Saturday 28th June

For some reason, this event always seems to be a difficult one to get people to come and have a go at; which is a great shame as it offers some of the best racing around. Lots of starts and short races with just enough time to get your breath back between races, the fleets never get too spread out so there is close racing for the entire session.

We have been running it for three years now. In that time, the format has settled down and we now have a reasonable approach to running the racing. Each year, those who compete leave saying that that it is some of the best racing they have had but each year so many miss out.

When you see this one come up again next year, why not give it a go? You won't regret it.

This year we ran three fleets: Optimists, Lasers (including 4.7s) and a Handicap fleet. Despite not being huge, each fleet had enough boats for some fantastic racing.

The wind was from the West at around 12 knots so we set a square course at the far end of the lake taking the fleets around the far Island. The length of the beat was roughly from Mark 10 to Mark 12 but we used the moveable marks in order to have some flexibility. The faster fleets also sailed an "outer loop" giving them a second beat (roughly Mark 8 to Mark 6) with a short beat to finish. Races lasted between 10-15 minutes with a 3-5 minute gap between the last finisher and the next start. All fleets completed 6 races in a two hour period.

After just over two hours Marc Sollars emerged victorious in the Laser fleet, Robert Baddely won the Optimists and Jon Lewis had dominated the handicap fleet sailing a Solo.

FAQ

What is it?

The short answer: Short course, rapid fire sprint racing.

Longer answer: We will try and set a course which will take 15-20 minutes with a finish on a separate line from the start but in the same area of the lake.

Initially, classes will start in the same sequence as for Sunday racing but as soon as all of a particular fleet has finished, they will be re-added to the back of the queue for another start.

In an ideal world, the races will take about the same length of time as a complete set of starts so you should have a few minutes to get your breath back and then be ready to go again.

How many races?

As many as we can. We will plan to race for a couple of hours. Depending on the conditions, we would be hoping for between 5-8 races per class.

What time?

There will be a briefing at 1315 with the first start promptly at 1400.

Sounds like a blast!

Yep, that's the idea. Short races are loads of fun. Lots of starts, lots of close tactics before the fleet gets spread out and if you have a bad race you get another chance almost straight away.

OK - so where do I sign up?

Just turn up on the day but please ensure that you are there in plenty of time.

If you have any questions, please send a mail to

Burghfield Blast - Sunday June 17th 2007

Every cloud has a silver lining. It was disappointing that the Optimist team racing had to be cancelled last Sunday but with just a week’s notice the Burghfield Blast was brought forward to fill the gap.

The format is to make manageable fleets from the entries and then race as many races as possible in the day. This lead to the RS400s sailing with the fast handicap fleet, then a slow handicap fleet and class starts for the Lasers and Optimists.

Ian Bullock, with a strong team (of mainly Oppie dads) had the course set by the 10.30 briefing but to no avail. As the briefing took place the wind dropped and was replaced by fitful gusts from the clouds as they passed overhead. The 60 boats set out to find Ian chasing the wind until eventually he decided on an average and set us all going.

Despite the conditions all the fleets sailed 3 races and patterns started to emerge. Dave Smith won all 3 races in the Laser, an amazing record considering the random conditions. The solos were heading up the slow handicap fleet. Dave Jones and Mark Jones leading with firsts and seconds to count. In the optimists Issy Hamilton got 2 firsts and Sophie Hamilton 1. Josh Voller was in there too. The most open class was fast handicap with the first going to Paul and Corinne Whitbread in a 200, the Chrises Martin and Lawson also in a 200 and one to Brian Powell in the Phantom. The Whitbreads looked best at this stage.

Over lunch the wind settled a little and Ian set a longer course further out into the lake and this gave better racing. The fleets were a bit smaller in the afternoon as not everybody sails all day so some unfortunately missed this better sailing.

All the fleets except the optimists, who sailed 3, sailed 4 more races in the afternoon.

It was no real surprise to see that Dave Smith completed the clean sweep in the Lasers but Scott Vincent and Bernard Fyans both finished consistently to take second and 3rd with Owen Gibson (who swapped his 4.7 for a standard rig for the day) in 4th.

Dave Jones bowed out at lunch but Mark Jones held on comfortably with 2 firsts and 2 seconds to beat Ivor Qulech and Jacky in the Enterprise who had a much improved afternoon. Kevin McGuiness held onto 3rd, also in a Solo, despite missing the last 2 races by some very consistent sailing in the first 5.

Issy and Sophie Hamilton carried on where they left off in the morning to take first and second in the Optimists. The closest finish was for 3rd. Josh Voller won race 5 but Dan Bullock won race 6. This left them on identical points and positions so Dan got it by having won the last race!

Fast Handicap was spiced up a bit by the arrival of Andy Leigh and Chris Neal in a 400 who promptly went out and won the first afternoon race followed by Paul and Corinne. 4 races 4 winners. The next race went to Rob and Jan Martin in the 200 followed by the Chrises and Paul and Corinne. 5 races, 5 winners. The 6th race was awarded to the vortex of A Maw followed by the Chrises and Rob and Jan. Finishing strongly, the last race went to Rob & Jan (beating the 400s over the water – Ed) but again followed by the Chrises who had sailed most consistently throughout the day to take the overall win. Paul and Corinne just hung on to finish second with Rob and Jan a point behind.

Overall a truly successful day. Moving the event from its Saturday slot last year to Sunday this year, despite the short notice, meant that all the fleets were well supported and that the racing was competitive throughout.

The race team kept the event moving on despite the very difficult conditions of the morning and found an excellent formula for the afternoon. With 28 races sailed of which more than half were timed for handicap, the finishing must have been hard but the results were prompt (Thanks to Malcolm in the Office) and prize giving well attended. Prizes included embroidered event t-shirts courtesy of Sew Your Gear.

Thank you all for a really good days sailing.

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