Published by the Open Canoe Sailing Group

coinciding event in Norfolk. It certainly felt so at 9 pm on Friday when only Jim and I were on the campsite, though Veronica and GrahamH were in a local B&B. By Saturday morning I was thinking that those who had stayed away were right to do so as it was raining and blowing a fair bit. I relaxed, drank coffee and read the paper, but Steve and Dav were made of sterner stuff and possessed a well-proven outrigger canoe to blast down to the other end of the lake for lunch - which they did.

Late in the afternoon the wind and rain had eased significantly. Most of us had had enough of relaxing so we headed off for a pleasant if breezy trip out. Once round the headland I saw Steve and Dav returning from their adventure. They had come across two other sailing canoes, John and Ali's smart red plastic hull, fitted out with lots of wood and a standing-lug main/mizzen rig (supplied by Solway Dory and a "present" from their wedding last year) together with the translucent GRP hull and unusual inclined furling sail of John and Ali's friends Russ and Sally. They were all camping at the other campsite, on the spit near the catamaran club, as they had assumed that our event would not be happening due to the clashing Norfolk meet. We headed back to our campsite for a warming brew and a chat to finish the day.

This shot of John & Ali's pals seems to catch the windy atmosphere.

Several new people visited us over the weekend to find out more about canoe sailing, following up from initial contact at the International Canoe Exhibition. Particularly interested were Elspeth and Kate, who have a GRP paddling canoe that they would like to adapt to make use of the wind. They were intrigued to see the various rigging options on show and we were able to offer some specific advice on fitting out their boat, as well as taking them out for a demo trip in a couple of different boats to see and feel how it all works.

On Sunday the weather was bright and breezy. We dithered and discussed for a while about whether it was OK or too strong for racing and eventually decided later in the morning that perhaps the beefier squalls were becoming less frequent. We set a fairly short course, mostly viewable from the start line (which was in the campsite bay), but with as much variety of sailing as we could fit in. Geoff offered to officiate, for which we are grateful and away we went. Dav got a good start with Rod very close by, both rounding the first windward "mark" (a group of moored boats) ahead of the followers, some of whom (myself included) had a few difficulties short-tacking up the narrow channel between the shoreline and the moored boats. Steve nearly missed going round a couple of the moorings, which were slightly apart from the others. Once this had been spotted (with a kindly reminder from others in the fleet!) and he had to gone back to ensure the proper course had been followed, we all rounded the windward mark and freed sheets to whizz down the broad reach. The wind was more significant further out and the longer beat was hard work in a very fresh breeze. Much water was flying around and into some boats but it was a mixed blessing to round the second windward mark; good that the beat was done but with a rollicking reach to cope with, especially for monohulls. To skirt round the headland the reach was initially broad, then beamy, then close to fetch up round the moorings, before freeing off for the short run to the finish. After Steve's mediocre start he managed to overhaul Rod and then Dav by the top of the long beat, then stretch away to another convincing win. Whereas I took up a rearmost vantage point and came in last, but upright! Perhaps it had been a bit windy for racing after all, but everyone had an excited smile on their face at the end and Iain had taken the chance to try out a new rig, which had performed well.

The Glan Llyn campsite worked out well for us again, but it may be worth trying out the other site at the spit, which now has loo and shower facilities and where the main body of the lake is visible to all. If you have thoughts either way do let us know. Many thanks are due to Ellen and JeffB for the race starting and timekeeping.

Bala (RodL)

Although I got there quite late on Saturday pm, it was obvious that a good time was had by all those who got onto the water and a very lively sail to the tea shop at the north end and a fight back to the site was enjoyed by all. The wind stayed strong until early evening but by 11.00 pm it was dead calm. Sunday morning saw a prompt return to strong wind (Keith measured F5 gusts) and we delayed the race briefing for an hour in the hope that it would abate. Although it looked reasonable enough to start (7 boats), it soon went back to its usual strength when we got underway and the run to the first buoy and the beat back was possibly the strongest that I have sailed in. I found myself sacrificing speed by spilling wind in an effort to stay upright and at one point I was not able to pull in the mainsheet to our modest 44 sq. ft. (I was going to reef but a slider at the top of the sail kept popping out of the track). I'd soon made about 1 body weight of water in the boat, which also didn't help progress, but eventually my self-bailer won the day and got it under control. (In a strong wind, you really need 2 - one on each side.)

Great thanks to Keith for stepping in to organise and JeffB for doing the ultimate sacrifice in order to time keep.

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