Wanderer National Championships at Cotswold SC – 28/29th September

Cotswold Sailing Club occupies one of the lakes in the Cotswold Water Park complex south of Cirencester. We have visited on a number of occasions over the years for our Inlands. This was the first time they had hosted our Nationals.It was with some trepidation that the Wanderer fleet scanned the weather on the week leading up to the event. We were wondering quite how big the lake would have grown with the September rain, and if maybe we would have been able to sail over the road and into South Cerney SC. As it was, the lake was only up by a few inches. There was no rain over the course of the event, and the wind (mostly) played ball.

6 visitors from as far afield as Grafham and Whitstable joined 3 local boats on the Saturday morning for a midday start. The wind was a light north westerly, but a few knots stronger than the Windguru forecast.

Race 1 saw a slightly port biased start line set by the race team of Ray Workman and assistants Richard McMahon and Simon Frase. With the line just adjacent to one of the islands the Cotswold SC vegetation control team were enlisted as line spotters. The fleet got away cleanly, nicely spread along the line. The beat used up half the lake, ending in a mark just under the clubhouse. From there it was a nice long spinnaker run to the far end of the lake. Leonie Milliner and Bob Presley in 1800 lead round the first mark, followed down the run by Mike and James Clayton in 1799, and Colin and Sally Gilbert in 1819.

Those of us familiar with the dark arts of the ‘Crew’s Union’ will know that the whole idea is to develop just the correct level of ‘quiet helplessness’ in one’s helm. The crew thus ensures they are indispensable, and it stops the helm doing daft things like buying a Laser. This does however then put upon the crew the responsibility to ensure said helm goes the correct way round marks. At the leeward mark the Gilberts and Claytons both arrived side by side, each boat calling for water. The Claytons were going the correct way and rounding to starboard, with a bemused Sally in 1819 wondering why Colin was calling for water as he tried to round to port. It took until the whole of the rest of the fleet had rounded for the Gilberts to get out of irons, correctly round the mark, and get under way again.

There was also some floating weed down this end of the lake, Mark and Jack Skipper being spotted going very sideways up the second beat until they cleared the weed off. The Wanderer rudder is, like the Wayfarer, quite shallow. A quick ‘up and down’ of the centreboard on a beat usually ensures that boat slides sideways off the weed, with none collecting on the rudder.

The second reach was too tight to set the spinnaker. The wind had veered since the course was set, and some boats had to tack to lay the mark. The subsequent run favoured those with slick crew work, not all boats bothering with the spinnaker in the short time available.

At the end of the first leg it was Leonie in the lead followed by the Claytons, and then Lindsey and Neil Weatherley in 1795.

By the end of the second lap things had mostly settled down. At the end it was the Claytons leading from Leonie with Lindsey and Neil in third.

Race 2 commenced after a short break from lunch. The wind, contrary to forecast, seemed to be holding. It had however veered, so the RO set a new, and simpler, course. We had one beat, and two runs linked by a reach. The first run gave the tactical option to go either side of one of the islands.

Off we set, the right hand side of the beat looked good. However, the wind was only teasing us, and promptly backed left to where it was before lunch. Just at the exact moment those on the starboard layline thought they were on a winning lift as well! This meant that the island had become less of a tactical issue, and going to the right hand windward side of it was really the only option.

Remember what we said about ‘Crew’s Union’ and ‘helm management’ duties. These don’t appear to cover the case when you have two ‘Skippers’ in the boat, in this case Mark and Jack Skipper in 1282. They decided to try to not sail through the start/finish line as required on the second lap. A quick yell from another boat (Wanderers are a friendly bunch) soon solved that problem.

Mike Clayton led from Ian Simpson and Dave Bardwell in 1004 at the end of the first lap, with local Supernova sailors Hugo Hanson and Sam Harper in a borrowed 887 in third.

This remained pretty much until the end, with the wind gently easing. Leonie and Bob in 1800 having pulled up into third.

