​Driving to the dam today, I wondered how many we would have sailing. Cold start, wet and quite gusty.

Given the conditions, it was nice to see nine sailors along for the last installment of winter Scrartch Series for the IOM Class this year.

With everyone pretty much ready on time, we were away reasonably promptly, with one race before stanzas of three before breaks. Everyone in B Rigs, but most standing nervously before setting the boats int he water to start with, with a big gust coming through and some consideration towards C. The gust abated and all started on the B's, which was the suite of choice for the day - although hopelessly overpowered towards the end of the day.

Eleven races completed for the day, which was a pretty good effort. Fairly long courses throughout with races closer to 15 minutes than 10 I think.

The wind didn't help us at times, becoming very shifty, making a course hard to set at times, and with a few changes came the inevietable confusion which had some not sailing the correct course.

After the 11 races were completed, Lisa came out victorious for the round on 19 points.

Second today was Ricky on 26.

Third was just one point away, with John Cole-Cook on 27 points.

In Silver Fleet today, we had Andrew Wardrop winning on 14 points. A really good day's sailing for Andrew.
Second place was John Hall on 19 points
Third place, on countback from second, was Peter Webberley, also on 19 points.

As pro for the day, I'd like to thank all the competitors. No ill words spoken for the day in some trying conditions, and it is always nice having the Pro thank a sailor for doing a penalty because it was due, rather than have them wait to be called. It was really appreciated.

Coming up

Wednesday sees DF95 Handicap at the Dam, starting at 11am.

Next Weekend is the DF65 State Championships at Thirlstane. For anyone looking at an entry still, please get it in as soon as possible. A  reminder to all competitors that entry fees have been asked to be paid electronically before the event starts, so please get them in if you have yet to pay. Good luck to all competitors up there.

Next Sunday, for those not travelling,  is DF95 Scratch at the Dam, button press at 10am.

Kyle

There was a strong turn-out of 16 skippers for today’s long-distance IOM handicap event at Risdon Brook Dam. The North Wester of about 15 knots was perfect in direction for our long distance course. A-rigs were the universal choice for the morning session. The boats were fast upwind with the big rigs really flying on the downwind leg. So much so that at times we needed to run to keep in contact with the boat. I am sure that I am not the only skipper to feel like I had a work out.
We welcomed Simon Delaney to IOM sailing today. Simon has bought Alan Short’s Britpop and he showed good potential especially given the testing conditions. We hope that you enjoyed your sail Simon. It was also really great to see a couple of faces that we have been missing for a while. Back today were Rob Cooney and Peter Sylvester. Unfortunately both had some boat troubles and could not complete the series. Peter’s boat went AWOL due to radio problems during the start of race #2.  A decision was quickly made to abandon the start so that Bodge and Peter could make a rescue. The rest of us were watching keenly while the two chased Peter’s boat in the dinghy as it was heading at speed towards the dam wall. Fortunately it turned away allowing then to make a safe and timely rescue and earning a bit of a cheer from those watching. 
Martin Svensen also had some radio problems and could not race at all but generously decided to officiate as PRO. Martin was vigilant on the start and kept the day moving well so that we could complete 6 races today. Thanks so much Martin.
For long-distance sailing we are working on using a starting handicap of 1.2 times your current racing handicap to compensate for the races being a little longer.
After three great races lunch was called and tong-masters Phil Turnbull and John Cole-Cook did a stellar job in cooking us a healthy and enjoyable BBQ lunch. 
The forecast predicted a strengthening wind and a swing to the West later in the morning and it did strengthen to about 20 knots and so skippers universally decided to change to their B-rig for the afternoon session. Fortunately there was no real westerly swing and so we were able to continue racing using the full length of the course. Even with the smaller rig the boats were a handful in the gusts when going down-wind in the afternoon. Round-ups and nosedives were common and if you could keep your boat on a steady course you could often make up valuable places. Predicting the shifts, and keeping good boat speed were important today and the longer upwind leg allowed more opportunity for tactics to be employed.
Putting money on Ray Joyce would be a pretty solid bet when it gets windy and it was Ray who took out the day - the only skipper to win two races. Congratulations Ray! I managed second place with some good consistency in results and my brother Alan took out third, - absolutely loving sailing his new boat.
With conditions deteriorating Martin made the call to end racing a bit earlier than expected and it turned out to be a good call too as a heavy downpour hit before I made it home. All up a great day out! I was especially impressed by the way that people volunteered and assisted with the running of the day. Setting up and packing up, assisting the PRO, rescue boat, BBQ etc. What a cool club to be part of!
Shorty


