Horning Regatta 2016

[JennyMorgan]

1 minute ago, JanetAnne said:

I once caught the mainsheet of my Brown Boat round the end mooring post of WOBYC's jetty trying to be clever round the outside of a mark. 

Never knew you could stop so suddenly! I can still hear the cheer from the bar 30 years later 

 

We'd just fitted backstays to our Waveney, as I cut past that very same post the leeward stay lassoed it, the mast broke off just above the pole shroud! An unfortunate position for a bar.  

[TheQ]

Someone with no witnesses, except their own crew in a sailing cruiser, many years ago managed to lasso one of the channel markers on Hickling broad on a very windy night during the 3 Rivers Race, I believe the mainsheet equipment was screwed to the top of the  stern, which removed the top plank on impact. I know I've banged a boom on a post there, on a misty night on the broad.

At HSC, several boats have managed over the years, to sail between the mooring posts on the other side of the river from the club, which is all right unless you lasso something or find the user of the mooring has put a rope between post and bank side!

Last year a Laser Sailor who was struggling on a windy day, went in there to be brought to a halt by a large Moored Metal Motor Cruiser, He tried to get out and finish the race But the wind pinned him between Bank and cruiser and we had to rescue him which actually was quiet difficult with limited manouvering room and the wind determined to keep the boat pinned in there. As He was Last  anyway, Everyone was watching!

[Poppy]

3 minutes ago, TheQ said:

Someone with no witnesses, except their own crew in a sailing cruiser, many years ago managed to lasso one of the channel markers on Hickling broad on a very windy night during the 3 Rivers Race, I believe the mainsheet equipment was screwed to the top of the  stern, which removed the top plank on impact. I know I've banged a boom on a post there, on a misty night on the broad.

 

 

I'm often asked 'why don't you have a stopper knot on your mainsheet ?' I am always untying the one on the end of the NOT's White boat as well. Something magical about that one - it keeps retying itself almost every time I'm out with it 

[Poppy]

What was I saying about knots and mainsheets ?  This afternoon on Barton Broad ( NOT a Nancy Oldfield boat) The crew and associated bits of flotsam were rescued by the Trust safety boat.

[TheQ]

That's appropriate all you can see of Orange Tip, is the tips of her sails.

[LizG]

OOPS it was windy or a mishap

[Polly]

Yacht Club bars exert a force field so that any idiotic mess made of sailing occurs where it can be fully appreciated by those propping up said bar.  Fact.

[TheQ]

Just having a look at next weeks forecast during HSC Regatta racing time

Saturday, 6 to 3 mph Westerly, possible, showers, High Tide 09:23.

Sunday,10 to 12 mph Westerly, sunny, High Tide 10:30.

Monday 6 to 3 mph Westerly, Sunny, High Tide 11:29.

Tuesday 6 to 1 mph Westerly to Northerly later, sunny then cloudy, High Tide 12:22.

Wednesday 10 to 15 mph Southerly to Westerly , rain likely, High Tide 13:08.

Thursday 8  to 14 mph South Westerly, rain later, High Tide 13:50.

Friday time for the big finish, 17 to 25 mph Westerly, possible showers. High Tide 14:28.

Temperatures mostly around 20C but 24C or 25C on Wednesday.

 The tide, makes a serious difference to the sailing at Horning, I've been swept up river at 1mph against the wind in a rescue boat!!. So when for most of the week the wind is so light, some will struggle. If there were no non-competitors around the sailing boats would use right up to the bank to get out of the tide when sailing into the tide.

The wind, a Westerly / South Westerly is perfect as it comes straight down river toward the club meaning the fleets are sailing into the wind at the start and so are well split up by the time they get to the first buoy. For non competitors a westerly /South Westerly means you are less likely to get a solid wall of boats running towards you.

 

[LizG]

We are here and ready to sail

[TheQ]

A cup of coffee and I'm on my way....

[TheQ]

Saturday.

Well, I went up with others to Black Horse Broad, and laid out the course. By the time we left the Broad the wind had changed!!! 

