Free Sailing - 2008

at Gosport Model Yacht & Boat Club

 !  2008 National Championships
A Class (Results Click HERE)
Marblehead Class
Club Racing results and reports

Our Free Sailing Class Captain is 

Mervyn Cook



Free Sailing
A Class National Championships 2008
          Scoring      
Sail Skipper Pts Heats Byes Max % Posn
1191 Alex Austin & Chris Harris 116 31 1 30 150 77.333 1
1412 Martin Roberts 109 31 1 30 150 72.667 2
1572 Derek Priestley 97 31 1 30 150 64.667 3
11 Robert Walsh 92 31 2 29 145 63.448 4
1624 Alan Bell 90 31 1 30 150 60 5
86 Martin Dovey 89 31 1 30 150 59.333 6
43 Rob Vice 86 31 2 29 145 59.31 7
42 Peter Stollery 83 31 2 29 145 57.241 8
99 Shaun Wyeth 83 31 2 29 145 57.241 8
97 Peter Whiteside 77 31 1 30 150 51.333 10
1670 Peter Hopkins 68 31 1 30 150 45.333 11
69 Mark Dicks 65 31 2 29 145 44.828 12
145 Mervyn Cook 64 31 2 29 145 44.138 13
21 Mike Harris 59 31 2 29 145 40.69 14
74 Anthony Warren 55 31 2 29 145 37.931 15
61 Ray Baker 49 31 2 29 145 33.793 16
45 Lisa Reeves 46 31 2 29 145 31.724 17
38 Susanne Lewis 39 31 2 29 145 26.897 18
869 Roger Cole 28 31 2 29 145 19.31 19




22U2 on her way to victory
(left downwind with spinnaker set) (right on beat to windward)


  
 !   News
Roger Cole wins Vintage event.

Shaun Wyeth wins Yachting Monthly Cup with Razzor
22U2 under the joint helmsmanship of Alex Austin and Chris Harris wins A Class National Championships 2008.

Mike Harris wins Marblehead Nationals with 76 points.

 
Vane A  Championship Table after 8 events
Gosport MYBC A Class Club Championships 2008
Position Skipper 17/02 02/03 13/04 04/05 01/06 29/06 20/07 24/08 28/09 26/10 9/11 Total Championship Points Best 6
1 Graham Wyeth 10 5 6.5 9 7 10 10       10 67.5 56
2 Shaun Wyeth 0 0 9 10 8.5 9 9       45.5 45.5
3 Mervyn Cook 6 5 8 7 6 0 7 9 48 43
4 Anthony Warren 0 0 10 8 8.5 7 8       41.5 41.5
5 Bruce Prole 4 0 3 3 0 6 5 7 28 28
6 Derek Kitchener 9 0 5 0 0 5 6       25 25
7 Robert Hobbs 9 0 2 8 0 0 0       19 19
8 John Smith 0 5 0 0 4 0 0 8 17 17
9 Jacque Cook 7 0 9 0 0 0 0       16 16
10 Ray Baker 0 5 0 6 4 0 0       15 15
11 Mike Dann 7 0 6.5 0 0 0 0       13.5 13.5
12 Mike Harris 0 0 0 0 10 0 0       10 10
13 Peter Fothergill 0 0 0 0 0 8 0       8 8
14 Doug & Judy Genders 6 6 6
15 David Moody 5 0 0 0 0 0 0       5 5
15 Chris Durant 0 0 0 5 0 0 0       5 5
17 Martin Bandey 0 0 4 0 0 0 0       4 4
17 Max Buttimer 0 0 0 4 0 0 0       4 4
19 John Gale 0 0 0 0 3 0 0       3 3
20 Suzanne Lewis 0 0 0 0 2 0 0       2 2