Coming up:
Sunday: IOM Scratch racing at Risdon Brook Dam. (10:00 button press)
Next Wednesday:  DF95 handicap racing at Risdon Brook Dam.(11:00 button press)
Shorty

​Very light conditions continued today at the dam, with a light Nor Wester early on at about 5 knots (if it was lucky).

With everyone ready to go, PRO Ricky Price got a consensus from all sailors and we started a little early - with the expectation that the wind was going to die out pretty quickly. Aiming to get 5 races in hopefully by lunch time to at least constitute a Regatta and minimum Ranking Event requirements. Four races were completed (standard 3/4 start to 8 to 7 and 1/2 Gate for two laps), before the northerly died right out and sou-easter tried to come in. We called an early lunch in the hope that after half an hour, the wind would have sorted itself out and we could continue. Kyle, Ray and John Hall within 1 point at the break on 7, 6, and 7 points respectively.

After lunch, we changed course from an altered 8/7 to allow for a fairly even start, out to 9, in to 5 and back to 7, then 9, 5 and finish between 8/7. Interesting "almost" olympic course, which was quite enjoyable. A little bit difficult out at 9 with a bit of parallax error about, resulting in a last race protest, but concluding respectfully, which is important as there is almost always a not happy sailor/s at the close of any protest.

Second last race was a first for many, Lisa got the win just inside the 30 minute time limit, and only Cookie got over the finish line within 5 minutes of Lisa.

Once the protest was finished, the wind had died off, so we called an early finish to the day with 10 races completed.

In third place, was Stu Dawes. A welcome return to form in his F-5 on 24 points.

Second place went to John Hall - three ahead of Stu on 21 points. John sailed really well all day and had great speed with the F-6. The work in the workshop on the boat has really helped.

Winner of today's regatta was Kyle, a further 3 ahead of John on 18 points. Some great starts today, but also some poor ones, made up with smart sailing on the shifts. A new Lightweight A Swing setup working very well.

Big thanks to Ricky today, for coming along and doing the PRO duties for us. It was really appreciated.

Upcoming Events

• Wed 27th August– IOM Long Distance Day and BBQ at Risdon Brook (11am start)
• Sun 31st August - IOM Scratch  at Risdon Brook (10am start)

Kyle

There were reflections on the dam when we arrived this morning but a light Northerly of about 4 or 5 knots soon arrived and we enjoyed several scratch races before the IOM handicap series started. Ricky Price and Ian Hey dominated these races and the rest of us were hoping that they had ‘got it out of their system’ by the time that our series started.
It was a terrific day for sailing and while the wind did moderate throughout the day and the last couple of races had some calm patches we were still able to complete the full complement of ten races. The bright sunshine and luxurious 20 degree temperature made the day a real winner. When travelling home I noticed that a light sea breeze had made its way up as far up as Sandy Bay and I could not help but think that the worst of winter is behind us.
Alan Short and John Penman have each recently purchased themselves V11’s and today was the first outing for them both. These boats both looked really lovely. (See photo below). The quality of the fleet at our club is quite amazing. Both boats sailed well today. John finished the day with a 2nd, a 3rd, and a 4th on his scoresheet showing the potential that we all know he has. Alan had a really good day out with three race wins and a 2nd place. His first race win came in the first race of the day - now that’s a good way to launch a new boat!
Phil Jackman could not sail today due to recent knee surgery but took on the PRO’s job. He was assisted by Lisa Blackwood who after sailing more than 60 races within the week decided to have a day off. The two set great courses and did well to make sure that we finished the race program in the dying breeze. Lisa also spent time helping rig and tune the new boats and offered valuable coaching to skippers today as well. Thanks for your efforts Phil and Lisa - a generous display of club spirit by you both.
Alan’s efforts earned him third place overall today, while second went to the consistently performing Andrew Wardrop, but the day belonged to Ian Hey. After performing well in the scratch races Bodge continued in the handicap series - winning two races and nothing worse than 4th after discards were taken. It is a really welcome return to form for him and great to see him sailing with such confidence. Congratulations Alan, Andrew and Bodge!
Next week we have a scheduled IOM long distance handicap. We might need to sail for a little longer to complete a significant number of races so come prepared for a finish about 3:00. And…..the club will be providing BBQ lunch on the day!


