How good was it. What was the story of the day?

Great winter sailing,  sunny,  moderate breeze,  only issue direction not best for lake,  so all a bit crowded

Thanks Northampton yet again.  7 zeros were racing, 4 aeros (only two owned ones I beleive) of varying rigs.

This year the clubs have found results a challenge,  mainly on lap counting and the bigger fleets.  There doesn't seem to be a standard way of recording,  each club does it differently,  we are looking at standardisation going forward.

Still waiting on results

I think most would agree the ok handicap is a little harsh Jon, no one is ever really going to argue that.  However is that not for a py thread??  Or maybe for the ok owners to moan about, because where I am sat they all look pretty happy.  One of my best mates races and Ok, he is a very good sailor I beleive his personal handicap in his ok is something like 120 points off that of the standard py.  Not bad for a boat with an obvious handicapped, handicap.  Or maybe it isn't so bad across a range of conditions?

http://GJW.SailRacer.org" rel="nofollow - http://GJW.SailRacer.org

Yes YDSC very good at getting results published both at the club and to us.  IMHO best to get something out quickly,  even if provisional

Dunno about Nick Craig but it looks like a couple of EPS's might have gift wrapped his botty..

Makes me wonder what a Beard powered EPS could have done to him..

Graeme, it wasn't my finest ever result.  Some fairly massive mistakes on my part really.  There was an EPS that was going very nicely indeed!  But to be honest It was hard to spot anything other than a few boats in front of you it was that busy!  Hopefully next year the wind will blow from another direction to allow for a proper beat and some kind of separation.  I always felt like I was stuck in third gear if that makes sense??  

I've had two excellent results this year so far thanks to mine, maybe it's time to take it on the road...

Err, the results say EPSs 34 and 78, First Aero 23 and Zero 32.

Nick 9th, beaten by 2xPhantom (1st and 3rd on their so mean PYS, 4 in top 15), 2 300, 1 each Contender, RS600, Blaze and Laser 

What's your older Phantom PY  ?

Yes would be interesting to re-process,  fits in with our project on Age related handicaps 

Hadn't realised the second one was back that far, but in any event the first one would have been an ordinary human I'd guess, as against some flown in sky jockey in an Aero, and in light wind imagine what could have happened with somebody really good with a beard in an EPS.

Tin rigs sail off 1035 at Hunts. Thanks very much.

On that age of boat it will be one of the heavier GRP hulls as well wont it?  

Graeme the guy in the EPS was a pretty good sailor from what I saw.  I cant ever remember being beaten by and EPS on the water before.  But that's probably because I have only sailed against a handful

Did a test and he gains 4 places,  obviously didn't apply the logic to other boats but shows the principle 

Thanks very much 

and that is one of our key objectives of making more use of handicaps to acknowledge all performers,  regardless of being in a brand new boat.  

Well from what I've managed to google in order to rebut any further Frensham Pondsailor bollox, he appears to be a young guy from Haversham whereas the Aero guy again from my googling appears to be an Olympic Aspirant from the 470 squad.

Oh and do I need to remind you of  Broxbourne EPS encounter..

https://www.youtube.com/user/rbcg105" rel="nofollow - This one I think could be wrong of course..

Maybe they need to change his picture on the website, looks quite young from where I'm ageing..

I think i still beat you Graeme?  If you remember also the boat I was sailign ahd a problem with the mast collar..... The chap in Eps  is quite a good yachter certainly better than me  here are his results in other fleets http://enter.sailracer.org/sailor_results.asp?sailor=Richard%20PAKES

He got a Masters prize at this year's Nationals, but I have no idea how old he is.

If anyone has any tuning info for a tin rig boat - Wavelength mast - it would be much appreciated.

You've got to do something about that mental attitude, nobody is better than you, if you think like that you'll be content to start in the third rank, not really push for it and generally be content and happy with yourself for ever dwelling back there, you've actually of late gone way up in my estimation I'm almost embarrassed to say and now it's time to punch through to the next level, now you have a decent boat.

 Now this EPS guy, he sails a Supernova off sail no 666 and looks decidedly strawberry blonde what can I say? He hasn't got a beard, if he grew one it would be a similar colour to your own, next time you need to focus on him, bury his ass on the line, ask him some personal hygiene question and how he copes with it, with three seconds to go, be really nice to his wife or girlfriend before the race, ask him if the wings on his EPS are holding up ok, stuff like that..

I seem to recall is it not that much overweight but it is fragile in places (and has evidence of many repairs in 2 particular spots).

Ha ha thanks Graeme.  To be honest and in all seriousness the attitude thing is spot on.  just been texting Dan about it.  As unbelievable as it may sound  I am a stress head, i don't cope with it well never have.  It troubles me in life as well as sailing.  I am often blinkered by it and this weekend was no exception.  

I hate being in a rush and helped my pal rig his boat in the process snapping his traveller, meaning I had to re-splice him a new one with not much time to spare.  It stressed me out.  I lost the plot.  My boat speed was very good looking at the replay's, my starting was fine.  But I was concious not to get into to many battles for fear of exploding and making a show of myself ala the Aero sailor.  

If I keep myself calm i perform much better.  Its a failing I have in life as well as in a boat.  I get it, just learning to cope with it.  

I have always been a very, very bad loser but i have learnt to deal with this (had to being sh*t at most things) however it has meant i have lost some of the 'Killer' instinct.

So to improve my performance and move on to the next step I need to keep calm, remember it doesn't really matter and concentrate on my tacticks.   I hope that doesn't sound like i am making excuses, My result is a result of exactly how I sailed.  I am fairly happy with how to sail and setup a Zero now, my boat handling is pretty good  its just my head that needs really sorting.

But thanks for the kind words Graeme, from someone with your experience in both life and on the water it means allot.

White...with whiter patches. The repairs are where the side decks round over into the cockpit (same place both sides)

It's been troubling me that I could sail that boat to pretty damn near it's handicap on a pursuit but never in an actual race, yesterday we had similar light conditions which is where like it or not I'm quite quick, so I ran the course got all my tacking angles dialled, got a rough idea which way the wind was shifting when it did, lined myself up for a half decent start then punched out with the first rank, rounded first and pretty much held the lead all the way round. Then about the time I usually lose focus, the Bandito Bros in their Buzz got through me so I had to re focus sharpen the f**k up and get them back and by them pushing, I managed it, won over the water and got a 2nd on corrected which for me on a sunday morning was a major breakthrough, so now I've done it twice, once in the pursuit and once in an actual race, but.. and here's the clincher.. only because I wanted to and needed to prove to myself it could be done rather than just accepting that EPS was never going to cut it on the small lake, it's all head stuff, nothing physical or settings, or any other clap trap, it's just your head, ninety percent of the time, get it straight, well informed, calm, collected and focussed then use the force..

There's a rider mind you, it only happened because the bandido bros had bribed the race officer to lay an assym friendly course (for the kids in the feva, not them of course. )

I was thinking it was a different boat, sorry don't know the history of that one.