36  Championship Table
Gosport MYBC 36 Club Championships 2008
Position Skipper 09/02 08/03 19/04 17/05 21/06 26/07 16/08 06/09 08/11  Total Championship Points Best 6
1 Jacque Cook 6 3 9 10 9 8 9   9 63 54
2 Mervyn Cook 7 0 0 8 8 9 10   0 42 42
3 John  Smith 4 6 0 0 4 10 7   8 39 39
4 Mike Dann 0 4 10 0 6 5 0   10 35 35
5 Martin Dovey 10 9 0 10 0 0 0   0 29 29
5 Max Buttimer 0 6 8 0 0 7 8   0 29 29
7 Shaun Wyeth 9 7 0 6 5 0 0   0 27 27
8 Graham Wyeth 8 7 0 0 10 0 0   0 25 25
9 Bruce Prole 5 1 7 2 3 6 0   0 24 24
10 Mike Harris 0 13 0 0 8 0 0   0 21 21
11 Graham Reeves 0 10 0 9 0 0 0   0 19 19
12 Anthony Warren 7 5 0 6 0 0 0   0 18 18
13 John Newey 0 12 0 3 0 0 0   0 15 15
13 Chris Harris 0 11 0 4 0 0 0   0 15 15
15 Peter Fothergill 0 7 4 0 0 0 0   0 11 11
16 Pete Lawley 0 0 0 1 0 0 4   3 8 8
17 Stan Smith 0 0 0 0 7 0 0   0 7 7
17 Brian Jones 0 0 0 7 0 0 0   0 7 7
19 Derek Kitchener 0 1 0 0 0 0 0   0 1 1







Results of  36 Round 1 held 9 February 2008

Position Skipper Mate sail No Score Championship Points
1 Martin Dovey Ray Baker 100 26 10
2 Shaun Wyeth Russell Wyeth 3 25 9
3 Graham Wyeth Lewis Wyeth 6 17 8
4 Anthony Warren 1268 14 7
5 Jacque Cook Peter Fothergill 78 10 6
6 Bruce Prole 1046 5 5
7 John Smith 441 0 4
Seven boats turned out on a beautiful early spring day for the first event of the series.  Much interest was shown in the three examples of Martin Dovey's new Sybora design, superbly built by Ray Baker.  Anthony Warren was sailing John Gales lovely planked 'Opus' design, by Peter Dunkling, and Bruce bought an early vintage boat using a period vane mechanism, which in the long term proved to be something of a handicap!
 
The breeze oscillated between No 2 suit, and a No 3 suit strength.  The more experienced skippers changed down accordingly, leaving the relative beginners (!) to do the more spectacular but less effective sailing.  Jacque Cook and Peter Fothergill bravely set a full size No 2 spinnaker on 'Reductshun', which looked wonderful but lead to a wild broach half way up the lake!  However, the spinnakers generally showed themselves to be a real advantage, and worth setting.  Even John Smith's very original 71 year old Braine steered boat flew her original cotton spinnaker, and made some brave runs with everything pulling!
'The racing between the modern boats was close, and exciting.  Although they didn't know it until the end, the first heat between Shaun and Martin was to prove to be decisive.
Shaun took the run but Martin the beat, ultimately giving him the single point advantage overall. 
 
In the run of the penultimate heat, Graham and Shaun's 'Sybora's' tangled just three metres from the finish, necessitating a rerun.  Both boats flew spinnakers and made a fine sight as they ran faultlessly down the lake.
 
A great day's racing, and great fun as well.
Join us for the next 36r Saturday on the 8th of March, or just come along to see what 36r racing is all about.'    


I don't know why you're looking so happy Ray.  If that boat gets any closer to the bank, you'll be running to catch it!!
(Original photo - Peter Fothergill)

This would turn out to be a crunch board between Martin to leeward and Shaun.  As can be seen from the results (left) Martin eventually beat Shaun by 1 point.
(Original photo - Peter Fothergill)

Results of Vane A round 1 held 17 February 2008
Position Skipper Mate sail No. Score Championship
Points
1 Graham Wyeth 88 30 10
2 Derek Kitchener Alan Cox 1331 18 9
2 Robert Hobbs Mick Thomas 67 18 9
4 Mike Dann Laurence 1053 17 7
5 Mervyn Cook Peter Fothergill 45 12 6
6 David Moody John Moody 385 8 5
7 Bruce Prole 1010 2 4
Take 7 yachts, 7 skippers, 5 mates, an OOD/Starter and a scorer and what have you got (Oh and by the way the weather was great) - answer - a recipe for an excellent day's vane A sailing competition.  And that's what it was.
 
Whilst Graham, sailing without a mate showed everybody else the way to do it, there was some very close sailing.  This closeness included boards sailed against Graham as well.
 
A breeze which gradually picked up through the day and settled more to a South Easterly, coupled with clear skies resulted in a super day's racing.  Right from the very first board it was obvious that Graham with his beautifully, John Gale built boat, would be hard to beat.  He set the standard by beating down the first leg with a classically set guy enabling him to win comfortably with little more than 3 tacks.  Most of the other skippers struggled a little at the start but after the completion of the first series of beat and run heats, Graham generously agreed to give an inpromptu teach in and helped skippers set their boats ready for the 2nd series of heats.
 
