Weymouth
Sailing
Club

This Sunday's race was about as far from last Sunday's as possible, with a gentle NW breeze forecast to die away during the morning. The race team did well to get the start away after a brief AP, and all sixteen boats enjoyed a technical challenge rather subtler than last week's blow. Before the start the breeze was quite steady off the open ground of Lodmoor, but the pressure tended to shift left from time to time; it was the kind of race where watching boats in front to see the shifts proved crucial up the beat and on the first reach.

Last Saturday's dinghy race was held in around 10 knots of NW, with the wind getting up a bit under the cloud as it came over to provide interesting shifty gusts up the beat in towards the beach. Half the fleet of a dozen boats were sailed by cadet members, keen to demonstrate that they're not put off by wintry conditions. On the committee boat we kept winter at bay by putting some mince pies in the oven and having a nice hot cup of tea!

As long as you have time to prepare (and especially when you don't!), heavy conditions are a very good time to practise sail-shortening routines, and Sunday's race provided a suitable challenge for everyone, with the wind going from a steady 25 knots to over 40 knots under the cloud when it came.

Last Saturday I was fortunate to view the dinghy racing the safety boat. The conditions were perfect for me to shoot some moving and still footage aided superbly by Alex who was driving.
Over recent years a lot of effort and hard work has been directed towards the dinghies - both adults and cadets. The videos and stills I have taken prove how the investment in the cadets has paid off.

A window in the weather recently made it possible to risk the Channel, to try out some Iron Age navigation methods (and to meet up with friends at YCC to discuss the centenary). For most of the way over, it was 'iron topsail' rather than Iron Age, though I did have a very pleasant goose-winged run for around three hours mid-Channel - a chance to admire a settled blue sky with scattered cumulus, and then, as the afternoon advanced, a fine sunset over the Alderney race, a definite sign of winter approaching!

Time for that tack onto starboard?

For some of us the doldrums are becoming a memory but we still dive south looking for that anticyclone
that's going to zoom us into the gate and leave that turning mark at Gough Island to starboard. Tonight I'll raise my glass to King Neptune as FarrOutGBR814WeySC slides across the equator. Hooray for Neptune.

NickF365 has already taken that stbd tack course looking for the east to pay for him after having a little rest in the Cap Verdes this week. Folio also goes that way.

The pace heats up for the WSC competitors in the on-line Virtual Vendee Globe. Peter Jackson (albran) shows us all a clean transom hotly pursued by Ray Capp (Crystella) and Nick Frampton (NickF365) using the stronger breeze along the Portuguese coast. But how long will their fortunes favour them?

Steve HB seems to have parked himself on a big rock off Finisterre. The rest of us are trying to plug our way up the fleet.

Why not join in? It's addictive, and might just take over your life.....

Rememberance Sunday's afternoon start provided more fabulous sailing conditions. A light but shifty NW breeze was accompanied by clear skies and flat seas.

These photos from Iain Jones on the safety boat show another interesting day's racing taking place in great conditions last Sunday - better in fact than much of the summer! The wind died right away after nearly two hours, leaving the IRC yachts drifting across the finish line together, with Draig O'r Mor winning on corrected time, putting her level with Wildfire and Foxed2 on 8 points and making next Sunday's race critical for all three boats.

Booking is now open for our Christmas Party on Saturday 15 December 7 for 7.30pm.

Please book by using the form via this link:

Booking Form

or one of those available on the noticeboard at the club.

Please use the form to give your menu choices and those of any guests included in your party. The price is £17.50 per person which represents only a 25p increase on last year.