tter Weekly
Issue 31/2016
Thursday 20th October 2016
Oppie Sailors Return to Fill the Dinghy Park
Last Saturday saw the
dinghy park full of cheeky
grins and laughter as our
travelling group of Oppie
sailors returned to the
club to join in with Otter
sailing once more. With Jonny Beale eager to try out some
new skills he’d been learning (more on that later) and John
Mears, Mark Flynn and Reg Cook all on hand to assist with a
rescue mission (just wait for the picture), Justin was able to
return to Laser fleet training with Paul while Gavin and Steve
looked after the Handicap Fleet.
Meanwhile, in addition to the
regular sailing, a group of senior
Otters, parents and trainers
were taking part in an RS200
training weekend which served
to add to the jovial atmosphere,
particularly when Carl and Jason began discussing their aim
not to capsize!
Sailing This Saturday
All Racing Fleets
RCYC Super Saturday
Arrive at 8.30am to launch safety ribs Briefing at 9am Race start at 10am All entrants must pre register by Friday 6pm by emailing [email protected] Please be sure to advise your name, boat class, rig, sail number and crew details if applicable. River 1 & Non Racing Optimists We hope to be able to run a non racing session for those in the oppie groups who wish for it – spaces will be limited so please email corinthianotters@gmail by Friday 6pm to let us know if you wish to sail. And then of
course there was Josh doing a spot of rowing – no longer
on his own heading up and down past the end of the
pontoon but
this time with
our very own
(and very famous) Transatlantic
rower, Charlie Pitcher, who had
taken the time to give Josh some
one on one coaching!
As always at the end of the morning session the regular team of trainers and
helpers were back on the pontoon to assist with the recovery and washing down
of safety ribs before we all headed into the club house for a well earned lunch. After lunch it was great to see so many Otters
competing in the afternoon Club racing; four in the
RCODS and one in the Dragons. Then on Sunday
huge praise must go to Sophie for agreeing to crew
at the last moment on the ‘Orange RCOD’ in 20 Knots (with gusts of 30 if the
BSC report is correct)…. especially as it was only Sophie and the Chairman on
board!
Oversized Guest Oppie Sailor Causes Chaos to Racing Report by Mark Flynn
In between Jonny working out what wardrobe he need to be putting on, we got the group doing some simple follow my leader and for a few minutes we had a great straight line as they work on boat speed. This followed by tacking round the cans, and being as close of possible when taking into account the tide. After a few circuits they were all were getting the hang of it (although some a bit too close and hitting the buoys!)
Finally some fun races with a guest adult causing chaos cutting out marks which then prompted others to follow and copy him!! At least the kids know they are not supposed to copy him in his helm position in an Oppie! Guest sailor finds the optimist dinghy a little on the small side….. Lasers Launch First – yes FIRST!!!! Report by Justin Waples, Pictures by Paul Main The lasers were off the pontoon first this time (how on earth did that happen -­‐ Ed?) and were quickly into a sequence of windward leeward races across the river just past the R&C pontoon. Colette was showing good early form until she came back down the run early in one race with a popped rivet, a quick swap in the dinghy park meant she was soon back on the water. Meanwhile Tom took his chances and was ruling the roost with Christie working hard at his tail, although Lizzie, joining us for the first time from the Handicap fleet, on at least one occasion beating her elder brother to the first mark, so having bragging rights I fear all week over Tom. Natalie after holding back form one start, was soon learning the art of hovering on the line, and was subsequently far nearer the rest during the other races. We then decided to visit the Handicap fleet, so up everyone stood on windward deck – (Colette’s idea and why wouldn’t you?) and as we sailed over, the instruction to tack the boats while standing up did mean that a few got wet sprinting around the mast! After a standing up race, we all returned somewhat damper than we’d started the day Josh Gets Expert Rowing Tuition We’ve all seen Josh Bennett bobbing up and down in one of the Otter rowing boats over the course of the last few weeks and last Saturday was no exception – except this time Josh was out on the water for some truly expert training with our very own Transatlantic rower, Charlie Pitcher, and they went a long long way past the pontoon! Charlie even brought the boat! Josh was beaming with delight when they finally came off the water and hugely enjoyed the session. He said the hardest part was keeping in time with Charlie, having been used to only going out on his own before – although by the looks of the picture he certainly seemed to be doing pretty well! RS200 Training Event Report by Carl Anderson Several Otters / trainers/parents took part in a 2 day RS200 training event over the weekend at the club. Coached by John Lewis both experienced and novice crews found it to be a very useful weekend. We hope to run something similar again before the start of next season.
