Published by the Open Canoe Sailing Group

Wet And Dry At Coniston (RoyB)

As the M61 rises near Chorley you can sometimes just glimpse the Cumbrian mountains far away. I did, it was that sort of day. By Lancaster the shadows thrown by the sun on the hillsides were visible. After Greenodd, Dow Crag clearly jutted out from its ridge and Coniston Water itself lay bright and rippling before me as the road brushed its shore at the southern end.

On such a day it requires some restraint to erect the tent before setting up the boat and finally, at last, feeling that tug on the sheet and gliding out over the lake. The usual retired suspects were already in action, JamesB, DaveT and WalterG. And me. After wintry Bala this was bliss. As the evening arrived so did various of the gainfully employed and we discussed the weather prospects for Saturday. The group tent, which seems to serve its purpose as a meeting place and kitchen/diner very well, sprang up conveniently by my front door. The campsite was busy without being at all crowded.

I think we all enjoyed ourselves on Saturday. For me it began at first light with two owls trying to out-hoot each other, then a woodpecker rattling away amidst assorted little songbirds. The whole concert was rounded off on hearing the first cuckoo of spring. Unfortunately I keep no cash in my sleeping bag so couldn't turn it over. No custom-built, strip-planked, shiny Solway Dory job this year for me, then.

We are getting used to signing up to the possibility of a watery death, but members who launch before the traditional 10 o'clock meeting should remember that they too are not exempt. Whatever, the OCSG presented a fine array of craft, about 10 in all, which began a steady beat southward in a slowly rising breeze. I was keeping pace with a Mirror dinghy until it started to pull away by Peel Island. I suspect that the leaks in my port outrigger (which became evident when we stopped for lunch) had by this time let in so much water that it was really starting to drag.

JanP had told me about a lovely bay just beyond Peel Island where we would find plenty of space to rest and enjoy lunch. She was right, sunshine, dancing bluebells, trees and all. I heard and felt water swishing about as we hauled my boat up the beach. After sponging out the outrigger Steve's duct tape came to the rescue; of course I'd left mine at the campsite! We saw very few other craft on the lake throughout the weekend, but a 30 ft cruiser had chosen to anchor in the bay, something to avoid as we beat away from the shore after a prolonged lounge and chat. On we went southwards for a while in a gusty Force 3, then turned and ran back northwards for recuperation either at the Brantwood café or the campsite. It was a super trip. I only noted one mishap: TyroneC got at cross purposes with his boom but quickly righted his boat and remained in the lead. Not that we're competitive. The wind remained fairly strong and later on I was out again, enjoying the stability of my trimaran. Most of us went to the pub in the evening. A good day.

EddieP's racing canoe with outriggers like SteveR's (below). Unfortunately a rudder fitting failed during Saturday so he was unable to sail it in the race.

Race results
(* multihull):

Sunday morning proved to be an anti-climax - grey, damp and for racers and non-racers no wind. However, by 1.30 ripples were appearing on the surface of the lake so the race started. The course was a short sausage shape. A beat and a run, two laps. As we didn't have a starter/timekeeper on the shore Steve gave the starting whistles from his boat and no times were recorded. This didn't diminish the fun. At the start a nice breeze had sprung up, but after about 10 minutes it fell away to a gentle air. RoyB and DaveT with lug ketch rigs fell further and further behind and retired. The rest moved slowly on, to be rewarded by a gentle breeze on the final leg and some hotly contested places. Tyrone came in with a good lead over Steve. DaveP and Eddie, neck and neck, approached the final buoy which had to be gybed round to immediately cross the line. In gentlemanly fashion they agreed to gybe together so as to avoid getting their booms tangled. As Dave was on the inside, he crossed the line half a length in front. Jeff and Keith were also involved in a similar closely fought finish. The trend towards multi-hulls seen at Bala was reversed here, although DaveS made some interesting observations on the subject which appear on later pages.

As gentle rain set in we began to pack away our things. It had been a satisfactory meet with slightly fewer members than last year. Thanks to Jan and DaveP for the organising and to (I think) Steve who ensured that the group tent was set in place.

Outriggers At Coniston (DaveS)

Outriggers, strongly represented at Bala, are the major development in OCSG design in recent years. Here we see three different types, each with a different purpose.

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