Papercourt
Sailing ClubVolvo Champion Club - Good sailing for all the family
News from Single handers classes
Laser Daniel Francis
Hello Laser Sailors
I write this at the end of a glorious weekend weather-wise and the weekend of our Laser Open meeting, which was again, very successful. The difference, this year, is we actually had some wind! In fact, quite a lot!
We have also had a fair number of PSC laser sailors attending various events outside Papercourt so far this year and with a reasonable amount of success. We also have some new laser sailors to the club, so welcome to you. I hope to see you all out on the water very soon.
News
Sunday 11 May was Papercourt’s Laser Open. 21 boats competed in fantastic conditions: glorious sunshine and a breeze that strengthened throughout the day, gusting up to 15 knots.
Five visitors joined 16 Papercourt boats, split between 14 standards, six radials and one 4.7. The 4.7 raced with the radials under handicap.
Mike Ball was race officer and ran four very good races. The standard of sailing was high and the racing competitive. Thanks to all who took part and to the volunteers, without whom the event wouldn’t have been possible. A big thank you to Guildford Marine who supported the event and donated the prizes.
Well done to Fraser Hayden and Sue Michelmore who won the standard and radial events respectively. (See photos on following pages.)
RESULTS: 4.7
Aaron Smith has been out and about in his 4.7! In April, he was in Holland competing in one of the United 4 events. Aaron sailed very well and finished 2nd overall out of 27 competitors, with a 1st, 3rd and 4th counting. Also, at a recent 4.7 ladder event in Burton, Aaron came 2nd overall out of 23 competitors with two 4ths, a 1st and a 2nd counting. Well done Aaron, keep it up!
Will Harris has also been out in his 4.7, competing at Dell Quay SC.
‘In the 4.7s, Alice Burford (Fowey Gallants) beat Michael Harris (Spinnaker), with Will Harris (Papercourt, no relation to Michael) third. The three teenagers raced with great skill in difficult conditions’ [Yachts and Yachting April, 2008].
RESULTS: Radial
The beginning of May saw two UK qualifiers both with PSC interest. Mary Fenton-Jones came 34th overall out of 81 entrants at Pwllheli on 3rd/4th May.
On 10th/11th May, there was a qualifier down in Weymouth: 91 entrants and three sailors from Papercourt. Aaron Smith came in 8th overall (3rd junior), Mary Fenton-Jones, 17th (5th youth) and Julia Beck, 63rd (10th junior).
Well done, guys!
RESULTS: Standard
Rob Hardwick was out in the wind and snow at Bough Beech SC in Kent for their open event. It was his first time in the damaged laser that he dropped on the motorway last April!!
There were 18 competitors who braved the stormy conditions for four races. Rob came 2nd overall with his best result a 1st, where he had a dodgy first beat - only 10th at the windward mark and worked his way through to 1st by the finish. Well done, Rob.
Thames Valley Traveller GP results
So far there have been four events: Haversham, Maidenhead, Queen Mary and Papercourt.
No-one from Papaercourt attended at Haversham.
The second was on Saturday 22 March at Maidenhead and was attended by Peter Hamment, Catherine Whitehill and myself. Weather really was quite ferocious and I do mean ferocious! 45mph winds, sideways hail storms and icy cold. Great weather for a Laser open!!!
Due to the conditions only 17 boats turned up: 10 Standards and 7 Radials. We all decided to sail Radials apart from Peter who took the very wise, strategic move to sail a 4.7...
The fleet started together but results were split into two between the standards and the Radials, the 4.7s raced with the Radials who were handicapped. Peter won overall in the Radial fleet (well done, Peter), I came in second and Catherine came in a very worthy sixth.
I think just managing to finish deserved a medal! Well sailed, guys.
Queen Mary was again a very windy affair, blowing a force 5. 40 helms took to the water: three 4.7s, 12 radials and 25 standards. Peter Hamment won the 4.7s and I came 10th in the radial fleet. (Note to self – must do better!)
Papercourt, as described above was a great day’s sailing, full results have been posted on the laser notice board at PSC.
Remember, to enter any open event you need to be a member of the UK Laser Association. It’s only £25 a year and ensures the continuation of the association and supports lasers in training and competition.
Papercourt series results
Spring series
The top three lasers to complete were: Jon Paton (2nd overall), Sue Michelmore (5th) and Daniel Francis (6th).
Spring Chicken event
The only laser to enter was Peter Hamment, who came in 4th overall.
Training
There will be training/coaching sessions over the summer during Sunday cruising, finishing with a race in the PSC Sunday GH. Dates are: 8 June; 6 July and 3 August, confirmations will be sent out by e-mail.
If you are attending any events outside of PSC and have any news or details of results, let Daniel know. He will make sure it is included in the newsletter column.
Optimist Graeme Hampshire
www.optimistsailing.org.uk
Well, you wanted the Oppies involved in Club racing … and we have arrived! By far the biggest fleet in the Saturday pursuit race, we can say that we are now challenging all the PSC rock stars out there, to show us their true colours. Will the Saturday pursuit series be won by an Oppie this year?
