Is anybody else making this trip? I'll be leaving Friday morning, it's a bit of an awkward place to get to and I've never sailed there before. I hear it's a really nice place, is there a Pub near by (walking distance)?
Looking forward to seeing the usual mob and I promise to stay out of trouble.

Sorry guys, lack of Job means very reduced sailing activities until job arrives.

Only travel I am doing this year is the ECPR.

You can camp in the field opposite the club for a small fee (£5 a day last year). Pub up the road as well. I'd avoid the club food in the evening as it was a MASSIVE dissapointment last year.

I'll be there Saturday morning.

Mark if you are definately going over on Friday give us an Email or ring as I wasn't intending to go Friday but if there is a good pub nearby then just maybe I could be persuaded. As for you keeping out of trouble, absolutely no chance.

I think Pepin, myself and Paul / Anne are coming up from Datchet, not sure of any others.

Is there any camping at the club ? do we have to pre register for camping ?

I'm not sure about camping Wayne. I'm sure you could find a quite corner of the boat park it looks big enough! Here's a link to the relevant website accommodation page.
http://rutlandsc.co.uk/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=50&Itemid=84

Unfortunately it says on the accomadation page of the website that camping is forbidden but evidently there is a campsite next door. My guess you will be bringing your tow vehicle "the van" so perhaps that may not be such a problem for you,

Found any good local watering holes yet, now John Terry maybe able to help us on this matter, John are you out thereeeeee.

All,

The club is open all day Friday. I will be there Friday at about 5:30 work permitting. I take my Grandson down to the Junior club. Camping is available in the camping field opposite the club. Caravans or Motorhomes are catered for. It's basic, no electric hook ups, no toilets. You can use the club facilities of course. Bunk rooms are available in the club also. Contact the club office to book the rooms.
http://www.rutlandsc.co.uk/cms/index.php


Nearest pub is 1/2 mile down the road in Edith Weston Village. The club provide good food Friday evening and all weekend as well as a bar, usually open until there are no customers left.

The NOR is on the web site http://rutlandsc.co.uk/cms/index.php...=468&Itemid=94

Racing starts on Saturday with the first race Warning at 12:54. 3 back to back races Saturday. 3 races are scheduled for Sunday with the first race Warning at 10:24. On Sunday there may be a break between the first and subsequent races with the subsequent races being sailed back to back.

Look forward to seeing you all again

John

Ann and I will be there. We can't make it over on the Friday night, so we'll be there Saturday morning.

See you all at the weekend!

Paul

The wind forcast for Sat/Sun took a major dive over night from avg 13mph to 5mph. I'd be really happy with anything in between! I'm still planning on leaving Friday...The idea of leaving before 05:00hrs on Sat morning and rushing till the race starts isn't appealing at all.

Anybody got good paddles?

Mark, what boat are you bringing over? I saw on your blog a blurry picture of a "MP-Multihulls design" hull, what's the story on that thing?

Ask the Tax Man!
I'll be on the Stealth this weekend and the Nationals in August.

I have 3 in my box. Enough to go round. Ignore the forecast. You can never tell at Rutland what will happen. XC weather is currently predicting 8-12 mph from the east for Sat and Sun.

Well the weather forecast said it all, at the start of the week it was 5knots rising slightly, by Friday it was 20 knots, well the actuallity of Saturday was 24 knot average with gusts to 35. Yes the race officer did send us to the very far corner of the dam and yes we did have to survive until after the F18's started and there was only one left standing, racing was duely abandoned.

But what a fantastic facility is Rutland Water and for anyone in the UK, you should put it on your "to do list". With the accolade of RYA club of 2008 one could only admire the facilities, the huge expanse of racing area and for the friendly and dedicated race crew, all hats off to them to try and organise the racing in such strong conditions.

Sunday was much the same with some really strong squalls but probably 15 to 20 averages with some dead patches and some really strong patches. Never the less about 25 intrepid souls did start with 4 races run.

As far as the F16's go, we were lumped into the fast handicap start of all boats except the F18's, mind you the F18's only had 6 boats turn up and we were the next biggest class with 5. In with the Shadows, a couple of Hurricanes, a lonely FX1 and an assortment of other boats.

Who were the winners, well to be honest I have to say the Shadows with their small sail plan and small spinnakers were probably the ideal tool but the F16's were up there as well with Paul/ Anne and to a lessor degree the others all taking the lead at times and winning over the fleet. But and its a big but here, we all did go swimming pretty regularly with the wind getting so strong in some of the puffs that even dead downwind, the kite would still have you over. Best 2 hull dive I've seen for a while was Paul and Anne, lovely sight but then worked out I was next in line of the squall.

I haven't any results as yet but would presume the Shadows handicap would put us down the fleet a way. Lots of breakages from falls and the likes also saw our fleet numbers drop off towards the end.

Plenty of " pub " action, some good food, lots of chat, tall stories of dare doing, what more could you want to spend an enjoyable weekend. So cocooned in the sailing were we that we didn't hear ( dispite every newspaper and newscast ) of yet another MP's method of "cooking the books" , ah bliss

Wayne,

Shame I could not make it!!!!!! Did John find / Fix his mainsail?

