RC Lasers at Fleetwood Model Yacht Club

Fleetwood RC Laser Northern Series round 4 © Tony Wilson

Another club event and well attended. 12 Skippers including Derek, Shaun and John Sharman, so we had some quality and the rest of us would just have to work really hard.

With very little wind if any to start with, a bit of puzzlement to where we were going to put our start line, until we saw some ripples in the water by the far corner pump house.

It was always going to be from the south and we settled for a small triangle to start with all taken to starboard and making it two laps. Derek suddenly realised that he had left his radio gear in the car and it was heading back home. Trevor to the rescue with some spare in the mean time, but it took until the third race until it was sorted.

A passer-by was amazed to how much everyone's concentration was taken up without falling in, when suddenly Shaun took the dip. Full submersion transmitter the lot, climbed out of the lake and was still able to claim second position on the second race. Shaun had won race one previous and was now on his way to dry off. It seems his transmitter wet rain cover had saved the internals from disaster.

Derek up and running straight away won race 3. The fact that we were starting over by the corner, meant we had a very short beat to the boathouse, then diagonally across and back to the start buoy. Some folk were walking round and returning for the second lap and others stayed foot on the car bank side footpath. It was this that was causing some confusion on sighting the far buoy by deception on distance while rounding.

Fleetwood RC Laser Northern Series round 4 - photo © Tony Wilson

The wind was dying off again towards lunchtime and we were never going to get out of 'A' suit. Bunching up at the far bank was causing quite a stir at times and best was to keep clear of any commotion or go wide. Any early drizzle or mist had disappeared and we were off for lunch and it was John Sharman that was ahead on the points.

Out again to the lake and nothing had changed and we were keeping to the same course. It was only for the last couple of races that the wind WOULD start to veer. Derek and Shaun although racing good had a couple of their early morning discards to evaporate, but who was worrying.

14 races later Shaun had clinched the day. He'd had most of the wins along with Derek a few, leaving Peter and John S. just one each. John had managed to take second spot with having some good averaging, mainly at least six second places past the finishing mark..

This weekend we are again back at Fleetwood for a Northern District event and the forecast is rumoured to work its way around to the West, eventually.

Results:

1 Shaun Holbeche 26pts
2 John Sharman 36 pts
3 Peter Isles 43 pts

Fleetwood RC Laser Northern Series round 4 - photo © Tony Wilson