31st March 2019 Race Report

Barnwell 7

Dramatically Brian Pollard and Cilla Gilbert, in the Club’s Bosun, were dismasted in the moments before the start, leaving four boats to scramble across the start line at much the same moment. The winds being south-easterly they started towards the Tamar Lake dam with Nathan Pollard’s Laser having the acceleration to pull ahead and round Dam Green in the lead. He stayed ahead racelong, lapping Vicki Duncalf’s Topper and finishing some ten minutes in front of anyone else. Jane Anderson, reduced to a Topper by the strength of the gusty winds, nonetheless took the first buoy in second place and shot ahead of the Bosun helmed by Adam Hilton and crewed by Paul Petvin and Tom McKee. The Bosun’s battle was with Vicki Duncalf whom it balked at various buoys before getting legitimately ahead on lap 3 (of 5). Applying this year’s handicaps changed winners into losers.

  1. Jane Anderson (Topper)
  2. Nathan Pollard (Laser)
  3. Vicki Duncalf (Topper)
  4. Adam Hilton, Tom McKee and Paul Petvin (Bosun)

DNS: Brian Pollard, Cilla Gilbert (Bosun)

Tamar 1

The Pollard/Gilbert Bosun now had a mast but it was last over the start line. This turned out to be an advantage because it had time to avoid the fast starting Laser of Nathan Pollard which capsized at Dam Green causing the Hilton/Petvin/McKee Bosun to lose time avoiding it. Vicki Duncalf therefore began the long run up the lake in the lead; however Nathan Pollard soon caught her up and was never again headed. Brian Pollard overtook the Duncalf Topper which continued its earlier scrap with the slower Bosun which never got far enough ahead to overcome its handicap disadvantage.

  1. Nathan Pollard (Laser)
  2. Brian Pollard and Cilla Gilbert (Bosun)
  3. Vicki Duncalf (Topper)

Grateful thanks were given to Vicky Herbert and Sally Wills who ran the races, to Bob Sampson and Roger Heasman for safety boat duties and to Mandy Pollard for photographs.