So it was back to the club a pasty for lunch, and get ready for the tow up. We started the tow in light drizzle, but by the time we got there it was bucketing down, and did so for an hour which killed the wind. The start line crew hard reset the course a couple time as it kept changing its mind.

 Once we started Racing I took position near the first buoy, as this is most interesting with the crowds of boats on the first lap. 

Incidents on Saturday 

An enterprise cut across the front of a white boat which neatly put its bowsprit through the mainsheet, causing the enterprise to be towed backwards for a few yards. The white boat crew managed to untangle the ropes but they lost three places while doing so.

At the end of the main races there was a enterprise single handed race, while waiting for that and not paying attention the lad capsized, so I got the lads father on board the rescue boat and while my crew held the enterprise he got on board and bailed like mad. He just managed to empty the boat and get back on the rescue bot in time for the last race.

Later that evening  we had club films from 1964, 1982 and 1989. I do hate seeing film of myself 34 years ago..

While that was beginning one of the young boys 12-14? Who learnt to sail here, arrived clutching a large Trophy, he had come second in the national schools sailing held at Gorleston last week which finished Saturday. Well done!!!

 

 

[TheQ]

Saturday I forgot this,

The rebel fleet decided to go one buoy round the wrong way every lap in one race, which was fine until the other fleets arrived at the same time then there was chaos!!!

The Reedling fleet managed to miss a buoy entirely in one race and retired themselves.

Sunday.

While sitting on the club house frontage at 07:00 when a Richos Finesse came hammering up the river leaving a trail of rocking boats behind them. I waved at them to slow down and amazingly they did and stayed slow on my sight. Where they thought they would get I don't know, they would have arrived at Wroxham long before the bridge pilot or anything being open.

 While the traditional church service was on, I was on Black Horse Broad with my rescue boat crew and part of the start line crew setting the course, yet again the wind kept shifting,  so I didn't get back for the tow, However when the course was set I went over to see why a Herbert woods boat was moored on our club pontoon. It turned out they had a split engine hose and were awaiting Rescue. HW rescue turned up during the first race.

The two incidents today were:

The broads cruisers started their race 5 minutes early, somewhat dominating the toppers  that were meant to start then. I had to go for a quick drive round to tell them to go back.

A Rebel had it gaff attachment failed bringing down the gaff,  which luckily didn't hit anyone so we towed them back to the pontoon.

Sorry no pictures, my new action camera got stuck on video and I've had to let it run down to reset it. I'll try again tomorrow.

I'm off to get a Chinese for my evening meal...

 

[Timbo]

Just a couple of quick questions Q...

1. There's a course?  An actual route they are supposed to follow?
2. So what sort of shape is this course? Is it oval like a race track or zig zag from side to side of the river?
3. What do you use to paint the start and finish lines, I mean obviously it's not emulsion...that would be daft, possibly gloss or maybe a radiator type paint?
4. Is it 'Q' as an English 'queue' for the post office or is it a Norfolk 'Q' as in 'Popped into Coo Dee's for some broken biscuits'?
5. At the Olympics do the yachts all bash into each other and such?

I think it's unfair the rescue boats don't get to race...perhaps get them all together on Oulton Broad? Looking forward to the next update!

[JanetAnne]

49 minutes ago, Timbo said:

 

I think it's unfair the rescue boats don't get to race..

Has anyone told WOBYC that?  

[Vaughan]

1 hour ago, Timbo said:

At the Olympics do the yachts all bash into each other and such?

No problem Timbo, as there are official "calls" that helmsmen can make, to establish their right of way according to the racing rules. Some of these calls are obligatory. For example :

STARBOARD! This means that you are on starboard tack and so a boat that is about to shove his bowsprit through one of your cabin windows actually has to go about. If you are on port tack, but shout "STARBOARD!" loud enough, the other boat might tack anyway!

WATER PLEASE! The "please " is optional, as the call actually means "give me some room you ******** or I am going up the reeds!"

LEEWARD BOAT! If you are the leeward boat, you yell this at anyone to windward of you, in the hope that they might tack and go away.

WINDWARD BOAT! This is what the windward boat yells back at you if they consider they have established an "overlap", and can therefore sneak in front of you when rounding a buoy.

