The Cookham Reach Sailing Club Autumn Series started on Sunday September 4th with windy conditions for the six sailors who competed, a small turnout as many members were on their Summer holidays before the start of the school term. Winds in the teens from the south-west meant sailing could take place from the clubhouse up past the bend, although the wind proved to be very light below the club jetty for much of the day. The race officers Andrew Boxer, Paul Lones and Aidan Bailey set a course with a running start from the club OD box down to the A buoy which was set about 200m upstream of the bend and positioned about 15m out from the Berkshire bankside, this buoy was taken to port. The sailors returned downstream on a series of beats, passing the B buoy to port which was set at the bend and about 20m out from the Berkshire bank before rounding the C buoy to port which was set just below the club jetty and midstream.
Three OKs, a Phantom and two Lightning 368 sailors took the start and James Dyas (OK 212) made his usual excellent start and took the lead closely followed by Jerome Dreux (OK 2007), Andrew Yuille (LN 446), James Long (OK 1990) and Keira Swinney (LN 114). Clive Evison (P 1355) started late but was soon chasing after the other sailors. The wind on the early part of the course between the club and the bend proved to be light and it was slow going at first, but when they reached the bend they found the wind picked up considerably and they sped down the course to the A buoy. On the return leg, the sailors picked their lines to find the best areas of wind and get around the buoy at the bend and Clive passed the other sailors to move into second place behind James Dyas. At the line, James led Clive by seven seconds with James Long third, Jerome fourth, Andrew fifth and Keira sixth. The wind at the C buoy was particularly light and meant that different lines were tried to get around the buoy quickest. Clive moved into the lead on the second lap and opened a small gap, but the gap to third place widened considerably as James Long found a deadspot on the downwind leg to the bend and Andrew Yuille passed for third. Keira retired from the race, feeling shattered from a capsize before the race start. The race settled into a fairly static position for the remaining three laps, although James Long closed in slightly on Andrew, although not quite managing to catch him as Andrew closed off any moves that James made to find a faster route. Clive came home to win the race, James Dyas second, Andrew third, James Long fourth and Jerome fifth.
Ray Swinney took over Keira’s Lightning 368 for the second race and the six sailors set off from the line, the pack was a lot closer as they sailed for the bend in the light winds with James Dyas holding a small lead over Jerome, James Long, Ray and Clive again following after a late start. James led at the A buoy with Jerome rounding second, Andrew third, James fourth, Clive a recovering fifth and Ray sixth. James Long managed to pass Andrew Yuille by taking a different route to the B buoy and rounding it ahead. At the line, James Dyas had pulled out a minute’s lead on the rest of the fleet ahead of Jerome, James Long, Andrew Yuille and Clive who crossed the line together and Ray last. James Dyas continued to lead the second lap with an increasing lead over the rest, behind Clive passed everyone into second place and Jerome dropped from second to fifth after losing out in the tacks back from the A buoy. Clive closed the gap on the third lap, but was still over a minute behind and this gap remained static until the end of the penultimate lap. On the run to the C buoy, James got stuck in one of the dead spots, allowing Clive to catch and pass to take the lead which he held to the bell with James Dyas crossing the line ten seconds later. At the same time, James Long closed the gap to Andrew and the two battled all the way to the line with Andrew crossing the line to take third ten seconds ahead of James Long. Jerome finished a lonely fifth and Ray finished sixth.
The wind at the clubhouse dropped during the lunch hour and the race officers decided to move the C buoy up the course, so it now sit midstream upstream of the OD box. Clive and Ray decided to sit out the afternoon races, probably put off by the lighter winds.
The remaining four sailors set off at the start of the third race with a very closely matched fleet sailing downwind to the bend. James Dyas took a line close to the Berkshire bend whilst the others stayed closer to the Bucks bank. At the A buoy, James Dyas rounded just ahead of James Long, Andrew and Jerome and back at the end of the lap, these positions remained the same with James Dyas holding a 40 second lead and similar gap to third. James Dyas pulled out his customary gap during the second lap as James Long got stuck in a pocket of dead wind just below the A buoy and Andrew caught and passed him at the C buoy. The sailors were slowed between the bend and the C buoy and a lap was now three minutes longer than the morning races, despite the course being shorter due to the repositioning of the C buoy. On the third lap, James Dyas was slowed by the same dead spot before the C buoy and Andrew and James closed the gap to a minute but the positions remained the same. The wind shifted during the latter part of the race and the sailors had to recalculate their tacks to get round the B buoy and how to adjust for the shift of wind at the bend which had been their all day. On the final lap, Andrew managed to find some good areas of wind on the course and closed in the gap to James Dyas, but James held on and took the win with Andrew fifteen seconds behind in second, James Long third and Jerome fourth.
Aidan Bailey joined the fleet for the final race of the day in club Lightning 279. Again, the sailors were closely matched from the start with James Dyas leading. At the end of the lap, James Dyas led James Long, Andrew, Jerome and Aidan. The gaps closed on the second lap and Andrew found a good tack through the change of wind direction at the bend and passed James rounding the C buoy for second with Jerome just behind in fourth. James Dyas had a substantial lead but Andrew pulled out a gap in second to James Long during the third lap. On the final lap, James Dyas took the win, but behind James Long closed the gap back on Andrew on the downwind leg and Andrew had to cover him all the way back up the course on the tacks, holding on to take second with a small gap to third. Jerome had dropped back on the final lap and finished a lonely fourth with Aidan some way back in fifth.