Horning Regatta 2016

[TheQ]

A couple of minor things I forgot, the line crew decided buoy Y would not be up at woodcutters, but between buoy X and buoy one. This is so the beginners can turn at Y instead of mixing it with all the other fleets at X.

And also....

At one point at rescue boat i was in started sinking!!!, It was not the boat i normally use, as that was busy cutting the weeds in the dykes. We were up at the first corner from the club when it started gaining water, so the crew started pumping as I drove back.

What had happened, was a plastic bung failed it's locking mechanism, most odd, as we had been on the water for a couple of hours. We wouldn't have actually sunk as there is plenty of built in buoyancy but we would have got very wet feet without the pump.

[Timbo]

Thanks Q....I'm all set for Rio, got my rules, pencil and paper for the course and fresh batteries for the remote in case of clashes between the yachting and ladies beach volleyball!

[TheQ]

Tuesday,

Dull drizzly and not a lot of wind.

The sailing seemed to go reasonably well but for several retirements from lack of wind. And there wasn't much happening till I spotted a bathtub doing its best to squash a white boat against the bank. I went over to signal the bathtub to come forward to clear the white boat and the driver  came forward leaving the controls while moving, claiming we didn't know how to sail, didn't know the rules of navigation and he was an ex navy man.... Well I suspect by the rough northeastern accent and the fact he was covered in tattoos I doubt he was the navigation officer probably more like a stoker!!. ( I am not insulting Geordies ).

Later just as I had REQUESTED a hire boat to keep right and slow to avoid the sailing, a boat started to overtake and I pulled out rapidly to get round to the drivers side , which caused him to slow slightly, before I could say anything he appeared out of the cabin shouting that "You upstarts have no authority to tell me  what to do, how dare you try to stop me" ( or words to that effect) since I hadn't said anything or tried to stop him, that's quite some statement.  I think SOME who own a new Broom 45 are have an exaggerated view of their worth or their place in the real world.

The last two races today were a cruiser race and the officers / retired officers of the club race. By this time the wind had really dropped and I was glad to see one boat ahead retire, so I could lift buoys 2 and 3.

On getting to the corner we received a radio message to move buoy 1 nearer the club, as the officers were struggling to reach it. Another rescue boat did that. But when we got near that buoy we were asked to move It even closer, which we did. Then the wind totally stopped and the race officer arrived in another boat and set up a finish line and we moved the bouy to a few inches in front of the leading boat. After a few minutes they finished and that a few minutes later so did the others and we could pack up.

Right quiz night to night and I need a pint....

[BroadScot]

7 minutes ago, TheQ said:

Right quiz night to night and I need a pint....

Two pints, surely !

[TheQ]

1 hour ago, BroadScot said:

Two pints, surely !

Not when you're kipping the back of a landrover and it's a hundred yards over a foot bridge to the loo.

[TheQ]

A couple of not very good pictures, how to frighten the tourists.

[BroadScot]

5 minutes ago, TheQ said:

1 hour ago, BroadScot said:

Two pints, surely !

Not when you're kipping the back of a landrover and it's a hundred yards over a foot bridge to the loo.

Oh dear Q, not only do you rough it on them flappy things, you rough it in a land rover also ! Oops !!

Iain

 

[TheQ]

3 minutes ago, BroadScot said:

Oh dear Q, not only do you rough it on them flappy things, you rough it in a land rover also ! Oops !!

Iain

I should get the  motorboat back this month and then I can drink as much as I like ( unless I want to sleep all night)

 

[BroadScot]

16 minutes ago, TheQ said:

A couple of not very good pictures, how to frighten the tourists.

......and Gracie ! 

[TheQ]

One of the side effects of the reduction in pollution of the broads is more and more water lily and water weed growth in the rivers. This is causing many more sailing boats to catch weed round the rudder  and impede their sailing. Similarly I've seen more motor boats this year with steam coming out of their exhausts instead of gurgles of water. I guess from blocked weed filters.

Another effect of modern times is, I went to charge this tablet in the clubhouse last night and couldn't find a free mains socket!! Every non "needed for club use" socket was plugged into a mobile phone!!! 

And talking of last night, the team I was in won the quiz last night!!! not that it was a lot to do with me!! Many subjects I didn't have a clue and so I was on here for a while, till the internet went off.....

It was drizzling earlier, but now at 06:30 I can see some blue sky!!! Yippee!!!!

[Vaughan]

Jimmy Clabburn once taught me that lilies will only grow in three feet of water, so you can safely tack a White Boat into them, up to the reeds, without going aground.

Don't blame me if it doesn't work!

[TheQ]

Wednesday,

 Yet again started dull and drizzly, but quickly dried up to sunny with scattered clouds.

Today we managed to have an incident 1 minute before the start, a private non competing very large broads cruiser sailed up river close hauled on port tack. Arriving just as the larger dinghies Were getting ready for their start.

Unfortunately as he cleared the Swan in he caught the increase in wind coming down the river towards the Swan accelerating him into the fleet putting his bowsprit under the mainsheet of a national 12 towing the national 12 backwards and throwing the crew overboard. This cause a loss of steering in the broads cruiser which then ran into a nearby bank damaging the national 12.

Once crew and N12 were rescued the broads cruiser was towed to one of our nearby quay heading as it needed to fix it's damaged bowsprit. Later the two boats exchanged details and all was sorted amicably.

There was much more wind today and some competitors decided not to sail, the Rebels and White Boats were ordered by their fleet captains to have reefs.

