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Catapult came back to a traditional and favourite event, the Bank
Holiday TT at Bassenthwaite, assured of a warm welcome, but watching
forecasts of strong winds and low temperatures (confirmed driving in
with snow covering the peaks around.) The event was shared by a big
fleet of Teras for their Northerns, joking nervously about the
conditions (like the Catapulters) and both fleets had a weekend of great
racing, in wildly-fluctuating conditions.
Saturday confirmed the forecast, with cold S.Easterlies,
Force 5-6, and dark gusts sweeping over the lake.
Race 1 had a traditional Bass course, a long
beat and dog-leg reaches, with taxing moments at the gybes, bearing away
in the gusts. John Terry had a good start, but Gareth Ede from a
mid-fleet start struck out on a long starboard tack across the lake,
gaining to round the windward mark
ahead of John (both trapezing all the upwind legs.) Behind Stuart Ede
stayed ahead of George Evans (again electing to push up in the gusts,
not trapezing) and the rest of the fleet fought individual battles of
survival (the steep chop kicked up out in the exposed centre making
tacking difficult in the gusts.) Good downwind speed enabled Gareth to stretch
the lead out a little and hold off John for the 3 laps for the win.
(Below: this is not Saturday! John Terry (event winner,
left) and Syd Gage enjoy
Monday's ideal sailing.

Race 2 on the same course came back to back, with
the fleet reduced as cold and the strengthening wind bit harder. Four
boats picked the port end start advantage, three managing to get through the line in
front of Gareth coming through on starboard, before Gareth caught Stuart
out, but this took him to the left side which didn't
pay. John's trapezing speed off the start took him round the windward
mark first with a healthy lead. George Evans
defended his place from Stuart Ede and then Alastair Forrest, with the priority on
avoiding disastrous mistakes (with Stuart electing to tack around rather
than gybe in a fierce gust.) Justin Evans, back in the boat after a year gap,
plugged through the gusts and waves for sixth.
Out at the front, on lap 2 Gareth gained from a couple of slow
tacks by John, but John remained ahead at the windward mark.
Good downwind boat speed put Gareth alongside and on the inside
line at the mark to take the lead, extended on the next tight reach, until poor boat speed in the
short beat to the gate allowed John to catch up, forcing Gareth to
over-stand the lay line to the gate, retaking the lead.
Gareth was finding it
hard to control the boat in the intensifying gusts, with John
pulling away, but as he
tacked across the lake on starboard, he saw his chance. Up ahead he
could see John being increasingly headed closer to the far shore. Gareth
chose to tack onto port and go right, up the middle of the lake, to
reach the windward mark with a healthy lead, held to the finish.
Sunday morning
had sailable SSW strong breezes, but fierce gusts; when the Catapult
start was already underway, the ROs (needing to protect the of the Tera
fleet as well) abandoned for the morning
(Right: George Evans concentrates downwind, Monday)
(Photo from Mike Chappell, BSC.) |
 |
By the time the afternoon Race 3
got underway, the fleet met light, patchy and shifty wind
conditions as it swung to SSW (with sunshine beating down on heavy weather gear.) A simple
triangle course gave some relief in the tactical decisions. A close
fleet finally reached the upwind mark, and Alastair gained
downwind by chasing breeze out in the lake on the right, only to be
caught again as the fleet brought up the breeze on the next reach, so George,
Syd, Alastair, Justin, Nigel, Gareth and Paul all started the final
lap 2) as a pack.
On lap 2, Stuart went far to the left upwind for breeze away from
the hills (risking the forecast shift to SW) and came in strongly while
the fleet drifted looking for puffs, to gain a big lead. John T pulled
up gradually to take back a small lead, until Stuart found downwind
breeze to stretch way for the win. The wind could be different for boats just a few metres apart, but going left,
George picked up his own gust, and a huge lead on the pack, with
Alastair similarly better out left. Gareth had less luck in the middle,
in 5th and under pressure from Paul (doing remarkably well,
still setting his small sail, respecting the forecast.)
Race 4 (following back-to-back) set
a two-beat figure of eight. The wind had
thankfully freshened a little although remaining shifty. A tight start
saw Stuart win from the port end, with collisions competing for space at the starboard end,
until John and Gareth moved out to fight for the lead on lap 1. Behind,
in a close pack, Alastair chased Stuart, until a downwind mark-rounding
tangle saw him broadsided and pushed along sideways by the bows of Paul
and George.
Alastair recovered and over the course of the next lap
caught up to Stuart to begin a close battle, third and fourth places
changing back and forth until Stuart defended the final beat. Out in
front, on the 3rd and final lap, the fight between Gareth and John
continued with John holding out just ahead to the finish. Stuart and Alastair escaped the
downwind dead patch quickly, to suddenly close the gap to Gareth,
resulting in a nail biting dash to the finish line.
(Right: Gareth Ede, equal on points at the top, runs
down, Monday morning.)(Photo Mike Chappell, BSC) |
 |
John knew he had to win the final Race 5,
trailing one point behind Gareth. Monday morning brought a great WSW
racing breeze, with bursts of sunshine over a figure-8 course with two
beats, the wind still with gusts and shifts. The closest start of
the weekend had the whole fleet crossing the line bang on the gun, but the
advantage of trapezing showed in John's surge of speed away, chased by
Gareth. John pulled out a lead, able to remain fully powered up the
gusts unlike Gareth, stretching to more than half a leg by lap 3, with
Gareth repeatedly having to delay manoeuvres crossing with the club fleet at crucial turning
points.
Behind, a close fleet of five battled on lap 1, with Nigel gaining
trapezing, until the complexity of the course undid them, rounding the
wrong way at the top of the second beat. Alastair, facing four boats
coming at him head-on at the mark, reassured himself on the
starboard rounding, and although Stuart came up from a late start,
stretched out for third. Paul and Syd unwound themselves (facing a long
trip back to the fatal mark) and fought it out with Justin.
Up ahead in the battle for the event, determined not to let John go
completely unchallenged, Gareth put on a surge and, with by a change
in luck, closed the gap on the final lap and drew alongside John
on the reach to mark 4, but could not finally overtake. John took the
crucial win, already aware that the scores were tied but a win would take
the event on countback.
Gareth and Alastair
(Right: John Terry, winner on countback, collects
the winner and TT Leader pennants, and his bubbly.)
|
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(Above: Hard-earned relaxing in the
sunshine, Monday afternoon prize-giving.)
RESULTS
Place Race 1 Race 2
Race 3 Race 4
Race 5 Total
Nett (1 discard)
1
John Terry
(2 )
2
2
1
1
8
6
2 Gareth Ede
1
1
(5)
2
2
11
6
3
Stuart Ede 4
(5)
1
3
4 17
12
4
George Evans 3
3
3
5
(12)
26
14
5
Alastair Forrest
(5)
4 4 4
3
20
15
6
Justin Evans
(12,
DNF)
6
9
8
8
43
31
7
Syd Gage
12,
DNF
12,
DNC
7
6
7
44
32
8 Nigel Harrison
6 12,
DNC
8
7 (12,DNF)
45
33
9 Paul
Ellis
(12,
DNF) 12,
DNC
6
12,DNF
6 48
36
10
Chris Phillips
(12,
DNF)
12,DNC
12,DNC
12,DNC
12,DNC
60
48
11
Damien Cooney (12,
DNC)
12,DNC
12,DNC
12,DNC
12,DNC
60
48
Below: Its
grim up North: rigging in the rain on Saturday,under snow on Skiddaw behind.

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