Squib Inland Championships at Rutland Sailing Club

Malcolm Hutchings and Andy Ramsey battling the strong winds on the first day of the Squib Inlands at Rutland © Alisdair Gray

Alan Johnson and David Garlick during the Squib Inlands at Rutland © Alisdair Gray

Saturday 3rd October

Forecast for the day was 20-22 knots, gusting 32-35, but up to race start time things were looking okay with 18-19 knots with gusts of ‘only’ 28. Over 30 boats came out to race. But then a solid 30 knots blew in and stayed (Force 7 Near Gale, whole trees in motion, inconvenience felt when walking against the wind). Squibs will race in force 7 gusts but this was getting a bit much. Racing was cancelled for the day and no one was sorry to go in.

Sunday 4th October

The race committee keen to get three good races in with long beats within about three hours.

Race 1 - windward/leeward

Bright sunny day winds NW 8-10 knots. Attempted ‘blue peter’ start but fleet over the line and so it was black flag for rest of the day. Started on first black flag with fleet well shy. Malcolm and Fran Blackburn, 96 Moonstone, led the first lap with Roger Harris and Mark Thompson, 127 Misfire, second and Dave White and Peter Ballam, 83 Easy, third. As the race proceeded, Harris & Thompson overhauled the Blackburns to win. Alan Johnson and David Garlick, 132 Cariad Bach, took third ahead of White & Ballam with Bryan and Jenny Riley, 73 Brimstone, in 5th.

Race 2 - triangle and sausage

Wind became more shifty, swinging through as much as 40°. Fleet bunches at starboard end. General recall and many lucky not to be black flagged as the PRO’s tape recorder failed to work! Got away on second start. Dave White led from Brian Holland and John Stephenson, 798 Dream On, all the way round. Alan Johnson followed up to finish third.

Race 3 - triangle and sausage

Moved the start line back as the wind flicked from right to left and back again. Two attempts in the pressure of getting the races in. Then moved start line again but two black flagged when the fleet bunched at the pin end.

Mike Budd, in his first year in a Squib, with Dave Endowes in 137 Harry II, led at the end of the first leg from Johnson & Garlick in the fading winds, now at 6-8 knots. With the pressure of time as the fleet had to be pulled out that afternoon, the race was shortened at the top of the next beat. Johnson and Garlick went left with good tactical sailing to overhaul Budd as David Wines and Tony Procter, 828 White Magic, pulled up from 8th to 3rd.

In the constantly shifting winds Alan Johnson and David Garlick in 132 Cariad Bach were the only ones to show consistency, scoring 3,3,1 to take the overall prize – yet another victory for this outstanding team this season. Having won the South Coasts Championship, been runner up in the Nationals, they have now won the ‘Inlands’ for the first time.

A neophyte at Rutland (from Eddie Harper)

The Weymouth Sailing Club was represented at the National Squib Inland championships held at Rutland Sailing Club, by 'greenhorn' Eddie Harper and Steve Dadd in Quicksilver 564. Arriving just before 1400 on the Friday, weighing and launching was an arduous affair and it was nearly three hours later before Quicksilver’s bottom was immersed in the fresh waters of Rutland Water, a man made water storage facility to supply East Anglia.

Being at the end of the 'summer' the water levels had dropped about eight feet and weed was in abundance, great piles of it were being raked up to allow the ribs and nanny boats access to the pontoons, whilst huge swathes floated on the surface creating an instant brake to the unwary.

Saturday dawned bright but slightly breezy; however the race officer after making his way to the dam end of the horse-shoe shaped lake was happy with the constant 22 knot breeze with 25 knot gusts and signalled ashore that the racing programme would proceed.

Struggling to hoist the main whilst dodging the violently thrapping jib Eddie suggested that the wind was easily over 30 knots and thought that we should abort. However, watching other Squibber making their way downwind to the start line some two mile distant, we didn't want to appear as 'soft southerners' and hoisted the main and slipped the mooring backward at about 10 knots.

Literally screaming downwind, we were quite not sure of the wind direction because we had forgotten to re-fit the Windex before raising the mast. This made for some interesting sailing as the wind shifts were up to 40 degrees in either direction due to the shape of the lake, trees, buildings and land.

Making the committee boat we decided to harden up to see how she went on the beat –Bang - we were knocked over filling the boat with water. As she slowly righted herself, it was a gamble to whether to sit on the rail to keep Quicksilver upright or drop down to start pumping out the huge weight of water now swilling around the tops of our boots. We had by now decided to retire.

We made it back to the mooring with the majority of the fleet as they had come to the same decision as us. This was not sailing - this was survival.

After drying out and the abandonment of all further racing on Saturday most decided to become tourists; some hired bikes to ride around the lake, a few went horse riding, and others visited the local stately home and gardens. Eddie and I, not to be out-done, went to Melton Mowbray and toured the Pork Pie Museum where we took full advantage of its products and collected gifts for wives at home.

The Saturday evening championship dinner back at the club house was a riotous affair with speaker after speaker recalling some amusing event or incident and the race officer narrowly missed out on 'Dick of the Day' as most thought that he was reading his anemometer back to front - a 52 MPH gust was recorded on the lake, slightly different from his 25 knots.

Sunday morning arrived far too early and stories of the previous evenings frolics were swapped in the breakfast queue. One group went to a club in Stamford, left in the early hours and found that they had almost run out of funds. They only had enough money for a taxi to drop them some ten miles away. They arrived just in time for breakfast!

Out on the water, a gentle 10 knot breeze and glorious sunshine greeted us as we lined up for the first start. Two general recalls later and the black flag was raised with yet another general recall. The race officer relied on a Dictaphone to record those who were over … and he had forgotten to switch it on so those that were OCS got away with it.

The first race was over in less that 25 minutes but was an interesting affair as our course went straight through the middle of a wind surfing championships course. The windsurfers were not best pleased and some came over and politely told us so in their best Anglo Saxon. Quicksilver did quite well despite Eddie and my best efforts. We gracefully rounded the top mark last but she managed to claw back 11 places by the finish.

That was to be the high point of our day. A good start on race two and tussles with the 'top boys' on the first beat, a crisp hoist at the top mark saw us in a good position with more boats behind us than were in front – but we suddenly parked up and about fifteen boats sailed past us, the weed mentioned earlier having attached itself to our keel and rudder. An inglorious last position was awaiting us.

Race three started on a black flag and this time those OCS were disqualified. Again Quicksilver was around the top mark in good company but a poor hoist, the spinnaker halyard caught up in the spreader, saw us drift back down the fleet. Second from last was our reward. Only when were back ashore did we realise that in our desperate attempt to hoist the kite we had pulled the port hand spreader up to almost vertical giving the mast an unusual shape.

The most painful part of the weekend now revealed itself, one by one the boats were towed from the swinging moorings to the pontoon where we waited for the tractor and trailer to haul us out to the crane in the boat yard. The crane was a simple 'A' frame type affair. Hooked onto this we were lifted off the trailer and the road trailer was reversed underneath.

After being made secure it was a trip to the car park and drop the mast and make the boat ready for the journey home. Three and a half hours had passed. It certainly put into perspective Alan McDines organisational skills and Dean and Reddyhoff's facilities and what a great job they did at the Nationals.

Alan Johnson and David Garlic from South Caernarvonshire walked away with the top prize and we drove away with our heads buzzing with all the useful tips we had received on how to make Quicksilver go quicker - although most contradicted the other! To finish on a plus point the boat has had a thoroughly good wash in fresh water and hibernation is the order of the day.

Overall Results: