter and marked the results. We were now reduced to 6 helms.
It was not long before the consensus agreed to change to C rigs, at least those that had them, so an early coffee/Tea break was taken at 10:45, by this time we had only completed two races (apologies if this is incorrect, to be honest I cannot remember). Blackcurrent and apple pies (with very short pastry producing a lot of crumbs) were offered and enjoyed by all.
Due to the anticipated wind shift the course was reversed using the spreader as the windward mark and leaving all marks to port.
After the break and a change of rigs, all 3 rigs were on the water at the same time, Rob staying with his A rig. Given the conditions and those that were able to cope with the increasing wind and larger rigs dominated the racing.
With variable conditions and very strong gusts it was not long before a change was made to move from the C rig back to the B rig, producing more consistent results (well at least fo me).
Only 5 races were completed and as the wind strength continued to increase the final race was only 1 lap. It was then decided that preservation of rigs was more important than the racing which was concluded at 12pm.
Terry
The next informal racing will be on the 1st December with the next formal series 2 racing (Race 10) on the 8th December – The last in series 2.
OOD for 1st December David Wilkinson
Boat Duty for the 1st December Mike Rogers
DF 95 SAILING REPORT
10 th November 2023
Series 2 Race 8
The forecast opened with light winds from the North North West of 6.4 kts rising through the morning to
15kts and gusts of 22 that at times appeared a lot stronger indicated by the white caps at around 11:30.
The rain by the start of the racing eased and by the end of racing we were in bright sunshine.
The windward and leeward mark were initially set by Barry (OOD) and Richard (Boat Duty) some distance
apart present a problem with the low sun making it virtually impossible to see it so was changed and
moved closer to the outer distance mark to prevent unavoidable collisions.
Each race was two laps, initially around the outer leeward mark however the OOD decided to replace this
with the outer distance mark for the start with a starboard rounding on the first lap and finishing through
the line on a run.
The windward mark provided a few issues as the boats progressed from the sheltered waters south of the
control hut into some fearsome waves and a heavy chop, presenting a few with tacking issues.
The changing conditions presented a few problems determining the correct setup and at 10:45 a few of the
helms (those that had brought them) decided to change to the “B” rig which helped. At the start the waves
were small to moderate by soon changed to quite a heavy wave set that presented problems for a few
sailors. We all decided to have a coffee break while the rigs were changed.
The weed issue was evident as a few were plagued with it and Barry was not offering his usual weed
gathering service.
Due to the conditions, and wrong rigs (A’s), a few helms decided to retire there boats to the bank.
Apparently there were a few issues with mark rounding, not that I saw them, however I could clearly hear
the protests. Presumably all was resolved amicably as I have not heard or seen any announcements of
pistol (or swords) at dawn.
With only 3 boats left on the water and strengthening winds racing was terminated around noon.
Due to the strengthening wind and difficulty with the rowing boat into wind, the buoys were not initially
recovered however Tony very kindly retrieved them late (after we had all left). Thanks Tony.
The next informal racing will be on the 17 th November with the next formal racing (Race 9) on the 24 th
November.
OOD for 10 th November Terry Hewlett
Boat Duty for the 24 th November Rob Napier
Full report downloadable here
DF 95 SAILING REPORT
27 th October 2023
Series 2 Race 7
The forecast today was for light winds of somewhat uncertain direction. For this reason a course with a broad spread between two windward marks was laid to give options for any the change in the wind
direction. This worked well.
The racing started at a somewhat pedestrian pace with only three races completed before coffee time. The wind started to fill in after the break when we were able to complete a further seven races at a steady pace. The final windward leg turned out to be challenging with several position changes heading for the line. There were several exciting finishes with one race finishing with no more than six boat lengths between all the sailors.
Weed was a problem with nobody spared. The honours were evenly spread in that all skippers achieved at least one win but the sailing was dominated by another imperious performance from Barry. Indeed, bar one, the only time he failed to win was when weighed down with weed.
A most enjoyable morning in what turned out to be a lovely day of beautiful autumn sunshine. Let us hope that with autumn now established the weed will die back so there is a level playing field for all skippers. The next informal racing will be on the 3 rd November with the next formal racing on the 10th November.
OOD for 10th November Barry Trueman
Boat Duty for the 10th November Richard Taylor
