A Norwegian high-pressure system put an Easterly wind across the River Blackwater estuary that could only be said to be truly wicked! With grey skies and nowhere to hide the 14-18 knots was equal to being hit with a lorry load of leftover frozen Christmas Turkeys.
This years Blackwater Icicle Race was hosted by Harlow (Blackwater) S.C. The HBSC race box with no compassion at all set a course that half the fleet could not complete and who went home for an early shower. The word on the block is that there were 30 boats plus on the start line (however all boats not finishing have been excluded from the results at the time of writing this report, so who can say.) Boats came to the start line from the two clubs in Maylandsea Bay. Unfortunately a lack of communication from the HBSC race box lead to a third of the fleet launching from the Maylandsea slipway in time for the 11:30 advertised start time only to be met with a postponement signal, leaving them to suffer the gusty conditions out in the bay with no shelter in a sub-zero wind-chill factor. It appeared at the time that the HBSC support boats and fleet were not ready and then fannied about on the jetty for an age. It must be said that it is the support of the visiting competitors that make winter events such as this viable.
The start was keenly contested against the incoming tide and with the fleet being made up from 49ers to Laser Radials the start was a do or die affair. Boat handling saw Martin and Tony ‘Fireball’ passing Lawling point in first place. By the time the front runners got to Mayland creek the faster boats had recovered from some doggy starts and it was race on. The first windward leg took the fleet to Steeple race mark and a tight two sail reach to the Doctor Nav. mark off of Osea Island. By this time the first casualties were in the drink, Mark Batt and Barrie with a boat full of water and too many boat handling problems to shake a stick at ending in a DNF. Also sad to see the 49er with a broken spar, DNF and Ann Dyson, Laser Radial, having suffered capsizes before the start rounded Steeple to retire. Following a dead run to race mark Coopers the fleet took on a 3 km windward leg to Stansgate race mark, again against the tide. Martin and Tony almost looked vulnerable as they passed Mundon Spit but sailing an excellent course picking up the shifts and pushing on left the fleet to sort out second place. 
Neal Fulcher ‘Phantom’ having cruised down the start line was not to be denied a good start and having given Steeple a gentle rubbing on rounding, well noted by Lorna in the closely pursuing Merlin, who’s cheerful chatter encouraged Neal’s most gentlemanly reply of “Merry Christmas,” worked above his PY and against the odds in the conditions, with a minimum of pumping and brilliant boat handling finished 5th on the water and 2nd overall.
Jacko and Lorna ‘Merlin’ having started well sailed like a pair of old fairies struggled to keep the boat up right and on the pace and seen to be sailing by the lea on more than one occasion but still looking to be in the race, scraped in 11 seconds adrift to finish 3rd.
Lewis Woodland and Jon Bailey ‘Hornet’ from Maldon Y.C. sailed a good race, error free and with good boat handling but just lacking the boat speed to knobble the Merlin, finishing 4th
Notables: only 16 hardy sailors and teams finished this race and in 16th place was Marco Wallace sailing a Laser Radial. This was no mean feat of sailing, with an elapsed time of 92 minutes plus, and 2 and 3 km’s of windward work against the tide with a PY 1101, received no mention at the prize giving.
Malcolm and Tony ‘Fireball’ and the highest placed Harlow boat sadly spent time in the briny but recovered well to finish 7th.
Brian Sargeant 1st Laser and finishing 10th hotly pursued by Mick Wright (there is always a Laser race) and the Lasers were the biggest class in the race.
And last but not least Martin Scarth and Tony King, Blackwater S.C. sailing a Fireball, worthy winners (sadly did not receive the Icicle Trophy on account that it was not available!) Martin is a sailboat racer warrior of the first order and we look forward to him defending the title in 2009.
