Photos by Grayson family
We all arrived on Friday the 3rd of April at Ullswater Yacht Club ready for some light wind sailing (apart from Sandy who had broken down 10mins from his house). At 9.30am Dave called everyone into briefing to share what he had planned for the day. Only 5 Mirrors went out due to crew being on holiday and breaking down in Scotland with the boat, so the helms that where sat on shore found other boats and went for a sail.
In the afternoon after a lovely lunch Robert Richardson and Faye Caswell decided to jump in to a mirror after Emma Clayton deciding she wants to play around in other boats. When we hit the water one of the activities was 9-6-3-go so get up to scratch with starting. We then swiftly moved on to taking and gybing on the whistle but unfortunately the wind decided to cut off so we headed home.
On Saturday we woke up to thick fog and no wind so we decided to play ball games on the water once the fog had lifted. At lunch we had a debrief and thanked Dave for all the hard work he had put into the North Squad other the years and then got set for racing.
Over lunch the wind had filled in and we got set for our last squad races and the first of the new season. The first start was a general recall due to everyone being over the line. Eventually the race go underway with George Richards and his crew Katie storming ahead to take the win followed by Faye Caswell and Emma Clayton with Robert and Sandy in third. Abi Thornley and her crew Isabel Abbot had a really good beat and where fourth for most of the way. Until the end where they lost it. The next race was very similar apart from Robert and Sandy were second and Faye and Emma third.
Sunday was the first round of the mirror northern traveller. Again the day set of to a foggy start but eventually we got under way. The first race was won by George and Katie, 2nd was Robert and Sandy, 3rd was Sarah and Douglas. The second race of the day was a close one, with lots of position changing all over the fleet. It all came down to the last beat. Robert and sandy were ahead at the bottom mark but were being closed down by George and Katie, Sarah and Douglas and Alex and Emma. In the end Robert and Sandy took the bullet with Sarah and Douglas 2nd George and Katie 3rd and Alex and Emma just missing out on 3rd.
The 3rd and final race of the travellers was a close one. Whoever won out of George and Katie, Sarah and Douglas and Robert and Sandy.
There was a lot of position changing but in the end Robert and Sandy won the race and the traveller.
Travellers Results (3 races sailed, 3 to count)
| Pos | Helm | Crew | Boat | Race 1 | Race 2 | Race 3 | Total | Net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Robert Richardson | Sandy Simpson | Mirror 70806 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| 2 | George Richards | Katy Jenkins | Mirror 70618 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 6 |
| 3 | Sarah Richards | Douglas Simpson | Mirror 70840 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 9 |
| 4 | Alex Baird | Emma Rumgay | Mirror 70648 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 12 | 12 |
| 5 | Rob Dean | Mirror 53561 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 14 | 14 | |
| 6 | Abi Thornley | Isabel Abbatt | Mirror 70785 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 19 | 19 |
| 7 | Toby Timmans | Esme Timmans | Mirror 70456 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 20 | 20 |
| 8 | Abi Thornley | Mirror 70790 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 27 | 27 |
The Monday started like every other day with mist and no wind, but unfortunately the wind didn't come through till the after noon. But that didn't stop us from getting a race in before lunch (as much as George protested) after the start everyone was doing well Toby and Esme were doing very well and were keeping with the top boats but at the top mark Robert and Sandy rounded first with George and Katie following. Sarah and Douglas had sailed a great beat and squeezed in front of Alex and Emma. These positions stayed to the finish. As we happily headed to shore for lunch (apart from George who was annoyed at the race committee because they managed to run a race in so little breeze). Over lunch the wind had filled in and we set off for the last race for the easter regatta. The last race set off with Robert and Sandy leading but by the top mark Sarah had snuck into the lead. Up the next beat the top 4 boats were battling for the lead but in the end Sarah and Douglas won the race with Robert and Sandy 2nd and Alex and Emma 3rd (after George retiring because he needed a wee)
Well done to all the competitors for taking part, thank you to Ullswater for holding the event and to everyone who made the event possible, and also to NeilPryde for sponsoring the event.
Report by Robert Richardson
Photos by Richardson family
