2023 17-18th June DF Weekend at Manor Park RSC, race report

It was a splendid weekend.  Enough wind to allow a full number of races, plenty of warm sun to show off the shades and sunhats and a chance to meet old friends and make new ones.  There was a compact race team of Colin Walton (PRO), Garry Box (ARO) with Rob Radbourne as boatman.  Then Graham Whalley, Dave Buttress and Gordon Sears joined us on the Sunday allowing the Manor Park team to race with some success on both days. Darin Ballington arrived early on the Saturday and the Sunday, to help with setting out the course, with Tracey as moral support.  Darin leapt into his normal role – laying out a fair course, into the Easterly gusts and shifts.  This was displayed on the unique MPRSC magnetic course board.  At no stage, throughout the weekend did anyone sail the wrong course.  After several cancellations (some due to family surprises on Father’s Day) the full TT levy was paid for 54 entries, and a fleet of 22 yachts sailed in one fleet on both days.

On the Saturday, with DF65s, John Tushingham (51) rather dominated, with firsts also achieved by nearly everyone in the final top 9 places. Those Manor Park wind shifts were the cause, meaning that 5 or 6 places were commonly won or lost on the beat to the windward mark number 6.  Maybe the wind did something different at No. 6 buoy.  Yachts were colliding all day with the buoy and each other, on every lap, as well as missing it altogether.

Mick Chamberlain (46) won one race and celebrating by over-balancing off the jetty into the lake.  He was more shocked by the inflating life jacket, than hitting the warm water.  Evidently, Mick has fallen into the lake at a minimum of 6 other venues.  No one else was driven to celebrate victory in the same way.

The wind changed from East to Northeast and then South before going back to East.  Start line buoys were moved and then put back.  The experience of the skippers showed with only 3 start recalls, all in the same race.  The racing was friendly, help was given to new sailors with their sail trim, turns were taken quickly, finally one last race, number 17, was taken and time was up at 16.15.

The pictures below are by Garry Box.

Sunday, with DF95s, turned out overcast with threats of rain of a tropical intensity, plus thunder and lightning, at the end of the afternoon.  Perhaps it was due to the slightly longer course, with the gate marks 1 and 2 further downwind, which was identical on the Special MPRSC Magnetic Course Board, as almost no one bothered hitting Buoy No.6 or piling up in a port and starboard tangle at the windward mark.  The effects of the gusts seemed even greater with positions almost never the same on the first and second laps.  The wind was slightly stronger on the Sunday, and the yachts slightly faster, so that by 15.00 we were ready for the final race number 16.  The thunder sounded like rolling artillery fire in the distance and the grey storm clouds passed by to the South, towards Rugeley.  At the end of the first lap on the last race, the wind dropped to zero.  Racing was abandoned with everyone happy to get out of the torrential rain.  Congratulations to Craig Richards.  There was impressive sailing all round and never time to stick to one or other side of the lake regardless.  There are a number of new slightly younger sailors, who are challenging the established race order, which bodes well for an exciting future.

The first few places received a copy of a 3D printed dragon, in descending Mummy, Daddy and Baby Dragon sizes, concealed in a drawstring bag.  The unique dragons can be seen worn round the neck by both days’ winners.