MAST ABEAM! This does not mean the mast is coming down on your head but is actually the means of calculating that you have established an "overlap" as mentioned above. The only way to officially establish this position is : (a) by protest to the race committee and/or : (b) by reference to your insurance company. Both of these measures are, sadly, taken after the event.

YOU ARE BEARING DOWN ON ME! This has nothing to do with the Saturday evening regatta dance but usually occurs at the start of a race, when a yacht that has established a course close-hauled to the start cannot be forced down by a boat to windward, which would otherwise be left with no room and would therefore be "over" when the gun goes. In this situation a yacht must "hold its luff".

YOU CAN"T DO THAT! This is the cover-all, and must be declared loudly, especially by skippers of White Boats who also happen to be the Commodore of the club holding the race. The agreed response is "Well I have just done it!"

Jimmy Clabburn senior always liked to helm Evening Flight in the All-comers "A" race on Wroxham Broad as he reckoned she was the only boat in which he could beat the Stars over the water. In his youth he had been an Olympic trials helmsman in the Star class. One day, the open day of Wroxham Week, he had established a perfect line to the start, on starboard, but had a Norfolk Punt to windward that was bearing down on him. Only about 50 yards from the crowded clubhouse, he called out "Hold your luff, PUNT!"

[JennyMorgan]

1 hour ago, JanetAnne said:

Has anyone told WOBYC that?  

Ah ha, the infamous, nocturnal dory race. Not held in recent years, not since the Boat House Party has been sanitised.

[LizG]

On the Broad the course can be pretty random.  For instance today it was 2X53Y4 - each number/letter indicating a bouy.  1 2 3 and 4 are positioned at corners in the broad, the rest have to be found before you start.  When Q said it rained, it really did and the water was up to the floor boards in the white boat before the start.  Made roll taking the white boat easier but gave extra ballast as well! On the river, the course is more straightforward, up to one of the marks, back a bit, up again perhaps not so far and back to the club house to finish!!! A few photos from yesterday taken by my daughter.  I asked her to take some photos of the rain but she declined.

I should add that the old films were amazing, but 1964 film didn't show any escapades of Forester or Evening Flight in the dinghy dyke, however, the film was produced by David Hastings!

[BroadScot]

24 minutes ago, Vaughan said:

give me some room you ******** or I am going up the reeds!"

Oh I do like that call !  I bet Gracie does too !

Iain

[Timbo]

3 minutes ago, w-album said:

On the Broad the course can be pretty random.  For instance today it was 2X53Y4

Random you say? There's letters in that number and I fear that's algebra. Talking of letters I have a letter here from Mrs Trellis of North Wales which reads 'Dear Vaughan you are messing with us and these dinghying rules smack more than a little of Morning Crescent!'. She goes on to say 'You were very good in The Man From Uncle!".

 

[JanetAnne]

13 minutes ago, Timbo said:

Random you say? There's letters in that number and I fear that's algebra. Talking of letters I have a letter here from Mrs Trellis of North Wales which reads 'Dear Vaughan you are messing with us and these dinghying rules smack more than a little of Morning Crescent!'. She goes on to say 'You were very good in The Man From Uncle!".

 

[TheQ]

The course set on both days was roughly the letter M, but with a link across the bottom to get you back to the start for next lap. The buoys on Black Horse Broad are set with:

Number 1 near the Hoveton road side Horning end,

number 2 buoy near the Hoveton road side Hoveton end,

Number 3 buoy near the river side Hoveton end,

Number 4 buoy near the river side Horning end,

Buoys  5, X ,Y are set as required any where on the broad.

The course set set so the first leg is straight into the wind, this splits the boats up before the first buoy

 the second leg is set as near as possible coming back downwind, but not into the start line

The next leg is again almost into the wind,n

Often we have a short leg which would widen the top point of the M to get the boats, across the roads so as not to have everyone crossing in the middle.

Then back down the other long leg of the M as across the bottom to start then next lap.

Time for you to draw this on paper!