John used video clips of each day’s successes and mishaps, played back on the big screen in the otter room to debrief us. Sailors ranged from lightweight crew Freddie Pitcher and Ben H-­‐P up to myself and Nick Peel which shows what a versatile boat the 200 is. Sunday saw wind speeds gusting over 20 mph which was difficult but all of us were planing by the end of the day. Traveller News Otter Zone Squad Success Last week we reported that a number of our Optimist sailors were waiting to find out if they would make it into the 2016/17 RYA Optimist East Zone Squad – and the news is e xcellent!!! Optimist sailors Felicity Brellisford, Jemima Cook, Ollie Mears and Imogen Palmer all m ade it into the squad! A tremendous achievement by all and hopefully makes up for all those many hours spent on the road! The sailors will now receive some intensive tuition over the winter season as part of the squad which can only mean one thing – yes – new thermals for Christmas! Ben H-­‐P Jumps Straight into RYA National Feva Squad We also reported that Ben Hutton-­‐Penman had been offered a place in the Intermediate Optimist Zone Squad but decided to turn it down due to his continued growth rate – a decision which can’t have been an easy one. However, the following day Ben received the news that he had been selected for the RYA UK National Feva Squad along with his crew Lucy Hewitson of HISC! This was a fantastic achievement, particularly when taking into consideration that the two had only sailed together a couple of times before! Charlie Bacon on Winning Team at RYA Junior Team Racing Event One time Optimist sailor Charlie Bacon was off strutting his stuff at the weekend quietly competing in the RYA Junior Team Racing Event held at Oxford Sailing Club. This is a national event with the top sailors from different classes all sailing in Fevas as part of a Team. Charlie was representing the RS Tera Pro class and they won overall beating all the other Teams. It was a gruelling weekend of round after round of racing -­‐ culminating in a show down between Charlie's team and a Team of sailors from Hayling Island which included Optimist National squad sailors and 420 sailors. Well done Charlie! For the full report on the event visit: RYA Junior Team Racing Boats for Sale Section Have a boat for sale? Looking to buy a boat? Otter Weekly can help. Adverts can be placed w ith [email protected] and are free of charge to Otters. If your boat sells you may wish to make a small donation to the Otter Fund which will go straight back into training and supporting Otter sailing. Optimist 3737 -­‐ Ready to Sail This boat comes complete w ith lightweight launching trolley, 2 sails (1 training, 1 racing), foils, bailer, praddle, foil and sail bags. A regular w inning boat at Otter Week this boat is a great buy for any child moving up from the Pond Group. Priced at £600 Contact [email protected] For Sale - RS FEVA 694
Recently purchased from a farmer friend in Suffolk, he’d purchased it for his children 5 years ago to sail at Aldeburgh, literally used 3 times by them (cricket was their sport!), so has been stored in a barn for all those years. Brand new m ain sail, jib, and (still crinkly) spinnaker with renewed jib and spinnaker sheets, additional mainsheet ratchet, new elastics, and the main and spinnaker halyard. Foils and hull in good condition. Ready to sail! Price £1,200 Call: Justin Waples on 01799 586 556 or 07769904844 For Sale - RS Tera 2323
RS Tera 2323, launched 2012. Double national championship winning boat and 2nd in the Worlds. In very good condition and lightly used as was a second boat. Both Pro and Sport sails, two m asts, top cover, mast bag, good foils and centreboard bag. All the racing kit. Priced £1,500 ono Call Nick H-­‐P on 07810 854357