Race 3. The wind was softening, but looked OK. It was getting considerably less stable than in the morning. The line watch team paused briefly from nibbling the vegetation to undertake their duties, and duly called Mike Clayton OCS. He returned on the X flag, but now at a considerable disadvantage.

This time on the first run there was initially no clear indication of which side of the island to go, and the fleet split. There was enough breeze for it to be worthwhile carrying spinnakers. Cotswold is an inland venue, and it was an unstable day, so the wind did the dirty and backed about 40 degrees. Most were OK, except Ian and Dave in 1004 who had gone left of the island. They found themselves almost beating up to the leeward mark with the spinnaker up. By the time they had dropped it they had lost several places.

By the end of the first lap it was the Skippers in 1282 in the lead followed by Leonie in 1800, and Hugo and Sam in 887.

Now, as Oscar Wilde probably didn’t say – “to lose one helm overboard may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose two in amonth looks like carelessness”. My first go at crewing a Flying Fifteen saw my helm disappear out the back on the run; and my second time in the front of a Wanderer this year saw helm Richard Maltby part company with 1561 on a tack. As I usually helm a Solo rather than crew this is a worrying development. Maybe they are trying to tell me something, is it time to buy a new pair of dinghy boots?
In both cases I did manage to recover the helm and we finished the races (a Wanderer does stop rather better than a Fifteen though!)

The wind was by now dying, backing significantly before attempting to fill in. Leonie and Bob in 1800 won followed by Ian and Dave in 1004 who had recovered well from their big windshift on the first run. Hugo and Sam were third.

That evening Cotswold put on a great barbeque for the fleet. This including local beer, home made apple crumble, and locally sourced sausages that had been made the same day. Rest assured these were pork, we needed the line watch team on duty again on Sunday!

Sunday morning dawned with the wind due to build to 20kts by afternoon. We were scheduled to start at 10:00, with our race being followed by a club race, and then back out at 12:00 for our final race. Hopefully all to finish before the weather turned too much.

The wind was also blowing from the opposite direction, which did allow the RO to set a gybe mark close to the shore and provide good viewing.

Race 4 started with a slightly starboard biased line, with a short beat to a tricky windward mark under the trees. Richard Maltby pretty much won the start, but then 1561 carried on left. The trick seemed to be to tack off and go right, the port layline being shifty and in a hole. Once round the first run hinged of calling the correct gybe and getting into a puff. Spinnakers were a distraction here, the leg not being very long. There were a number of kerfuffles at the bottom mark as boats arrived from different directions. A close reach, and a gybe virtually back the way we came followed. This 4th leg being the only one where the spinnaker was possible.

Mike Clayton won from Leonie and Bob in 1800 with Ian and Dave in 1004 third.

After the club race we were back out for race 5. The wind had filled and veered, and was continuing to fill. Things were about to get interesting.

Richard Maltby in 1561 again got a good start, but avoiding a collision between the Skippers in 1282 and Leonie in 1800 meant 1561 was trapped and ended up being unable to tack out to the right. 1561 did however still manage 3rd round the first mark with Hugo and Sam in 887 in the lead.

The wind is veering, making the reach to the first gybe mark tighter each lap. On the second lap we were surprised to see the Claytons in 1779 capsize in the lead at the first gybe mark. They were able to catch it before it started to turtle, and then sail the water out on the long second reach.

Next to go was Leonie and Bob in 1800. They were caught out by a gust while tacking. This time the mast ended up in the mud and it took the rescue boat to get them up.

Colin and Sally in 1819 were then caught out at the end of the run, a gust and unplanned gybe put them in, with their mast also stuck in the mud.

Finally, on the last run, it was the Skippers turn in 1282. This was a broach while trying to gybe. They were able to recover and finish.

The wind was by now probably about 20kts, the gust and shifts rather than the overall strength being the problem.

We were thus relieved to see the finish. Hugo and Sam won, with the Claytons second and Lindsey and Neil in 1795 third.

This gave Mike and James Clayton the championship. It’s the second time Mike has won. He won previously in 2005.Leonie Milliner won first local boat and first lady helm.