Sailing Away

Part of my plan this year is to get away from my home water and sail in some different places and against different people, in the hope that you learn different things being beaten by different people!

Every year the regions of the UK Laser Association hold Grand Prix series. This year I've opted for the Thames Valley series, although with my handy West London location I could do the Eastern or Southern series.

I did two events in the early part of the season and for all sorts of reasons haven't been able to do any more, but I'm determined to do enough to qualify so I have to get in four more out of the five left. So it was off to Frensham Pond in Surrey on Sunday.

My objectives for the day were

1. Enjoy myself

2. Not to come last

3. Get at least one good start

4. Not to be overtaken by a bloody Radial sailor.



I love my sat nav. Even though it doesn't recognise Postcodes, it takes all the hard work out of finding your way into the back of beyond, or Farnham as its known in Surrey, and lets you get to the venue relatively stress free. The M25 and M3 behaved themselves and after winding up and down some quiet country roads I was waiting at the gate for the club to open at 9.00 pm. As chance would have it, the only other early arrival was someone from my own club and we chatted things sailing until the club secretary came along to open up. The road up to the club was narrow and I was pointing the wrong way and I joked that reversing with a trailer wasn't my strong point, at which the guy unhitched my boat and wheeled around to the launch area for me while I turned around. Top marks for helpfulness from Frensham Pond.



The lake is about three times the size of my home water and much more regular in shape. Tree lined (hard not to find a puddle which isn't) with a steep (for Surrey) hill at the South East corner. However, the wind coming from the South West was pretty constant in direction with only the South East corner of the lake subject to some odd wind shifts. The sky was blue with white clouds fluffing across frequently and when the sun came out it was warm, so all in all a fabulous day for sailing.


The wind picked up considerably during registration and was averaging about 10mph with some 20mph gusts coming down periodically when we got out to the start area for the first race. At my home club where each end of the start line is always on land, the favoured technique is to reach up and down the line aiming to time arrival at the favoured end on the gun and tacking. I tend to back my boat handling skills and wait at the favoured end, short tacking and gybing until about a minute before the gun then getting in position and wait on starboard ready to sheet in and go. Its generally a good strategy and I'm usually at the front of the fleet at the first mark, which, due to the shape of the lake, and the fact that committee boats are never used, is rarely more than about 20 boat lengths and often much less.


Here, no one was reaching down the line and the approach to the line was much more tactical, with boats vying for position 3 minutes out. I managed to get right on the committee boat although there wasn't really a favoured end and with 20 secs to go looked around and noticed I was the only one on the line. I hadn't noticed that there had been a problem with the starting horn and the postponement flag was up! I tried to look as though I was casually practising my starts but I don't think anyone was convinced.



At the actual start I was again well up at the committee boat end and got off to a good start but couldn't pop out from the front. This is a real weak spot in my sailing - whether because of my weight or bad technique, I can't boost a good position on the start line with good speed. On my home water where a lot of starts are poorly timed I get away with it, but here where all the boats are on the line and going in the same direction, within a few seconds of the start I'm sitting in the lee bows of 20 other boats and going backward.



My two other starts were much the same, although I did get told off in one start for barging. Well, there was a gap there and I went for it, it would have been rude not to! I was last on the water for one race, but not last overall because the gusts defeated some of the lighter sailors and there were four retirements. I went over a couple of times but frustratingly it was due to error on my part - sitting on the mainsheet for one and managing to wrap it around the tiller when it was around my back for the second.

I only got caught by a Radial sailor in the second race which was disappointing as their start was 5 minutes after the standard start. Just to rub it in, my overtaker was a teenage girl, gliding past me just before I went over the line. She went on to win the Radial event so suppose I shouldn't complain.



By the end of the third race I had cramp in both my forearms and I was struggling to keep the boat flat upwind. However, I felt very confident downwind on the runs and didn't lose any ground at all to the helms in front. Reaching was a different matter. Steve Cockerill says heavier sailors should get back as far as possible but not dig the transom in, but be prepared to react quickly to the wind when it drops and get back forward again. My timing is right out and I think I was getting back to far. How envious I was of the guys at the front of the fleet who crossed me as I was going downwind, hiked out on their toestraps, boat flat and hull barely touching the water, and managing to keep it on the plane virtually from mark to mark. It was worth going just to see that.



So reaching 3 out of 4 objectives isn't bad at all and I'm really looking forward to the next one. In between I'll be practising accelerating up to full speed from the gun!