Thanks must go to the support boat crews and the ladies in the galley (particularly Bill Wright) who stood in at the last moment
The Photos: thanks to Philip Spillane (with the frozen finger)
Full results to follow
The next race day at Maylandsea is at M.B.S.C. on the 11th Jan. a 10:40 start, and they we be looking forward to seeing the old and new hardy sailors alike. The club race policy is to take great care of the winter fleet and make sure that the maximum amount of enjoyment is rewarded to all competing boats! (But no shenanigans for Bill is out of the galley and in to the race box!) Be there or be lonely. Now read on: and on the sixth day of Chrimbo we found a brilliant bottle of red in the box from (drinksoffrance.co.uk) and the race day appeared so much better……..
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Harlow (Blackwater) Race Box Takes No Prisoners
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Stabbing cold greyness to end Mayandsea Winter sreies
The overall winners place was still up of grabs with Keith Fedi (Finn) needing two wins to take the series and Jacko and Lorna needing to control the start line and maybe keep Keith out of the number one spot. Martin and Tony (Fireball) winners of races 5 and 6 looked to be under pressure with the winds being a tad light. However, Keith Fedi, although in the dinghy park, failed to sail pulling a sick note and taking no further part, leaving Jacko and Lorna the overall winners.
As the seconds counted down to the start the breeze began to fill in; the fleet split in to the starboard tack boats, close hauled sailing parallel to the line but not able to cross the line, joyfully calling starboard on the port tack boats fetching at speed, ducking and weaving on to the line, but over all, all well behaved. As the starting flag fell it was Mick Wright sailing a Laser that won the
start with Malcolm and Tony (Fireball), Jacko and Lorna (Merlin) in close pursuit.
in the wind approaching the north saltings point heading to race mark 4. This was the end of many competitors’ hopes of discarding a previously gained poor result. The damp bitter cold ate in to the fleet and with a deathly silence saw the leading boats slip away. Nicholas (Phantom) quickly sailed past the Fireballs and Merlins to take the lead, and again appeared un-sure as to where he was sailing let out a few cries for help, but staying close to the north shore and putting in some well timed tacks pulled out a good lead not to be seen again, taking line honours and 1st place with Jacko and Lorna 2nd Laurence (Finn) 3rd; sadly two hours passed before all competitors finished which is a credit to the dogged determination and commitment that the Maylandsea fleet shows to sailboat racing.
The second race of the day was a crash and burn affair. Sailed on a fast ebbing tide in a 3-knot N. breeze. The Maylandsea race box set the short distance course with two rounds to ensure the fleet did not sample the Essex mud.
Jacko and Lorna won the start and with short down hill legs Lorna’s spinnaker work set the pace and with the Fireballs breathing down her neck it was race on. Nicholas would have won the second race, but being a tad late to start Jacko and Lorna took the bullet Nicholas in the Phantom 2nd and Martin and Tony in the Fireball 3rd.
The prize giving was a cheery event, supported with a freebee buffet and drinks at the bar for all competitors, support boat crew
and the race box team.Over all winners Jacko & Lorna
Noteables: The Splat the Duck competition, this year there where three nominations, and in reverse order.
Terri and Paul sailing a Fireball: for a miserably thought out upping of the kite on rounding race mark Jetty on to a reach, (tight reach) total wipe out following heading up too early with the crew trying to set the spinnaker.
Ron and Elizabeth sailing a Merlin: Another total wipe out, spinnaker up on a reach at speed! Ron’s comment was “I felt the plastic grip came off the tiller extension then it all went green!”
But this year’s winner, Mike and Keith sailing a Fireball a truly sad tale, as they reached the Harlow jetty Keith (crew) stepped out of the boat onto the jetty lost grip of the boat the boat sailed off and immediately capsized. With Mike now floating in the water Keith had to make the decision to stay dry or jump in to assist in the recovery. It was a freezing cold day and with a nanno second of thought Keith plunged in. A truly magnificent act of devotion.
