Snakes and Ladders on Maylandsea Bay

A fearsome battle concluded the 2009 frostbite series. The gods of wind set up a horrendous selection of holes and shifts spilling out across Maylandsea Bay.
As the starting flag fell the wind was already looking fitful, with large glassy flat patches spread out. The fleet entered a sailing snakes and ladders game of horror, the sun shone brightly down and the smell of anti fowling wafted out from the Mayland marina; it was race on with Keith needing two wins to win the series.
Jacko, this week teamed up with Alan Wigg, the pairing having not sailed outside the Dog and Duck inner bar for some considerable time but benefiting from years of hangover sailing rumour, as they faced the laser fleet that appeared to fancy their chances being in a pack and looking for team race tactics, taking on all comers on the start line.
It was Jacko and Al who won the start rounding mark 1 first closely followed by Keith sailing the Finn. The race immediately took on a grimly tense tone on this, the shortest leg on the race map. With the two boats going head to head, a shared knowledge of the sailing rules being quoted and the opportunity to receive a penalty, made it more like the night of the long knives and in a moment of excitement it was Clive ‘Laser’ accepted the only turns asked for. Keith had gained the lead with Jacko and Al struggling to find more speed; the Laser fleet were new showing more teeth than you would see in a crocodiles playpen, snapping at Jacko’s transom.
Keith has a keen ambition to take line honours and the two competitors swapped lead boat and number of times as the wind died then filled in from wrong side of whoever had the lead at the time and as Jacko and Al were being attacked from both sides the spinnaker had been swept back over the jib on a 90 degree wind shift, Jacko looked like he knew that this was not to be his race.
Keith took the bullet followed by Clive beating brother Martin with Rorie and Charlotte in fourth place.
So the series came to the wire with Keith having won the last three races, needing just one more win. The start of the last race saw Keith come out the start with top boat speed leaving Jacko and Al for dead but again on rounding race mark 1 and onto the shortest leg to race mark 0 saw Wiggy’s spinnaker work pulling out the winning moves with the pairing rounding ahead executing a smart spinnaker jibe in the lightest of breezes. There followed a little gain and loss on the windward legs but it was the dead run against the tide and a long starboard windward tack to the west on rounding race 2 making enough time to win the race and the series.
Notable: Rorie and Charlotte pulled off the move dreams are made of and put 4 points between the old guard Dave and Gary to snatch the prize for lead Lark, a brilliant move and well deserved.
It should be said that handicap sailboat racing is not real racing and the only hope a competing boat has is that over a number of race days in a series the conditions will have some degree of not favouring one particular class of boat. But we look at racing one race at a time and it is always someone’s favoured course or wind direction and strength. It’s tough to look at a one-man one sailboat sailing away from you when you are putting the teamwork and three sails up to max boat speed and think of the words “fair sailing”.
The Maylandsea club put out a freebee buffet and presented beer and chocolates to the winners. Thanks where given to support boat crews and the race box management. And on behalf of the competitors we would like to thank Doreen Levy for preparing and laying out the food provided.


Next open race is the Challenge cup Saturday May 9th at 11:45
Full results and more info at www.maylandseabay-sc.org.uk/
Thanks to Teresa Giles for sending the photos
Overall:
1st Merlin Rocket Alan Jackson & Lorna Laval 7 points
2nd Finn Keith Fedi 8 points
3rd Laser Martin Tarling 12 points
4th Laser Clive Tarling 17 points5th Laser Peter Playle 20 points

Another grey day on Maylandsea Bay

Another grey day greeted the fleet and for the first time this year it was not at the crack of dawn. A light breeze setting from the west wafted through the assembled competitors with Keith Fedi ‘Finn’ complaining that there was not a windward leg to be sailed and that it was to be spinnakered in every direction and all was lost! All a bit of a ruse on account that at 4 to 6 knots he was likely to be lead boat.

At the start Keith was seen to be digging a hole in the submerged mud that was once the spit at the north outward end of the starting line, with a look of horror in his eye and thrashing the tiller about to free himself. The small but keen fleet headed up the short windward leg to race mark 1.
It was Peter Playle ‘Laser’ who won the start and rounded the first mark first with Martin and Clive, also Lasers, in close contention. The fleet rounded the next mark and on a dead run to spit
was quickly joined by Keith and a short conversation on the merits of rocking to the pleasure of all.
It was to be Keith’s day who with great determination and weathering attacks from the Jacko ‘Merlin’ and the holes and fairies shifts in the wind sailed to take the two bullets of the day by a goodly margin.