Racing became very much closer although as the morning progressed it looked as though Mike would be pressing for second place overall.  By the end of the 3rd heat series he was just 5 points behind Graham by virtue of having raced him in the very first heat.  At this stage there was only 4 points covering the remainder of the skippers.  By the lunch break Mervyn looked to be capable of mounting a challenge for the runner up position as both he and Mike were 3 points clear of the remainder of the fleet.
 
The afternoon was to see some of the closest sailing and a change of fortunes as the breeze came up more.  David got off to a flying start with an absolute screamer of a windward leg.  The boat also looked terrific although he tells me that he plans to darken the shade of the topside varnish a little as the season progresses.
 
Robert and Derek both had purple patches, their mates doing a superb job.  Some of Al's tacking was absolutely top drawer, smooth and very positive.  A number of the downwind legs were very close run things and although the scores might suggest that Bruce's boat was suffering, he was still pushing the downwind legs very close on occasion.  Critical wins for Robert and Derek during heat series 6 and 7 meant that they just pipped Mike by one point.
 
Rule observance was very good, skippers and mates alike clearly having benefitted from Bill Green's recent tutorial.  Jacque kept everyone going at a sensible pace so we were able to get a full round in and still finish comfortably by 3.30.
 
Next raceday Sunday 2 March - be there or be square!"

We know your boat is shorter than David's Robert, but if you try to start it any further out, you'll fall in the lake!!


Derek's Kaos just pulling away from Mervyn as they critically approach the line.


This shows how close racing was as Mike and Robert approach the finishing line just out of shot.
Original photos Peter Fothergill.

Vane A championships Round 2 abandoned after  1 series of heats  to protect boats from possible damage due to winds gusting.  GFSSI  8.2 applies. Results of 36 Round 2 held 8 March 2008

G is for Gosport and Good.  B is for Bournville and Better.  For on a day of some 13 entrants with the breeze varying between 8 and almost 20 knots in occasional showers and some very drizzly conditions, the visitors from Bournville showed their experience of this class of racing.
Position Skipper Mate Sail No. Score Championship Points
1 Mike Harris Brian Jones 65 37 13
2 John Newey 50 34 12
3 Chris Harris 1717 33 11
4 Graham Reeves 1693 28 10
5 Martin Dovey Ray Baker 98 21 9
6 Graham Wyeth 99 19 7
6 Shaun Wyeth 4 19 7
8 Max Buttimer 53 18 6
9 Anthony Warren 1268 16 5
10 Mike Dann Laurence Brothwell 11 13 4
11 Jacque Cook Mervyn Cook 78 9 3
12 Derek Kitchener 1223 W/Drwn 1
12 Bruce Prole 1045 W/Drwn 1

Scores don't  tell all the story of course because there were some exceptionally close finishes with boats overlapped as they crossed the line.  This was the case on both windward and downwind legs.  The secret was in  the balance of the vane and sail setting.  The major difference was clearly that if you could get your boat from one end of the lake to the other without coming into the bank, you were likely to do well.  Banking used too much extra time and virtually forced if only a short one but still a change of direction which could be very costly.

Wind direction was mostly WSW so  there wasn't a true beat  necessitating tacking or guying. There were certainly no prizes for  coming over towards the south bank in the lee of the trees for this caused some skippers to perform involuntary 360s.

Getting away from the windward berth seemed impossible as during the first series of heats only the leeward boats were to win.  Experience and setup skills improved throughout the meeting but the  real experience of the Bournville skippers showed through in their results.

Peter Fothergill (OOD) managed to get 8 series of heats completed and a break for lunch (and temporarily drying out!)  Scores above are therefore after adjustment for those skippers who had bye legs.

Results of Vane A Round 3 held 13 April 2008
Posn Skipper Mate sail No Score Championship Points
1 Anthony Warren David Bell 1574 36 10
2 Shaun Wyeth 99 33.4 9
3 Mervyn Cook Chris Durant 45 27 8
4 Graham Wyeth 88 24.4 6.5
4 Mike Dann 1053 24.4 6.5
6 Derek Kitchener Al Cox 1336 16.9 5
7 Martin Bandey 0 15.8 4
8 Bruce Prole 1010 6.43 3
9 Robert Hobbs 67 0.25 2

Nine boats turned out for Sunday's round 3.
Even the mixed forecast didn't damp the spirits, as the day started sunny, with a good sailing breeze.  And better still, Shaun Wyeth's new Dave Hollom designed, John Gale built A boat was being hastily rigged for the first time.  Shaun was planning to race! 
A new vane A is an event to be celebrated, and Shaun's boat looked fast even before she moves!
 
