This Saturday (11th July), the North West Junior Travellers circuit moves to Bolton SC.

Three races are scheduled with a briefing at 10.30 with the first race starting at 11.00. Two races to count.

The galley will be open serving our famous bacon butties and huge plates of lunch. Great prizes up for grabs for different categories.

For more details about NWJTT please see their website at www.nwjtt.org.uk

NOT GOT A BOAT TO SAIL?

We have a limited number of Fevas, Toppers and Oppies available for hire to club members at the standard club rates. If you are interested, please speak to Warren, Richard or Andrew on Friday – we’ll be at the club doing the junior training.

This weekend saw Bolton boats heading up and down the motorway and Merlin Rockets decending on Bolton.

Merlins from across the North-West descended on Bolton for the Annual Open Meeting, this year a Silver Tiller event. The wind wasn’t kind to the sailors fanning out across the lake from Turton (Number Eight) towards the club. This made for some interesting racing with not much chance for spinnaker work.

The GP14s headed down to Budworth for a blustery GP14 Open Meeting. Due to the weather conditions only two Bolton boats made it on to the water with Gary Deighan and Becca Paul finishing 8th with Julie and Chris Waddington finishing right behind them in 9th out of 24 entries.

Finally, Stuart Catterall and I made our way up to Windermere for the Annual Waterhead race. Starting at the bottom end of the lake, near the Lakeside Hotel at Newby Bridge, the race was up to the Waterhead 6mph speed limit marker and back – 20 miles as the crow flies. The first part of the upwind leg to Bell Isle involved an awful lot of taking and battling the wind as it swung across the lake in all directions. By the time we got to Bowness the local boats were a long way ahead – obviously used to the fluky conditions. Stuart had followed the pack and was now quite a way ahead of me.

After what felt like an age, I made it round Bell Isle to be greeted with a change of wind direction and thoroughly enjoyed the close reach to the top of the lake where I pulled away from the boats that I’d been stuck with up the beat and also caught up to some of the boats that were at one point way ahead. On the way I passed Stuart as he desperately tried to repair a broken halyard by capsizing his boat. Stuart sorted his boat out and was catching again when he was informed by the rescue that as he’d received outside assistance one of the other competitors had threatened to protest (BOO!) so Stu swung round and headed back to the club.

I made it round the 6mph limit mark at the top and with another good reach down the lake soon made up some time. It was a dead run down from Bell Isle to the finish which was made worse by the gusts coming from different directions. I crossed the line 3 hours after the start and finished 13th out of the 29 boats with Stuart lying 29th due to his retirement. It was good to finish the full length as I head the last few years have suffered light winds and the races have been shortened.

The event raised over £500 for McMillan Cancer and was well supported by local companies who donated some excellent prizes. Thanks to South Windermere Sailing Club for their hospitality and Stu and I have said we’ll be back next year, hopefully with a few more boats…and cleats for our mainsheets!

Topper Open at Bolton Sailing Club
Saturday 23rd May 2009

By Keith Roberts

Bolton Sailing Club hosted the Topper Open on Saturday 23rd May with 32 boats taking part in the competition. The competitors had travelled from as far away as Carsington and Blithfield. The weather lived up to the forecast of overcast conditions in the morning, with some sunshine in the afternoon. There were 6 home boats with Leigh and Lowton and Redesmere fielding 9 boats apiece.

In the first race Sarah Yeates (Leigh and Lowton) led from start to finish. Ruth Shevelan (Bolton), James Asquith (Redesmere) and Andrew Green (Leigh and Lowton) had some close racing, changing positions several times until local girl Ruth took second place. The girls dominated race 1 taking first and second. Third place went to James Asquith. Unfortunately Andrew Bridgman, Jamie Purcell and Jamie Catchpole failed to fully read the sailing instructions and were disqualified for sailing on the wrong side of the island.

After lunch the sun came out and the wind had increased slightly to a F3. Lucy Yeates (Leigh and Lowton) got a good start and sailed away from the fleet to take first place. The rest of the fleet had some extremely close racing. Andrew Bridgman (Blithfield) managed to get some clear wind and sailed into second place where he finished. Sarah Yeates took third place. The finish in the middle rankings was extremely tight with the OOD having to use photographs to decide the position of boats as eight boats finished within 2 seconds of each other making identification of the sail numbers very difficult.

By the time the third race started the wind had shifted 180 degrees and the wind speed had dropped to a F2. Andrew Bridgman (Blithfield) got a fantastic start and sailed to victory taking first place. Yet again there was close racing within the rest of the fleet. However, at the end of the race Andrew Green took second and Sara Yeates third.

Overall Results:

1st Andrew Bridgman (Blithfield)
2nd Sarah Yeates (Leigh and Lowton)
3rd Lucy Yeates (Leigh and Lowton)
1st Under 14 Jamie Catchpole (Leigh and Lowton)
1st Home boat Ruth Shevelan (Bolton)
Endeavor award went to George Mitson (Bolton)

GP14 Open 2009 @ Bolton Sailing Club

Despite the early season date of the Bolton SC GP14 Open it was warm sunshine that greeted the 17 competitors at the club on Sunday April 5th.  A tricky Southerly force 2 made it a tough day for Andy Flitcroft and his OOD team as they attempted to set courses in the variable wind.
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