Jacko teamed up with Alex Longshank a top notch Pico sailor and although Alex had not crewed a Merlin before put some very neat moves together and handled the spinnaker and Jacko with confidence, sitting out the wind ward legs well and flying the kite at every opportunity. However they could not make up sufficient time and with a couple of errors and a doggy second start finished with two 2nd.

Martin Tarling ‘Laser’, swapping places with fellow Laser sailor put on an impressive display of racing skills using a “get out of jail card” just at the right time to defeat Peter and Clive to finish with two 3rd.
The battle for lead Lark continued with Rorie and Charlotte again winning and narrowing the deficit to two points.
This bring us to the last race day, with three boats in the hunt with two races to come. Jacko ‘Merlin’ and Martin ‘Fireball’ only need to win one of the two races to stop Keith’s challenge to take the series, with Keith needing the two bullets to win on count back.






Next Race Day March the 15th starting at 13:25
Full results www.maylandseabay-sc.org.uk/
Thanks to Philip Spillane for sending the photos
Overall:
1st Merlin Rocket Alan Jackson & Lorna Laval 8 points
2nd Laser Martin Tarling 12 points
3rd Laser Peter Playle 20 points
4th Fireball Martin Scarth & Tony King 21 points
5th Laser Clive Tarling 21 points

No Oscars to be had in Maylandsea Bay

Grey skies still hung over Maylandsea as the fleet gathered to contest races 5 and 6. The tide was rushing in and the wind setting from the North West at 8 to 12 knots putting all competitors in with a chance of a good result. Keith Fedi, Finn sailor making his first appearance in the series (and a welcome sight) is never out of the race and Martin Scarth and Tony King, returning having missed a race day, worked at building up the pre-launch tempo. In the club house the armchair champs were putting an edge on the preceding as the new chef de-lovely was encouraging the assembled to get stuck in to eating more breakfast.
The race box for the first time this year was Bill-less and the fleet, with no expense spared, was reacquainted with the set course card. For the spinnaker boat crew, who had fallen under the delights of ‘grape juice’ or even sadder, Lager a relaxing day was not to be. For the single-handed sailors the sight of short legs and many jibes evens the odds of a good result.
As the starting flag fell the fleet was split port and starboard and some joyful calls were heard ending in cries of fear as the port tackers shook under the starboard boats rounding race mark 1. Turns followed and peace returned only to find Martin and Tony turning their spinnaker into what you might think was a macramé Chrimbo party hat resulting in the pairing travelling to the wrong mark, all in front of the club gallery who were surprisingly polite. Jacko and Lorna Merlin, now lead boat, put together an impressive collection of sailboat team work (and sailing the right course), the spinnaker retaining good pressure through the reach-to-reach jibes and Lorna’s lips hardly moving.

The fleet sailed down to Mundon spit and across to Steeple creek to start the zigzag course up wind with more reaches thrown in for added pleasure for the Lasers. It was noted that Jacko’s wind ward speed was well under the required Merlin pace and allowed Martin to overhaul and make up enough time to win the race by 30 seconds and deservedly so, as Tony’s spinnaker handling gave them an edge on the average Fireball sailor on what was not a boner Fireball day.
For race two the wind backed and the course was set to the West but the wind became unsteadier and good race skills were needed. Again Jacko and Lorna lost the lead to Martin and Tony having made a good start, with good boat handling skills and Lorna’s spinnaker work setting the pace only to lose out on the windward legs has put a big question mark on Jacko’s eligibility as a suitable helm for such a talented crew. Jacko’s comment was “it’s never over till it’s over” and with four races to come he may be right!