On the other hand, please excuse the other less able Oppie sailors who maybe don’t know as many rules as you do.
Saturday morning sailing
Saturday mornings are now in full swing. See Andy Banks’ report below ...
Elsewhere in Oppieland
There is lots going on! The National Selection series involved four sailors from Papercourt: Charlotte Alderton, Richard Thomas, Josh Tolley and Duncan Hampshire. This is a really tough event with up to eight (yes, eight!) hours on the water each day. So, well done to our Oppie Rock Stars.
The open circuit is now kicking off and we have Papercourt represented at the prestigious RYA Eric Twinane Championships, with Gemma Bird, Simon Hamment and Murray Hampshire representing the South East and Duncan Hampshire representing the South.
This will be closely followed by the National Inland Championships at Grafham in May and there are loads of other open events being organised. Have you booked into the Nationals this year at Pwllheli? This is a great location and places in the regatta fleet will fill up fast, so book early!
On a different tack, the club has been reviewing its policy with respect to child protection and vulnerable adults. Changes in legislation mean that we need to revise how we operate. So watch out for some changes soon; it will involve you if you are involved with Oppies on a Saturday morning.
Andy Banks, our Saturday morning co-ordinator, writes …
Saturday sailing started in early April for the racers and more advanced sailors were joined in the more recent weeks by our beginners. Over 80 children have taken to the water, shaking off the winter cobwebs and building on last year’s progress.
Even though the season in now underway, any other kids - from beginners to racers - are still very welcome to come along.
If there are any junior trainers out there, we would also like you to come forward and help.
Dean Argent, our Grade 1 and Start Sailing maestro writes …
The normal chaos and confusion of the opening to another Papercourt season was this year replaced with the strange burble of happy kids and orderly parents! Andy Banks, the show’s orchestrator, was seen smiling happily as his well rehearsed plan swung perfectly into place.
In all, nearly 45 start and young sailors took to the water in a colourful mixture of boats including some brilliant new club boats and other seasoned campaigners. The weather gods smiled and we enjoyed sun and breeze for the opening weekends.
A big thanks to all the trainers in particular the junior trainers Lucy, Lizzie and Katy for their time and efforts.
Group 2: Peter Franz writes ...
We’ve had an enthusiastic start to the season. Due to Andy's military style arrangements, we have wasted no time getting on the water and into the training required for the grade.
Early days, but there is a friendly tussle developing at the top of the beating race series between Will, Dominic and Theo.
Confident training from all, even though we have had some flukey winds on occasion to deal with.
Notably, Sam Nickson has (somewhat involuntarily) qualified for his grade 3 capsize . . . twice!
Group 3/Racing: Paul Hammett writes ...
We have had a great start with over 20 attending group 3 and 20 attending racing though not all at once yet!
Graham and Charlotte are running Group 3, with some specific drills each week to build the group’s skill levels.
In Group 3, Jessy Hampshire was crowned the sailing backwards World Champion, Alice the roll-tacking expert and James as all-round strong improvement.
James Scott, having won the Group 3 / Racing fun pursuit, is being promoted to Racing.
Oscar won the award for most spectacular capsize of the season so far.
In Racing, Paul and Tom are focusing on taking the things to the next level. Charlotte was the star on the starting day, Simon H and Rebecca also showing good skills with Bas showing some strong improvement also.
In the Saturday pursuit racing, well over 20 boats has so far competed with 15 starting the bank holiday Saturday race, the best turnout so far.
Oppies have made up half the fleet in every race and 9 of the top 15 in the results so far overall are Oppies.
Special note: Simon and Rebecca scored a 1st and 2nd in the race on 19 April. Oscar, Esther and Hattie are all getting strong results.
A well done to all those that have entered so far and completed the race.
How we operate …
I have a flyer from a neighbouring club offering a week’s training for over £200.
Just think. You can have over twice this amount of training at Papercourt this summer and all it will cost you, in addition to the small admin fee, is either to become a member of IOCA or £20 for a logbook…. Bargain!
But to do this requires loads and loads of volunteer support and that includes all Oppie parents.
We don’t take “I don’t sail” as an excuse, so you have been warned.
If you don’t volunteer, someone else will volunteer you!
SOLO Frank Brown
Hopefully you will get to read this article before our Solo open meeting, which is on Sunday 1 June. It promises to be a day full of culinary delights with a bit of sailing thrown in for good measure – sounds a bit like heaven to me and it will only cost £7 with the chance to win prizes as well. (The real heaven comes at no cost though – and you cannot book it!)
In March, we held our second training session for this year with Steve Ede and Gordon Barclay, Solo Class Association coaches, attending and giving us the benefit of their advice. It was interesting to see the differing views from two very practical, experienced Solo sailors who are not concerned with sail production. This really complemented the other training we have had in the past and I believe we are seeing the results on the water.
