Bolton Sailing Club

Welcome to the August edition of the NorthWest newsletter.
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We’ve all finally dug ourselves out of the mud and made it back from Bass Week.

I was using the week as a bit of a holiday with some sailing thrown in. On Thursday all sailing was abandoned due to lack of wind and lots of that fine rain that soaks you through. That day I headed over to Buttermere and then up the Honister Pass and had a tour of the slate mines.

Friday again saw not much wind, not enough for a Phantom sailor to do any good so Tom and I hopped on our bikes for a bit of a ride in the hills. The copious amounts of alochol consumed during the week (Tom more than me) soon caught up with us as the downhill bits were a welcome break. Tristan had also made an appearance so in the afternoon I sailed down the lake with him and enjoyed probably some of the best wind of the week. Shame we weren’t racing as the kids, ladies and oldies were out.

Saturday started with a gale and only twenty something boats out on the water. I watched from the shore for the first one and watched many boats limping back to shore. The second race, I had a cracking start and had a battle with a Lazer Vago (they do actually go quite fast occasionally!). We rounded a mark together and found it was a dead run to the next mark. He headed off on a zig-zag with his gennaker whereas I decided to risk it and run to the mark. It was very rocky and felt like we were sailing on the sea as my boat crashed through the waves. The move paid off as I pulled miles ahead of most of the fleet, with only Andy Pilkington in his Merlin ahead. Unfortunately, I capsized spectacularly (for me anyway) while trying to gjbe and got stuck in the mud allowing the Vago and Jeff to pass me. Trying to get my boat back up I twisted my back and that was my sailing over with as I couldn’t lean out.

It was better for Jeff who on Sunday picked up the trophy for first place in the Medium Handicap weekend series, I think the Pilkingtons were second. David and Lesley were pipped to first place in the slow handicap weekend series by a GP14.

So, it’s back to work and the thought of a very dirty tent in a big pile in my garage to sort out and a lot of wet muddy clothes to wash!

Well done to the Bolton sailors who brought back trophies and other various prizes of glasses and mugs.

Unfortunately, we heard while at Bass week that Cyril Robinson passed away early Friday morning. Cyril was Jeffs dad and grandad to Tom, Suzanne, Robert and James.

You’ll probably have seen him around the club on a Sunday either sat in the lounge watching the sailing, or collecting all your mugs up.

Well done to Ian Platt who finished 3rd in the GP14 Worlds at Abersoch, behind Neil Marsden in second and Ian Dobson in first.

Other results:

Dale Knowles took 7th place crewing for Tim Jones

11th Mark Platt with Malcolm Marsden crewing

20th Gary Deighan with Dave Jobson crewing

27th Ian Sinclair and Alan Jones, who also took 3rd Place in the Silver fleet

38th Ian Thompson and Andy Flitcroft

42nd Julie and Chris Waddington

49th Tony Critchley and Sue Foster

56th Graham Hutchinson and Andy Bury

… out of 107 entries

I’m sat in a layby up the road from Bass SC cos it’s the only place I can get Internet access and my laptop battery is running out.

It’s been a very wet and lack of wind start to ABass, except for Saturday where it was very gusty. Tom and Alex are doing well in the Merlin, with a third place for the first weekend. We all passed on sailing on Monday due to lack of wind and it being the race to the bottom of the lake. It took them an hour and a half to get back!

Yesterday was a bit better, I thought I did quite well considering the lack of wind and my ample weight in the boat! Today the first race was grim as the wind died completely. I came 7th – beating the finn, but can’t beat them National 12’s! The second race was a long one, down the lake to number 10, then 15. The wind dropped on the way back so I’m going to go and see how well/badly I’ve done.

Other than that, besides the constant rain/sun every ten minutes it’s all fine here in Bass.

I see Bolton are well represented at the top of the GP worlds at the moment and I hear David and lesley are doing will down south.

Sorry, no pics as the weather is grim. Better go cos my laptops about to die!

See some of you for the last weekend!

Andrew.

I’ve just heard that David and Lesley have come second at the Graduate Nationals at Chichester Yacht Club.

They came second behind Steve Cockerill (a professional sailor!) Well done guys!

Read all about it, plus photos on the Graduate Association website: www.graduatedinghy.com