There has been some tough racing between the Lark sailors and again it’s not over yet with just three points being the difference and the error factor being critical.
Keith had a tough day loosing the main sheet and taking to the water, but ever the battler sorted and recovered to finish the day with a 6th and a 3rd.
With four races to go the questions are. Can Jacko find more windward boat speed? Will the winds be kind to the Fireball fleet? Will race mark 6 stay afloat long enough to be rounded again? Will Batty ever fly his spinnaker? Can Peter ‘Laser’ close down Martin’s 6 point lead? Will Dave and Gary’s nerve hold good or will Rorie and Charlotte hit the go faster button to take the leading Lark Prize? Is winter frost over? With the next race being a 13:30 start will the softies come out to sail?

All will be revealed on the next race day March 1st 13:30 start with Billy in the race box
Full results and more info at www.maylandseabay-sc.org.uk/
Thanks to Nigel Whiting and Peter Freshwater for sending the photos
Overall:

1st Fireball Martin Scarth & Tony King 4 points
2nd Merlin Rocket Alan Jackson & Lorna Laval 6 points
3rd Laser Martin Tarling 9 points
4th Laser Peter Playle 15 points
5th Laser Clive Tarling 18 points

Maylandsea Frostbite: races 3 & 4

With a light grey sky, high clouds and the sun looking to break through, the Maylandsea fleet gathered at the club slipway. With races 3 & 4 postponed on Feb. 8th due to torrents of horizontal freezing rain, the feel of a soft, cold breeze from the WSW was encouraging
The fleet appeared amazingly cheerful and revved up with no fear of being frozen to death and as the long legged Lorna wafted through the fleet returning from a girly night out! Jacko appeared unusually respectful, as Lorna is a fearsome crew when liquored up
The bacon butties and coffee were consumed, the course was set, and as the starting flag fell the breeze had built to 8 knots and the tide was setting on to the line with good pace. The fleet favoured the centre of the line and a good start was made all.
It must be said that it was a good Merlin day and with no way that Martin the leading Lasers could make time down the long run against the flow of tide, the outcome being Jacko and Lorna taking the two bullets and Martin two seconds.
Clive, ‘Laser’ failed to make his recently found starting form and falling into the second Laser position, finishing with a 5th and a 3rd.
It was good to see Ron and Paul, ‘Merlin’ making a good start and hanging on to the back of the 505 to finish 3rd. Sadly Ron’s toe strap failed depositing Ron in the drink, the pairing failed to start in race 4.
Dave Russell and Gary Jackson sailing a Lark, sailed a good race and with places changing and the wind being a little shifty always looked to be in the right part of the course.
Race team Trembath sailing a Topaz are upping their pace and are now to be seen flying a spinnaker and putting the moves together, looked confident on the windward legs.
All in all this was a good day to be out sailing on Maylandsea Bay. (No frost, no ice) The seals gathered off Lawling point (5 off) and the splendid sight of the hundreds of wading birds taking flight from the submerging mud and salting is a stunning sight; the sun breaking through the cloud and warming the spirits, the dense cold wind all made this a treat to be there.
Thanks for their help must go to the support crews and the race team at M.B.S.C.

With March 15th being added to the series there are three race days to come with two races per day and 5 races to count. The series is still open.
Next race day Feb. 22nd at 9:30 start
Full results and more info at www.maylandseabay-sc.org.uk/
Thanks to Philip Spillane for sending the photos
Overall:
1st Merlin Rocket Alan Jackson & Lorna Laval 4 points
2nd Laser Martin Tarling 6 points
3rd Fireball Martin Scarth & Tony King 13 points
4th Laser Clive Tarling 13 points

Maylandsea Frostbite: Arctic to spring in a blink of an eye

It would have been a hard choice, whether to stay in bed or chance your luck in no wind/subzero temperature, or blowing old boots and freezing. Sadly the majority of the fleet stayed in bed.

But then the trees encrusted with frozen mist started to drip as the sun blatted out a week of life threatening cold weather in a matter of minutes. It was a different world, blue skies a warming sun and a 15 knot S.W. breeze.
The hardy gathered sailors were somewhat overwhelmed and out numbered by non-sailors gathering in the clubhouse. There was much chatter and the downing of bacon rolls and coffee with that splendid smell that wafts out and surrounds the dinghies rigging outside.
The support boat coxswain and crew looked impressive standing in green and ready to do business. The ladies in the galley were busy and welcoming the visitors in a way that made you wish to spend more time drinking the coffee. The race box this week blessed with Mr Bill Wright and his better half Barbara, and last but not least Evelyn and Brian Darby looked after the sailors entering and making the club a better place to be.