The buoy numbering appears Random because the start line has to be moved to achieve a start into the wind

So for instance yesterday with the wind from the Hoveton roadside Hoveton end the bouys were set,

  first to 2, the most of the way back but across to the riverside to X,

then up to 5 which had been  placed to the left of 2 but not as far as 3,

Then across to 3

down to 4 

The across the bottom to Y to start the next lap.

This gave a course of 2P,XS,5P,3P,4P,YP

The p being port indicated by the letter being red on the course board.

The S being Starboard indicated by letter being green on the start board.

The start line has Three buoys,

an orange keep out buoy, which stops people running over the HD weight ropes, disqualification if you go between the committee boat and that.

An green inner distance mark which is one end of the start line

 Triangle on a buoy marking the out end of the start line.

 It is the boats duty to stay behind the line at the start, if you are over a hooter is sounded and you have to restart without getting in the way of the other competitors. Which means youve just gone from the front of the fleet to the back!!!

 

 

 

[TheQ]

The start line at Horning SC on the river, is from a triangle which swings out from the mast to aline with one of the lettered boards A to D, on the other side of the river, set as depending on wind direction. The start line crew watch the start, ready to sound the hooter if you're over the line,  but it is more difficult to get back in the restricted water.

For historical reason the buoys are set.

Buoy 5 is by southern Comfort to get people back to the finish,

Buoy X is near SouthQuays yard entrance

Buoy 1 is on the first corner up from the club.

Buoy 2 is at black horse broad entrance,

 Buoy 3 is in a bay half way towards Dydlers mill.

Buoy 4 is at the mill

Buoy Y is round the normally reserved for the cruisers and may e as far as wood cutters

All the buoys may be moved somewhat closer to to club if the wind is light.

The course board is on the start box and may be set say like,    3, 4P, XP, 3P,5P 

The initial 3 being a black letter indicating 3 laps.

If the race is shortend they sound a hooter at X and you sail straight back over the line to finish.

 

[TheQ]

Zigzagging

You cannot sail directly into the wind, think of  sailing upwind / into the wind, as squeezing a orange pip between your fingers , the wind pressure one side, the water pressure on your keel the other. So you go forward, but  the wind pressure is to one side . Many zigs and Zags are required, to get go your destination upwind on the river or broad. Mostly boats end up sailing  at 45 degrees to the wind to go upwind, as they will this morning as the wind is blowing straight down river towards the Swan Inn.

Right I got the rescue boats ready at 06:00 ish, the days start line/galley/  race entry people are arriving and to 08:00 cannon goes of in almost Fifteen minutes.

Time for a coffee and a bacon butty. 

[BroadScot]

1 hour ago, TheQ said:

Often we have a short leg

Wow! They even play cricket in a Regatta !

Iain

[TheQ]

Monday,

There was quite a reasonable wind this morning  so many of the boats were sailing up to buoy 3. Not too many hire boats to ask to stick to the right hand bank,  they and the privateers were very well behaved .

From the point of view of sailing the only hazards were the broads yacht Maidie being towed alongside through the fleet during maximum chaos time, with its mast hanging out a huge way over the stern and later the wherry Albion provided a good wind block as it sailed up to Black Horse Broad.

We rescued a lightening dinghy whos crew was unable to get back on board, it was difficult at first to get to him as he was right in the middle of the fleet. We pulled him onto the rescue boat then he climbed back on board his dinghy to retire.

We also fished a broken fishing rod out of the water, no owner, reel or hooks. But line on the rod, dumped because it was broken?

When the wind dropped at first in the afternoon, much of the fleet were running down wind on the their way to buoy 2, then the wind came up for a while. Of course, when the wind restarts, it does so from behind, so the boats at the back get the wind first and then those at the middle then those at the front. This concertinas up the boats so huge amount boats all arrived at buoy 2 at the same time which caused some interesting manoeuvring as they were packed from buoy to bank.

I saw a laser pushing off another with a large boot, and shouted out about who was going to do the 720 degree penalty turn and one of them sheepishly did start spinning while trying to keep clear of the rest.

Later the wind became very light several of the cruiser class had to retire as the were unable to make there way against the tide. 

Right it's time for bingo, with  fish and chips. Luxury here..... and the odd beer.