Well done to Mike Ball for leading the Winter Series and commiserations to yours truly for coming second. The lure of winning a chicken brought the Soloists out with a sense of purpose with the top three places taken by Solos, namely David Mayne, Amer Sarssam and Dave Sanders.
Again, in the Spring Series, Soloists featured on the leader boards with Roger Puttock claiming a 1st in the series, Dave Sanders 3rd and Amer 4th. Well done to the prize winners and all the others taking part.
Our own Solo Thursday evening sailing is now well underway with numbers increasing each week as it gets lighter and warmer. Come and join in on a Thursday, if not for the sailing, the debrief after in the Saddlers.
Look forward to a great season for the rest of this summer.
Solo Open Meeting: Sunday 1 June 2008
Entry fee: £7
(incl. bacon rolls, lunch, afternoon tea + hot drinks)
Welcome and briefing: 10.30am
Start of first race: 11.00am
Schedule: 3 races, best 2 to count.
Prize giving follows.
Race Officer : Sylvia Hayden
TOPPER Charlie Beck
With summer back again, it will be good to see the colourful Topper sails re-emerging at Papercourt. Yesterday evening, there were four cruising around the lake.
A number of people who have either recently joined the club or recently purchased Topper have asked when the Toppers sail? There is no set time; and, during the summer, there are races on both Saturday and Sunday.
As the water is very crowded with the summer sailing course and the Optimist armada on Saturday morning, my suggestion is that we get out on the water at lunchtime on Sunday. We can use period from the finish of the pursuit race (approximately 12.30pm) until 3 pm to practise and then, for those who feel up to it, try joining in the final race of the day. Traditionally, this race is not too competitive. The format will be to help people to become comfortable with the boat and try out a different aspect each week. Everybody is welcome, either to learn, to pass on knowledge to others or to drive a safety boat. I will send out an E-mail with the dates that I can organize this. Occasionally, I will have to swap it to Saturday afternoon (3 pm).
On the open meeting circuit, there have been a few local traveler events, including our own open meeting here at Papercourt. I picked a date early in the season, because the chances of getting a reasonable wind would be enhanced. What I didn’t expect was two inches of snow! But Peter didn’t bat an eyelid and the event went ahead as scheduled and what a wise decision that was. After four races in light winds, the spoils went to a visitor but Papercourt boats were placed in 3rd through to 7th places.
Papercourt was well represented at the recent traveler event at Bewl Valley where Josh Tolley pipped Julia Beck to take 2nd place. In the 1st Nationwide of the season at Datchet we had nine boats competing with the following results: Hannah Thomas 56th; Charlotte Bonella 65th; Josh Tolley 74th; Matt Thomas 89th; Ollie Machell 91st; Peter Grassick 95th; Sammy Bonella 119th; Jack Spence 167th and Will Barnes 190th.
Last week at Grafham, we had a superb team of nine at the Inlands. Best positions were Charlotte Bonella in 40th, Julia Beck in 42nd and Hannah Thomas in 55th. Papercourt was awarded 2nd place in the best team competition.
The Open meetings continue throughout the summer (see page 35); it is also posted on the noticeboard at the club. Let me know if you thinking of going. I often have room on my trailer for an extra boat or you can borrow the trailer.
Most of the training organised by the RYA or by the Topper association takes part in the autumn and the winter. However, while selection for training squads takes place at the end of the season, it is based on participation in certain events during the summer. It is too easy to miss these events and then find that you have missed out on selection for a particular squad. One pre-requisite is that you should belong to the Topper association. Comprehensive information on the association can be accessed from the website (www.gbrtopper.co.uk). There are also details of the selection procedure for the various squads and details of what events are considered as indicator events. The South East Zone which organizes open training and coordinates the various open meetings in the region has a different website (www.freewebs.com/setoppers). The zone representative this year is Jo Wicken (jwicken@btinternet.com)
Good sailing
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
TOPPER EVENTS
International and National Events
From To Event Location
3 Aug 8 Aug National Championship Paignton SC
19 July 25 July World Championship Tralee SC (Ireland)
Nationwide Series
Sat Sun Event Location
14 June 15 June Nationwide 2 (Ind) Largs SC
12 July 13 July Nationwide 3 (Ind) Oxford
6 Sept 7 Sept Nationwide 4 (Ind) Pyllheli
18 Oct 19 Oct Nationwide 5 Carsington
Southeast Traveller Events
Date Event Location
Sat 31 May Traveller Lancing SC
Sat 21 June Area Champ Day 1 Pevensey Bay
Sun 22 June Area Champ Day 2 Hastings & St Leonards
Sun 29 June Traveller Bexhill SC
Sun 5 July Traveller Newhaven & Seaford SC
Sat 16 August Traveller Chipstead SC
Sat 30 August Traveller Medway SC
Sat 13 Sept Traveller Crawley Mariners SC
Sat 20 Sept Traveller Island Barn SC
Sat/Sun 27/28 Sept RYA Zone Champs