By the time the fleet (small but beautifully formed) lined up to start, the wind had freshened. The fleet favouring the out board north end of the line started well (except for Martin and Tony who appeared to be fishing!). The course being a short windward leg followed by a thrilling down hill leg to race mark 5 laying off Mundon Spit and a hearty windward leg in the full force wind against the tide that makes the post Christmas racing a real joy to watch and as the fleet rounded race mark 2 out side the club house windows (now full of teeth and eyes) Martin and Tony ‘Fireball’ were setting the pace.
It was a feast of capsizing carried out as solo acts and in formation with all three Lasers hitting the water at the same time. But with true athletic style, legs and arms flaying around, recovery was impressively quick. There was an alleged seven capsizes with the Taling brothers counting two each, but it may be that some have missed nomination for the Diving Duck Trophy in this series.
On the day Peter Playle acquitted himself well with little error and good boat handling around the marks to finish with two 4ths to be 4th overall.
Jacko this week was saved from gloom by arched rival and best bloke, Ron Suffield, who on a late call filled the front end when Lorna pulled a sick note (in the frosty, no wind hours of Saturday). Ron a Mecca of sailing enthusiasm took to the front-end crewing job thank god “not like a duck to water” but settled down to the awesome task of readjusting his crewing techniques. He was heard to say that his respect for Elizabeth’s (Ron’s Merlin crew) crewing skills would never be questioned again.

The new pairing started well but sailboat racing is about the finishing and with Jacko’s desire to look at the south bank and Ron’s legs being in the air every now and again, the sail was fast and not boring with the Merlin showing good speed (in the wrong direction) finished 2nd and 3rd to be 3rd overall.
Martin Tarling returned to the front line and as ever cutting the custard and being very nippy with the capsizing and making little error finished 3rd and 2nd to be 2nd overall.
Martin Scarth and Tony King ‘Fireball’, who missed winning the Frostbite 2008 series by the narrowest of margins, have stamped authority on the fleet, recovering form; not with the best of starts but with good boat speed and skilful boat handling, excellent race knowledge are the team to beat taking the two bullets placing them 3 points clear in overall lead.
The Maylandsea Bay Frostbite series has three more race days, 8 races, 4 to count, plus one reserve day.

Next race day Jan. 25th starting at 10:25 with two races.
Full results
Thanks to Philip Spillane and Peter Freshwater for sending the photos
Overall
1st Fireball Martin Scarth & Tony King 2 points
2nd Laser Martin Tarling 5 points
3rd Merlin Rocket Alan Jackson & Ron Suffield 5 points
4th Laser Peter Playle 8 points

Maldon Mud Race 2009

With ice frozen along the high tide line and a nippy wind from the N.W. 250 competitors took to the task of out running, or crawling, the 500 metres of the finest Essex mud to be found with the river Blackwater to cross and return to complete the course.








This is one of the most demanding fun things to do on a Sunday morning. With half a dozen Batmen stuck in the mud, the twenty or more Farther Christmas’s splashed past only to be overhauled by Brer Rabbit, four Bank Robbers and a nippy bloke with bright green hair; the two fairies and Wonder Woman had a bit of a race on.

The winner of the day was the event itself with thousands of pounds being raised for local charities. The skies deeply grey, almost brightened as the race finished and the cold-water showers provided to help remove some mud amazingly didn’t freeze the Donald Duck or the inflatable tree to the tarmac, maybe due to the body heat from the thousands of on looking race supporters.

As a sailor getting wet is not on, and being wet and trashing through the mud is not the thing to do and to be avoided like the plague.
I have the greatest admiration for the
competitors and the winning chap made it look easy, although a fall near the end looked like the chap with the green hair do may have stolen the race.

By the time fifty-first competitor found himself wading through the same mud as the previous fifty runners life become a lot harder, but not as hard as trying to park your car anywhere near Maldon! It was a great event to see and had a good feeling about it, much as Maldon does itself.

Next Race Day is at Maylandsea Bay S.C. Jan. 11th 10:40 start

Harlow (Blackwater) Race Box Takes No Prisoners

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……..