The first boards showed the south-south-westerly breeze to be extremely shifty, although it was generally possible to complete the beat on port without tacking. 
If a boat did need to be poled round, skippers who had set a guy or used a fixed vane were rewarded.  Of those it was Anthony who proved master of the conditions, his guying technique proving to be slick and very effective.
 
Half way through the morning there was a break for a very heavy hail-storm, and all fourteen skippers and mates crowded for shelter into the covered seats to the west of the lake.  But conditions dried off by lunchtime, by which Anthony and David had  established a healthy winning streak, winning every heat.  
After lunch the wind had increased to the maximum for No 1 suit, and the boats were really showing their paces.  There were some truly exciting beats, both boats with good sets and at maximum  hull speed, separated by only two or three feet and swapping the lead right to the finish line. 
However, although they did lose boards to both Graham and Shaun, it was Anthony and David's day, winning by a clear 36 points to Sean's 33.43, after the byes were calculated.  After the racing there were some extremely tired skippers and mates, but it was generally agreed that it had been a great day's racing.
 
The next vane A racing is on Sunday the 4th of May. 
It is also a League event, so don't forget the feesailing regulations when tacking and making rig adjustments.  The RO will be watching you!
Look forward to seeing you all there.
 


Results of 36 Round 3 held   19 April 2008
Posn Skipper mate sail No Score Championship Points
1 Mike Dann 88 20 10
2 Jacque Cook 78 14 9
3 Max Buttimer 53 6 8
4 Bruce Prole 45 0 7
OOD Peter Fothergill 4

Vane 36 19 April 2008

The weather forecast was for strong NE winds, bitterly cold temperatures, and rain.  In the event, we got two out of three, as it wasn’t too cold!  But the rain did not dampen the spirits, or detract from the exciting, and at times very close, racing.

Each of the four competitors gained points in the first round. However, the second round was a clean sweep for Mike Dann’s ‘Diversion’, and Jacque Cook’s ‘Reductchun’, in their respective races.   Mike and Jacque shared the honours competing against each other in the next round.  In the fourth round, Bruce Prole’s venerable Spider showed its legs, gaining both wins against Max Buttimer.  Sadly, Bruce had to withdraw after the lunch break, and lost his scores. 

After lunch, skippers were beginning to get the measure of the squally breeze.  Mike Dann was leading by one point, and sealed his overall win by beating Jacque in the first beat.  In the next round, Max won the run but lost the beat to Jacque, and his strong down-wind performance continued in the last race against Mike.  The final beat was exciting but eventually won by Mike.

Throughout the day, the mates were indispensible and indefatigable, providing much needed action in the unstable, squally winds.  Peter Fothergill, an excellent Officer of the Day, did, however, lose the fight with a jam doughnut at lunchtime......

All-in-all an exhilarating and energetic day’s racing.  Overall, Mike Dann won with 20 points, Jacque Cook was second with 14 points and Max Buttimer third with six points.  

The next 36 Saturday is scheduled for the 17th of May.  Summer will be fully established by then and you’ll need your big rigs and spinnakers.  We’ll see you there!

             


Results of Vane A Round 4 held 4 May 2008
Posn Skipper Mate Sail No Score Championship Points
1 Shaun Wyeth Brian Smith 99 28 10
2 Graham Wyeth 88 26 9
3 Anthony Warren David Bell 74 24 8
4 Mervyn Cook Peter Fothergill 45 20 7
5 Ray Baker Arnie Peace 61 15 6
6 Chris Durant John Smith 72 14 5
7 Max Buttimer Chris hayward 1414 9 4
8 Bruce Prole Derek Kitchener 1010 4 3


Results of 36 Round 4 held 17 May 2008
Posn Skipper Mate sail No. Score Championship Points
1 Martin Dovey 98 38 10
2 Graham Reeves 17 29.25 9
3 Mervyn Cook Peter Fothergill 74 25.9 8
4 Brian Jones 65 24.75 7
5= Anthony Warren John Gale 68 22.5 6
5= Sean Wyeth 54 22.5 6
7 Chris Harris 33 22 4
8 John Newey 50 14 3
9 Bruce Prole 45 13 2
10 Pete Lawley Julie Lawley 49 0 1

Despite the rotten weather forecast (what again?  Where's the summer) ten boats entered for our 36 series, five from Bournville and five from the home club.    
And despite the heartrending near whitewash the home club suffered last time, local skippers raised their game to score points in some very close and exciting racing.  
 
