Commodore Ousted!

Published 11:40 on 9 Jun 2025

OK so it's a clickbait title for this Sunday's racing... and of course that means I need to tell you to 'read to the end'!

So Sunday 9th June 2025, 3 races - 2 more Spring Series and 1 Spring Handicap. The race report comes from sailing secretary Simon Dolman.

"Spring Series Race 11 Miracles and Mayhem

The days opening race saw tactical decisions flying as fast with 18 boats out on the water, with Mark Nield explaining his approach to victory in the Miracle division:

I pinched over the line hard so that I could avoid the bank over by 4 which seemed to pay off.

At the front of the fleet, the top spot was shared between two sailors well-acquainted with victory, with identical corrected times, showing just how tight and competitive the racing was. A special mention goes to Nick Hall, who despite rarely gracing the start line, powered through to 3rd place, leaving a number of seasoned competitors puzzled and only 17 seconds (corrected time) behind the first two in his Topaz Uno Race.

1. Jeremy Cooper (Lightning), 2. Matthew Bennett (Solo), 3. Nick Hall (Topaz Uno Race)

Spring Series Race 12 Wind Builds, Tension Rises

By the second race, the breeze had picked up, and with it, the intensity of competition. The extra wind didn't deter the racers, all 18 boats were back on the lake. Once again, the Miracles were busy enjoying their own fleet rivalry which almost certainly cost them a place or two.

Kieran Lewis, sailing an Aero 5, made a smart call with his rig setup which proved to be not so good for the lighter first race winds. However in the second race, as the wind strengthened so did his speed, earning him a well-deserved podium finish. The race featured some incredibly close manoeuvres and plenty of tight sailing throughout as the wind and adrenaline levels both rose.

Conrad claimed 2nd place with a strong, steady performance, and once again, Nick Hall delivered with another impressive 3rd place. Thats two in a row — surely, its time we see more of you on the water, Nick?

1. Kieran Lewis (Aero 5), 2. Conrad Brown (Laser), 3. Nick Hall (Topaz Uno Race)

Spring Series Overall after 12 races:

1. Jeremy Cooper (Lightning), 2. Matthew Bennett (Solo), 3. Simon and Julie Dolman (Miracle)

Spring Handicap Series Race   Big Breeze, Big Battles

By the afternoon, the wind had really filled in, and the racing stepped up a gear with only half of the earlier fleet braving the weather. A proper start-line duel took place between Kieran Lewis and the formidable Gaz Henshall and Julie Dolman. (Word to the wise: dont position yourself between those two unless you fancy an impromptu rules lesson mid-gust.)

Kieran continued his fine form to take first place, with Gaz and Julie not far behind in second, while Chris Draper brought home a solid third after a composed and confident sail through the gusts, continuing to show that Toppers can achieve podium finishes and sees Chris at the top of the leader board after 6 races. 

Further down the fleet, it was more about survival than silverware. Ian (Laser) and Simon (Solo) were both noticeably overpowered and just happy to finish upright, each gritting it out to finish the race in challenging conditions.

The standout moment of the afternoon came in the form of a spectacular move by Brian, who managed to remove none other than Jeremy Cooper, arguably our most successful sailor, from the race -many have tried to unseat JC over the years. Brian may be the first to succeed quite so dramatically ."

Sadly no images of the incident seem to exist... After the race, ousted Commodore Jeremy commented: 'Yes! I just had to make an unscheduled exit from the back of the boat and then swim after it!'

The keen-eyed amongst the readers will see an interesting situation as Julie (crewing for Gaz) sits in second place overall, just 4.5 points ahead of husband Simon in third... one to watch!

Spring Handicap Race 6:

1. Kieran Lewis (Aero 5), 2. Gaz Henshall and Julie Dolman (Miracle, 3. Chris Draper (Topper)

Spring Handicap Series Overall after 6 races:

1. Chris Draper (Topper), 2. Gaz Henshall and Julie Dolman (Miracle), Simon Dolman (Solo)

Photo: Steph (more on Facebook)

Last updated 11:46 on 9 June 2025