Race 6 and Race 5 Report

RACE 6 Saturday, 29th October 1500 HT 1402

Starting Platform June Kirkman

Race Officer Tim Robinson

Safety Boat Team Mike Doherty & Vova Karavan

End of Season Tea Frances Robinson – any contribution to the tea table welcome, thank you!

One of the things I’ve noticed this year is that the fleet naturally falls into different sailing camps: those that thrive on the strong wind, ‘white-knuckle rides’ at Needs Ore and those that find equal enjoyment in the sometimes gentler winds at the top of the river, as we had last weekend.

This light wind sailing calls for quiet patience and a certain skill set – constant reading and reacting to those feckless wind shifts, watching the ripples on the water, the top of the sail and feeling for wind on the cheek; checking the topography of the river bank, the tidal eddies, together with all the nuisances of balance and trim. These fleeting observations, gentle manoeuvres and adjustments incrementally add up to enable the helmsman to softly fill the sail and coax every last little bit of forward motion out of theIr scow.

This is not me. So last weekend, as Edward and I shuffled around at the back of the fleet we marvelled at those at the front who made it look like pure poetry in motion.

RACE 5 RACE REPORT – from Lucy Markby

I do love it at the top of the river… with familiarity comes calm.

Between the storms and squalls on Sunday, there was a calm hiatus at 11am, allowing 8 scows to line up for the penultimate race of the Autumn series.

All boats were well positioned along the starting line, with Jay in the best wind, who took an early lead on the far bank for a beat downriver to round mark ‘E’ off Dock Head. Timor who managed to catch his fair share of wind on the tricky near bank, frustratingly lost his halyard on the beat and was forced to retire.

The fleet sailed on with Jay stretching ahead in the run back up the river. All the other single handers, (Mary, Lizzie and myself,) jockeyed for position throughout the race. Finally crossing the finish line after Jay, with myself 2nd, Lizzie 3rd and Mary 4th.

The boats with crews found the lighter winds less favourable but seemed to have fun too. Well done in particular to young Pippa who helmed the Seller’s family scow with her mother Camilla crewing for her.

Thanks as always to all helpers: Frank, for setting a great course, Martin as beach master, Gerard as starter, Andrew and Nick BB for safety, and Miranda for a very welcome tea of homemade cakes, sausages and delicious late season strawberries from Vova.

As the year draws to a close I’d like to remind you to kindly make arrangements to remove your scow from the top or the bottom of the river by 15th November.

It’s also an opportunity to thank Richard Chitty, James Gedge, Peter Hayward-Broomfield, Jay Devonshire, Gerard Downes, Peter Marling-Roberts, Peter Bettridge and Cassie Strang for all the behind the scenes maintenance of the pontoon, slipway, starting platform, buoys, boats and clubhouse. Also many thanks to Sam van Holthe for organising our safety boat team and for overseeing the maintenance of the safety boats. It is very much appreciated.

Hope to see a great turn out on Saturday, at 1500 for the ‘last harrah’!

Yours aye,

Victoria Bonham Carter
Captain of Scows