Not forgetting the Blackwater Icicle on Dec. 28th at 11:30 MBSC will be open, galley open, No Bar, prize giving at HBSC following the race
The next club race day is the post Christmas series, starting on the 11th Jan. and running until Easter
1st Merlin Rocket Jacko and Lorna 7 points
2nd Finn Keith Fedi 10 points
3rd Fireball Malcolm and Tony 19 points
4th Laser Martin Tarling 26 points
5th Finn Laurence Maudsley 27 points
6th Laser Clive Tarling 30 points
7th GP14 Dave and Kat 34 points
1st Lady Helm14th Laser Radial Ann Dyson 69 points
Monday, December 1, 2008
Martin and Tony push up the pace in the Maylandsea Bay Winter Series
Another grey cold day with mountainous clouds over Mundon Spit awaited the fleet. The mud banks crowded with wading birds slowly bunching closer together as a five-metre tide swirled in around the empty mooring buoys. The grey damp coldness wafted across the dinghy park on a Northy 10 knots of breeze. 
The fleet was joined, for the fist time in this winter series, by Mr. Martin Scarth with Tony King in the crewing position sailing a Fireball (a very welcomed visitor from the Blackwater S.C.) As it turned out it was to be Martin and Tony’s day.
The start was a “game affair” with the fleet pushing its luck more and more through each start of the series. The game plan by some appears to be “sod going the right way on port tack to the start line, lets see who we can push on to the submerged spit mud!” As one might think the majority just wished to get on to the line with boat speed on the starting signal and get racing. It appeared to the clubhouse upper gallery (filled with the armchair champions) that there was a lack of response from the panicked port tack boats. On the approach the wicked (lets have some fun) starboard tack boats, Jacko and Keith, let (the welcomed visitor) Martin and Tony do most of the damage with his gentlemanly calls of “starboard” as all three squeezed the Lasers in to cries of (well I cannot quite recall the actual words) but the words “room” or “water” did not feature to much. They were being the cause of misery! Then tacking off on to port, Keith, suddenly had a half-hearted poke at Martin whilst being overlapped, with Dave and Kat (GP14) escaping the carnage running down Jacko, who appeared to be confused that Lorna had turned in to Roger, and in a flash of the eye all four rounded Spit mark and sped off up the windward leg.
It was noted that Jacko and Roger tried the same rotten move in the next race start but with no boat speed and consequently got spat out the back door, to much merriment of the upper gallery.
At the top of the windward leg Martin and Tony were already stamping their authority on the fleet with some very smart spinnaker work on the short tight reaching legs and Tony’s ability to understand and navigate the new Maylandsea Bay course card.
With the second start of the day being as calculated as the first and the wind rising to a tasty 14 – 16 knots the pairing were unbeatable and deservedly took the two bullets of the day.
Keith in his Finn, masterful as ever having made good starts and only whacking one race mark, thankfully not the one the race committee had just finished repainting, and rending turns sailed well, leading Jacko and Roger around most of the second race, despite Jacko’s comments about “do you ever sit out” and “do you ever move in that boat” Keith maintained a healthy smile, and as the wind built in the second race sailed faster and faster finishing with a 3rd and a 2nd.
Jacko and stand in crew Roger Mander quickly found themselves in some new and interesting sailing moves, Roger, a well accomplish fireball helm, worked the front end well but did not quite have the awesome authority (rule of terror) that Lorna appears to control Jacko with. The boat was awfully quiet, and Jacko appeared relaxed, also finishing with a 2nd and a 3rd
Another welcome returnee was Mick Wright sailing a Laser. Mick’s laser skills gave him a comfortable lead on the next Laser sailor, Martin who again had a comfortable lead on Clive. Mick finished with a 4th and a 5th.
So once again we find the winter series going to a cliffhanger finish with one point being the margin with all to sail for. Jacko and Lorna have it all to lose with Keith having it all to gain. The question being, will the wind still be in the north? Will the start get any more treacherous? Will the club upper gallery stop laughing? Has Ron won the splat the duck competition? All will be revealed.
1st Merlin Rocket Jacko and Lorna 6 points
2nd Finn Keith Fedi 7 points
3rd Fireball Malcolm and Tony 16 points
4th Laser Martin Tarling 20 points
5th Laser Clive Tarling 24 points
6th GP14 Dave and Kat 35 points