Coming up:
Sunday: RM State Regatta at Risdon Brook Dam. (10:15 briefing for a 10:30 button press.) Enter on-line
               If anyone would like to be PRO for the day, please let Kyle or Ray know. The Marbleheads are very much self managed and relaxed, so the PRO job will not be onerous or demanding.

Next Wednesday: Long distance IOM handicap sailing with BBQ lunch at Risdon Brook Dam. (11:00 button press)
Shorty

A cool morning again today (ice had to be removed from the winscreen prior to travelling to the dam....) with a light northerly blowing straight down the dam.

Seven sailors along today, which was promising, with a few builds still happening - so the A Class resurgence in the state is slowly continuing.

Ray graciously gave up his time to day to PRO the day, which was really appreciated. Some good, long courses which were getting us close to 15 minutes in length, allowing the boats to both stretch their legs and competitors to make up for early mistakes, should they have made any.

The last four races were shortened in length as the wind was dying right off, and changed to a challenging Sou' Wester which made it difficult for Ray to make an effective course. Persist he did though, and tried his best at setting a challenging enough course with a good beat and preventing the old "soldiers course" issues

It was great to see Cookie along today with his new (to him) Blister yacht. A lot of teething issues and an under-sized sail plan with his old Venom sails on, but I am sure he enjoyed the day anyway.

In all, very pleasant sailing throughout with very tight finishing margin between 3rd and 5th position (just 1 point). John H still has some work to get his boat going, but has the info needed to get it a bit more competitive, and I am sure it will be much better next time on the water.

Rod had good consistency throughout most of the day, marred on a few occasions with some comms issues between the tx and rx, but very fast through most of the day. A well deserved 3rd today on 19 points.

Lisa helped make numbers today, sailing the club Venom (her new yacht is "in build" as we speak), which was appreciated. Sailing effeciently and finishing in second on 14 points.

Standout for today was Kyle with his new suite of sails looking great. Dropping a 2nd and 5th to finish with a perfect card of 6 points from the 6 counted races. Meticulous preparation and great advice from other skippers helping the boat to become a very polished performer.

On an aside, the committee had a meeting after the sailing today, and it was brougt up that for the A Class to enjoy more sail days, the sailors really need to help lead the way with on-water attendance and support. We do hope to ahve more sail days in the summer, but with a packed Sunday programme, we may need to look at Saturday sail days for the class, so long as the support is there for it.

Coming up

Wednesday sees IOM Handicap at the Dam, starting at 11am.

Next Sunday is the Marblehead State Regatta, at the Dam, button press at 1030. Please get your entries in as soon as possible. Currently with 5 entries, it risks not qualifying as a ranking event (6 minimum).

Kyle

It was a cool start to the morning at Risdon Brook Dam as a 10-12 knot Katabatic wind was blowing straight down the dam - perfect though for IOM handicap racing. Although the wind did moderate throughout the day it stuck with us and even the last race was held in 3 or 4 knots of wind. Blue sky and sunshine which is now getting slightly more powerful set the scene for enjoyable sailing.

Some notable performances today included back-to-back wins by Phil Turnbull, a sail away win by John Cole-Cook who started the race on handicap 70 went East alone and snagged a huge wind shift to put him well in front, and a 'Short boys' quinella in race #8. Alan Short has recently purchased a V11 and should have it ready for next weeks racing. I have been put 'on notice'!

I managed to finish third overall today with a few good races in the mix. Ricky Price was much more consistent and took out second spot. But today's winner by over 10 points was Rod Marshall who, sailing the 'Rockstar', had two race wins and quite a few third placings too. Congratulations and well sailed Rod.

After racing some of the skippers headed to the Risdon Vale Tavern where we found the Beer Garden a convivial place for some beer and banter. So enjoyable in fact that we will definitely make it a regular feature on IOM Handicap Shield days (second Wednesday of each month). So if you missed this one mark your calendar.