I had a quick look at the results before we left. Shadows 1st, 2nd and 3rd, I think. Ann and I were 5th, and Mark was a few places behind. We'll need to do a little work for the TT results as in the 2nd race we were 7th and Mark was 9th due to the handicap - Mark was actually just ahead on the water.

We really enjoyed the racing on the Sunday, and were very pleased with first on the water in the first race (one pesky Shadow got us on handicap...)

Looking forward to the next one

Paul

Despite the very strong winds it was still a very very enjoyable weekend. It took 5hrs to drive there and 4.5 to drive back. The meal and drinks on Friday night were spot on. Walking back to Clubhouse early Saturday morning there was no wind and a clear sky. However, after a couple of hours sleep things had changed and just after launching according to the GPS I was traveling at 15-17knots towards the starting area (pepin lent me one of his three GPS units). As Wayne has previously stated whilst waiting to start the wind really picked up with some of the strongest gusts I have ever sailed in. At times whilst beating back to shore with my boards up 150mm or 6", the traveller down the track 225mm or 9", lots of downhaul etc. It felt as if the whole boat was getting blown backwards, trying to trap was difficult as I was getting blown backwards so often.
An afternoon in the sheltered boatpark filled in the time before more food and a little less drink.
Sunday morning and we were all pretty eager to get back out on the water. Unfortunately, John had family commitments so there was just Paul & Anne, Pepin, Wayne and myself. At the first mark of the first race at which none of us had good starts Paul had managed to pull up to third place by hitting the right hand corner, I had gone to the left and ended up mid fleet. I think Wayne and Pepin went up the middle? Downwind was a blast sailing both lower and faster than the shadows. The start finish line was deemed an obstruction on the downwind leg and due to it's size (length) and location on the course made for some quick tactical thinking as going to the left of start line you were always in danger of having to bear away in the gusts pushing you ever closer to being the wrong side of the committee boat. After three laps Paul had stretched out a comfortable lead on myself, Wayne wasn't too far behind either and Pepin brought up the rear. The second race started and the gusts were now a little more frequent and from a more westerly direction. Paul was again leading the F16's but was on the wrong side of the downwind leg (right) Pepin was also on that side of the course. I was trying to go more or less down the middle but on just having passed the pin end of the start/finish line a gust caught me, I didn't react quick enough and went for a dip. After sorting out the spi and righting the boat I noticed that both Paul and Pepin were also both capsized so the race was still on. Wayne lead for the next lap but snapped a centre board and I took the lead, Paul continued to race and finished second. However, on one of the runs he had to pass through the start/finish line on the downwind leg so the jury is still out as to whether he will be scored 2nd or 6th (DSQ) for the F16 TT results. Pepin retired with a broken cross bar but did lend Wayne his centre board. The Wind was still veering to the West so there was quite a long cold wait before the course was re-set and race 3 started. When it did I had my best start and was first boat around the windward mark for the first and second laps. Yet on the last run I went totally the wrong way and Paul, the Hurricanes and a good few Shadows overtook. Wayne retired with a broken snuffer bag and joined Pepin in the boatpark. Prior to race 4 the Course had to be altered again so due to the time and weather (increasing wind, decreasing temperature) both Paul, Anne and I decided to call it a day, sailed ashore and packed the boats up. After which we went for Coffee and decided we should meet up for more racing more often.

Nothing to add to those reports really. Saturday was the craziest hour I spend on the water ever. I've seen the GPS showing me 17 odd knots on the way to the start line, dead downwind with two bows burying, and that was without the spinny! After waiting for a while in the start area I decided to go ashore before the start, too much wind for me. The beat back to the club was a challenge! I got there as Paul and Anne where bringing the Blade up, they turtled on the way to the start line and came back right away. Wayne and Mark followed right after. Boat DIY and beer followed.

Sunday I had a rubbish first race. I started last, followed Mark to the first mark, but then I banged the wrong corners, missed a couple of tacks and botched a snuffing. At least I was in front of the FX-1...

The second start was way better in the slighly stronger wind. But I capsized while snuffing the spinny on the first downwind leg: the boat luffed in the gust which send everyone but Wayne down and I went over holding the rudder bar to correct. Net effect was a broken rudder bar and retirement after finishing only one race

Interesting to see the high speeds of nearly 18knots 10 second averages on the loggers, need the balls to get out on the wire in those conditions as I'm sure it would have been faster still.

Well, it seems I missed an exciting second days racing. I did get my sail repaired for the Saturday. Re-inforced clear tape did the trick though I must thank Wayne who turned up with, not only a spare main sail but a sewing machine also. In what other class would this have been possible. A big thanks to Wayne.
I have asked the club to post the results on the web site. Not sure why they have not done that yet as they are usually very prompt. Those pesky Shadows cause me trouble every week. It's very difficult to beat them over the water in anything above a 15knts and almost impossible to beat them on handicap in anything less.
I'm looking forward to meeting up in Mumbles again in July/Aug. Lets hope the conditions are a little more temperate.