The breeze was squally and from a very unstable north east quarter, and most boats elected to sail with reduced rigs in the morning.  Runs were particularly tricky to read, although spinnakers, for good or evil, were the norm.  By lunch time, Martin Dovey was tying with Graham Reeves pretty Peter Dunkling design, with Sean Wyeth's Sybora was a close third.
 
After lunch, the wind became even more fickle.  Most skippers elected to use larger rigs, but without spinnakers on the runs.  Bruce Prole's venerable Spider had picked up some well earned wins, and Pete and Julie Lawley were sailing their home-built 36 for the first time.  But Martin Dovey's Sybora was in fine form, finally finishing a clear 9 points ahead of Graham Reeves.  Only just over three points separated the next three boats, but third was the vice-commodore sailing his gleaming new Sybora.
 
Our next 36 race-day is Saturday the 21st June.  Surely summer will have arrived by then?

Results of Vane A District Championships held 1 June 2008
Posn Skipper Mate sail Score Championship Points
1 Mike Harris Brian Jones 21 31 10
2= Shaun Wyeth 99 30 8.5
2= Anthony Warren David Bell 74 30 8.5
4 Graham Wyeth 88 28 7
5 Mervyn Cook Fothergill/Dann 45 18 6
6 Ray Baker Arnie Peace 61 17 5
7 John Smith Robin 68 15 4
8 John Gale 73 8 3
9 Suzanne Lewis Lisa McKercher 38 5 2

Nine A's turned out for the Metropolitan and Southern Area Championship, at Gosport on the 1st of June.  If they were hoping for 'flaming June' they were disappointed, the day was grey and damp, with a light, fluky winds.
 
However, Race Officer Bill Green and his team got the racing underway on time.  In the morning, boats were often making the windward leg in one or at the most two tacks, seeking the elusive lifts at the east end of the lake.  Downwind, some tried spinnakers, but soon found that the shifts made spinnakers a variable asset!
 
The racing at the top of the fleet was close, but by the end of the morning Anthony's perfect score, even with a bye, was 2 points ahead of Mike, and 5 ahead of Shaun, who had also had a bye. 
 
After lunch the breeze became even more difficult to read.  Even experienced skippers were finding their way on the runs into Gosport's 'Bermuda Triangle' under the trees.
However, as the final points became closer, spinnakers again appeared on the downwind legs.  At the end of the round the race officer had held over three re-runs, and the overall results were settled by these.  Overall winner, and Met and Southern Champion by just over one point, was Mike Harris, sailing his 'VC2'.  Joint second were Shaun, with his new Dave Hollom design, and Anthony's modified 'Cream Cracker'.
 
It was interesting to compare the designs of the top three boats.  Two were planked, Shaun's an ultra-modern design utilising the rating rule to the fullest, and Anthony's based on a 1994 design by the master, John Lewis.  The winning boat was an eighties grp hull, designed by Bill Sykes and generally thought to be a better performer in stronger winds.  Proof, perhaps, that the A class rule remains as valid today as when it was drawn up, and that the skipper is the most important part of the outfit!
 
It was a great day's sailing, and even with the difficult conditions the racing went without a hitch.  Thanks are due to Bill Green and his team of Janet Harris and Jim Jakes, also Jacque Cook on the computer.  And as a final thought, it is not possible to sail A's without mates, and they are often in short supply.  On Sunday we were lucky to have two novice mates in action, and it is to be hoped that they enjoyed the racing enough to want to sail with the A fleet again.     

Results of 36 Round held 21 June 2008
Posn Skipper Mate sail Score Championship Points
1 Graham Wyeth 99 27 10
2 Jacque Cook Peter Fothergill 74 22 9
3 Mike Harris 65 19 8
4 Stan Smith 40 18 7
5 Mike Dann Katie Hadlow 88 17 6
6 Shaun Wyeth
25 12 5
7 John Smith Arnie Peace 23 11 4
8 Bruce Prole 10 10 3

36 RACING, ROUND 5
 
Once again....this is sooo boring!...our 36 race day dawned to a forecast of rain and strong winds.  Where's the summer, it's June for goodness sake!
 