We rescued a topper dinghy which managed to get into a death roll going downwind ( rocking from side in ever increasing amounts till you capsize) the tip of the mast dug in and the boat needed pulling out.

Later we had the scouts rowing downriver in a gig, oars all Over the place so that created another hazard.

 When I arrived back at the club there was a hire canoe on the front, that had been rescued by the club with two young ladies in it. They had been unable to paddle back up river against the strong wind.

I was very disappointed to find no Yeoman's went out in their last race today , Yeoman's love strong wind. I was not suprised to find only two entries into the ex servicemens race. Sadly many of our ex servicemen are no longer fit enough for those conditions. I hope to be able to enter that race again, once my sailing boat is sorted. It took me 30 years to win the trophy the first time, I don't want to wait that long again...

I can hear the vintage Broadsman aka the getto blaster coming up river, time to retire to safe safe distance to save my ear drums..

 

[TheQ]

Our numbers are a bit down this year I'm told, mostly because there is a major regatta for optimists in Scotland  (Largs) this week and for toppers also in Scotland ( North Berwick)  next week. So our best sailors in those classes are away and of course they take their parents so we lose more sailors. There is only so much time a parent can take off of work at a time.

I didn't quite make it back to the landrover straight after typing last night, a friend in the club staying in his motorboat offered me a glass of wine....

It arrived in a near half pint glass, nearly full and was topped up later......

 

I slept well.....

[TheQ]

A picture for Gracie roughly at the site the incident but these competitors are much smaller and innocent!!

[BroadScot]

Awe look Grace, flappy thingies ! Grace....Grace come out from behind that settee ! 

Iain

[Gracie]

   NEVER..............The Q's thread about the Regatta is excellent but I'm quite happy reading about it on my lappy behind the big blue sofa, thank you very much

Grace

[Poppy]

5 hours ago, Gracie said:

   NEVER..............The Q's thread about the Regatta is excellent but I'm quite happy reading about it on my lappy behind the big blue sofa, thank you very much

Grace

Still waiting for you aboard my big flappy thing Gracie 

[BroadScot]

9 minutes ago, Poppy said:

Still waiting for you aboard my big flappy thing Gracie 

Its a nice sail to Rotterdam, Grace. Done it many times with P&O 

Iain

[Gracie]

When I am able Pops my lovely, I will be on your flappy thingy like a shot, sailing with you on Barton Broad, a bottle of wine and a Poppy joke or two, bliss

Grace

p.s On second thoughts, scrap the 'Poppy jokes bit' lol 

[Seriously]

Hi Q 

what's your thoughts on sat 6th August .Do you think there will much traffic  in Horning mid morning ? 

Karlos

[Poppy]

3 minutes ago, Seriously said:

Hi Q 

what's your thoughts on sat 6th August .Do you think there will much traffic  in Horning mid morning ? 

Karlos

Since the regatta finishes on Friday..... probably little more than a usual August Saturday morning.

[Seriously]

1 hour ago, Poppy said:

Since the regatta finishes on Friday..... probably little more than a usual August Saturday morning.

Yes that's what I thought. Thought they might be like me . Party has finished but I still want to party 

[TheQ]

Poppy is on that one,  though Some years ago, the club did get accused of having a sailing boat, with white sails and hull ( that really helps in identifying who it was!?), damage a private boat during the regatta, though the date given  was that Saturday  after the regatta, when were weren't racing!!!

Thursday,

Silver spoon day, these days only silver plated, not solid silver, a teaspoon for third, a middle spoon for second, and a dessert spoon for first. I have a lot of teaspoons, not many dessert spoons.

The day started beautiful and sunny, yippee, but a bit too much wind, white boats and rebels had to have reefs. They ran the dinghies as a separate series from the keelboats for safety, although that didn't give me much time for lunch.

In The afternoon the wind  dropped down and reefs were not required. There were a few dinghy capsizes, but they sorted themselves out. The last main race had to be shortened, as after the rain, the wind died. The special evening race, "juniors helming fixed keel boats" (very brave owners!!!) had to be set very short. For that race my crew was the helm of the national 12 that was impaled yesterday, he said they had no injuries and luckily only £50 of damage.

No real incidents today and all the passing motor cruisers were well behaved.

Although my day did become more interesting when one of the barnes-brinkcraft,  10 person cabin day cruisers, went past with a beautiful young lady 18 -24? Standing on the back. Wearing a hoody top and a pair of very lacy knickers. Why? I have no idea, but it did brighten my day just before the heavens opened and I got very wet.

 We rescued ,10 ft branch floating down the river,  an aluminium handled mop in good condition, and a tin of snake brand, prickly heat cooling powder.!!!

 

 

 

 

[LizG]

I will add here that team Chalkhill Blue (my white boat) has had two very good days with borrowed helms.  Yesterday my old helm Phil Montague helmed and had three firsts!  Today, Paul Howes took her out in the two white boat races and won the Horning Challenge Cup (combined results of 27 boats split between classes) and in the last Mixed Keels, I borrowed Tom Heaffey despite a drop in wind and he also won on handicap.  Tomorrow back to me helming as the wind had dropped.  And yes we did get soaked and I nearly had a swim this morning whilst furling the jib from the shore, the crew was pulling in the stern line and I found my body being stretched across a gap.  I just managed to avert the inevitable!!!

Liz

[LizG]

I should also add my thanks to everyone involved with the organisation of the event.