One thing that we discussed was how the front markers starts are often marred by later starters who are waiting ahead of the start line. While we don't want to put a rule on this it is definitely worth a reminder - for good sportsmanship, back-markers should keep out of the area ahead of the starting line and be aware of other skippers who may be preparing for their start.

Coming up:
Sunday: A Class scratch racing at Risdon Brook Dam (10:00 button press).
Next Wednesday: IOM handicap racing at Risdon Brook Dam (11:00 button press)

Shorty

​A cool morning today with a light northerly blowing straight down the dam.

Ten sailors came along today, including new old member  Charlie Mansfield. Welcome back to the club after a fairly long stint away from the club. Having purchased Les' Cheinz a week ago, I am sure Les would have loved seeing the boat back on the water.

We started nicely on time and used the rotating PRO system again today, which worked really well - heavily influenced by the fantastic on-water conduct of all skippers. Really everyone, it was marvellous to hear "what a pleasant day's sailing" by one of our skippers as we came off the water at the conclusion of sailing. That said, we weren't incident free obviously, but it was worked through with discussion and without any carry on. Again, the example we want to be while we are racing.

For much of the nine races today, the story was similar at the head of the field. Close and tight racing amongst Risky, Rod and Lisa, but with many of the rest of the field getting in there at times as well. The consistency of these three was fantastic to see. The majority of wins shared amongst them today.

The light conditions were quite tricky, tactics played a very big role in the results. The boats all so close in speed, but those 1 percenters in positioning the boats in the right spot certainly made a big difference.

At the end of the 9 races, Lisa Blackwood came out the winner today, with 12.5pts. Well doneon a great day's sailing Lisa.

Second place, keeping Lisa right on her toes was Rod Jackman, just 0.9 of a point behind on 13.4pts. Great also to see just reward for a great day's sailing.

Rounding up the top three was Ricky Price, again, less than a point behind on 13.8pts. Just hsows how close it was with 1.3pts between the top three.

In Silver Fleet, John Hall came out winner today, on 7.3pts, followed up by Rod Marshall in second on 10.6pts and Charlie Mansfield taking third on 19pts.

Fantastic work evreybody today. Some of the results may not have indicated it, but the racing was very close today, and our standard continues to improve.

Coming up

Wednesday sees DF95 Handicap at the Dam, starting at 11am.

Next Sunday is DF95 Scratch Round 5 at the Dam, button press at 10am.

Kyle

David Murfett Memorial – IOM “Woodie” Day
Round 2 – Forcett Lakes

Clear skies greeted nine skippers at Forcett Lakes today to contest Round 2 of the David Murfett Memorial for IOM Woodies.
Numbers were down slightly with the cooler conditions scaring away a few competitors from the north of the state which was sad as it is always great to catch up and have a chat during the day.

Racing nearly didn’t get started for one nameless skipper who packed his boat, sails, batteries, lunch, water but may have forgotten to pack the all important transmitter. Pete W came to the rescue with a spare and we quickly bound it to the receiver and I was up and running. (Thanks Pete 😊)

Our PRO for today was Leigh Behrens who was ably assisted for most of the day with Chris Wood. It was challenging setting the courses with little breeze from the NW before it swung around and strengthened from the NE which is not ideal direction for this location.

Overall, ten races were completed which included a handicap of 15sec, 10sec and 5 seconds for the first three places cumulative throughout the races, with only 1 drop allowed. Racing was very competitive and at times you could hear a pin drop with concentration levels at an all time high.

Wayne “Buzzy” Behrens (PRO’s brother…. hmmm) had a slow start to the day but found rhythm with his thumbs and had a comfortable win on 32pts. Second place today was myself on 37pts very closely followed by Lisa in third place 1 pt adrift. Scores overall were really close with only 9pts separating 2nd place to 8th place. Well sailed by all skippers

Thank you to both Wayne and Pete for organising the day with Pete supplying the rescue dinghy that thankfully wasn’t required.

The next DMM IOM Woodie day (Rnd 3) will be held again at Forcett Lakes in November 2025, an exact date to be advised.
Ian (aka Bodge)