Eight boats were fielded, including two from Bournville.  We were particularly pleased to welcome octogenarian Stan Smith, who had left home at three o-clock in the morning to make the start!  For the morning races, the wind was from the South-West, largely filtering through the trees on the South bank and turning that side of the lake into the Bermuda Triangle of Gosport!  Boats wandered into that area at their peril, and it scuppered the prospects of many a brave board.  However, Bruce Prole's
venerable 'Spider' began well, revelling in the conditions and winning her first four boards straight off. 
 
Four heats had been completed by Mid-day, and as it looked as though the forecast rain would appear, an early lunch was taken.  Scores at that point indicate the closeness of the racing, with Mike Harris, Graham Wyeth, and Jacque Cook/Peter Fothergill all on 12 points.
 
By the afternoon, the wind had swung to the south-south east, so the scores were reversed and the three points for the 'beat' were awarded from the west end of the lake.  Conditions had become even more challenging, with quite strong freeing gusts luring unsuspecting boats into the doldrums under the trees.  Jacque and Peter's  'Sybora' found late form, holding full rig comfortably through the squalls, and winning five of the six boards.  At the end of the full seven heats, however, Graham Wyeth was a clear winner with 27 points, to Jacque and Peter's 22.
 
The 36's once again showed themselves to be fun and satisfying to sail, presenting plenty of technical challenge and a good turn of speed.  Why not join come to see these super little boats in action for round six, on Saturday the 26th July.

Results of Vane A Round held  29 June 2008
Posn Skipper Mate sail Score Championship Points
1 Graham Wyeth John Gale 88 44 10
2 Shaun Wyeth Brian Smith 99 40 9
3 Peter Fothergill
 Mervynn Cook/Mike Dann 45 24 8
4 Anthony Warren
 David Bell 74 17 7
5 Bruce Prole 1010 7 6
6 Derek Kitchener Alan Cox
 24 (W) 6 5

Results of Vane A Round 7 held 20 July 2008

Posn Sail Skipper Mate Score Pts
1 88 Graham Wyeth 0  23 10
2 99 Shaun Wyeth Brian Smith 17.5 9
3 74 Anthony Warren 0  11 8
4 45 Mervyn Cook  Peter Fothergill 10 7
5 41  Derek Kitchener Al Cox 5 6
6 1010 Bruce Prole  0  4 5

Results of Vane 36 Round 6 held 26 July 2008
Posn Sail Skipper Mate Score Pts
1 23 John Smith 0 17 10
2 88 Mervyn Cook 0 11 9
3 74 Jacque Cook Peter Fothergill 10 8
4 53 Max 0 8 7
5 45 Bruce Prole 0 4 6




So just a nice steady light breeze then!

That's what you call CLOSE racing!

The final day's vane racing of the season took place in very different conditions.  The 36's were sailed in cold, rainy conditions, whereas the A's had a beautiful day.
Both enjoyed a decent sailing breeze, however.  In the 36's, the rain strengthened as the morning wore on, but Mike Dann's all carbon 'Diversion' took the day, with Jacque and Peter a close second, and John Smith a close third.  Our thanks to race officers Pete and July Lawley for endured the cold, wet weather!
 
In the A's, the superb winter sunshine and pleasant sailing breeze lured Graham Wyeth into sailing in spite of his recent (and heavily bandaged) hand surgery.
It was worth it however, as he showed his mastery of the conditions by winning the day and also sealing his overall club championship.  His lovely stretched Privateer design, built by John Gale, showed once again that beautiful wood planked boats can still make the running.  In second place were Peter Fothergill and Mervyn Cook, followed by John Smith.  The fleet was able to welcome Doug and Judy Genders, sailing Kaos, who scored points in their very first day's vane racing!
 
Next season will be a full and challenging year for vane sailing.  The club is to host the Metropolitan and Southern championships in both A's and 36 classes, as well as the 36 national championships, and the UK/US exchange meeting, also in 36's.  Several new designs are already in development in both classes, and we are expecting some household name sippers to visit for league events and championships.  However, our extensive club racing programme gives Gosport sailors the unique opportunity of regular racing on our home waters.  There is no better way to fettle boats and hone skills in preparation for the big meetings to come. 
 
I look forward to seeing you on the water!
 
Mervyn