RC Laser Northern District TT at Burwain Lake
by Tony Wilson 7 Jun 2017 22:21 BST
4 June 2017
Arrive at Burwain Lake and you are treated to their free wheel washing system - the ford that you cross at the bottom of the small valley pass. Is it always safe to cross as it looked like it was nearly a foot deep, but it's only fresh water anyway.
10 skippers from all over the North and West had prepared for an excellent day of good racing at the new(ish) venue that we have recently started to use.
A good westerly meant we could all stand on the large balcony and view our boats from above, rather than like last time while we paced the beach. Was it better? The only problem for some was it was quite a large course and seeing your number was definitely harder than viewing your regular car number plate at 25 yards.
On to the racing and it was a triangle with a spreader at the windward mark followed by a sausage, all taken in an anticlockwise direction, started and finished directly in front of us.
Trevor was race officer and recorder for the day and there were no major hiccups on his part as most finished in an orderly fashion, usually following Shaun.
The top mark was the one where sailors were coming in from all angles as the wind was lightest there and squally. This was one of the major areas that made you decide to stick with your B sail. The day seemed pretty consistent with wind strength and it was really only in the afternoon that 3 skippers thought they were better off with the C rig.
The run down to the leeward mark was probably the most exiting for some bigger sails, as their ducking and diving caused at least half a dozen tied up situations to the anguish of many.
Apart from the odd spot of rain and the first downpour on arrival, which some thought was hail, the day remained dry and fresh enough for ideal sailing conditions. Burwain is certainly a nice refreshing change to sail with idyllic views and would welcome more of you in next month's RC Laser TT on the 2nd July.
Also the following week is the RC Laser National Championship at West Lancs, Southport.
sites.google.com/site/fairhavenlasers
Thanks to the Burwain club for hosting this event along with Trevor and the rescue boat man.
Results:
1 Shaun Holbeche, 12pts (Fleetwood)
2 John Sharman, 31pts (Burwain)
3 Hugo Chandor, 31pts (Burwain)
4 Rob Wheeler, 36pts (Fleetwood)
5 Dave Foster, 47pts (Furness)