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The very unofficial race report from Grafham by Nigel Harrison:
Magnificent
Seven perform Catapult Aquabatics at Grafham in 33mph gusts
What fun we had at Grafham this weekend. In one
race on Sunday I looked across to see Paul pitchpole and with extreme
grace walk over his mast, George’s capsized boat floating across the
Lake with no sign of George?, Chris water skiing behind his boat holding
on to the trapeze wire. It was a surreal scene.
The rest of the weekend was more organised.
Grafham is a lovely venue. Camping for Chris and Barbara on the lake
side, George and Margaret in their luxury campervan and John, Gareth and
me in luxury B&B, Alastair was hotelling and I do not know what happened
to Paul? This was the magnificent seven.
Saturday’s races were
three back-to- back. Out start had 30 boats out of 117 at the meeting.
Gareth was leading Catapult as usual but we had fun at the back of the
fleet competing at every mark with plenty of overtaking action. Rain and
strong winds leading to exciting sailing. I was the only one to capsize
after overzealous trapezing.
That evening jolly fun was had by all in the
Wheatsheaf.
Below: Alastair
prepares calmly on Sunday morning in front of the fleet---sunshine, a
blue lake, flat water, a good breeze---what could go wrong?

Sunday’s races were
severe and stretching, starting in bright sunshine another back-to-back
of three which only half the fleet would survive.
First race. Overzealous
trapezing in 25 mph wind on a close reach overtaken George I met my
downfall and capsized in the first race. From them on I would be more
conservative. Paul pitchpolled running downwind, Alastair was manfully
trapezing.
Second race. George
pitch polled and then could not swim fast enough to keep up with his
boat. He was re-united with it by the rescue men and returned to the
fray. Chris capsized twice eventually spending 20 mins in the water as
the overworked safety boat eventually got to him. He retired with
damaged rig and cold. John sensibly retired after surviving two races
with conditions worsening. It was the only sensible thing to do and I
cannot think why the rest of us did not join him?
Final race.
There are only four of us surviving in extreme conditions, Gareth (who
had been sailing brilliantly in very strong winds) Alastair trapezing
like a hero, George and I who had resorted to no risk survival sailing.
Alastair was leading at first, overtaken by Gareth, he pitchpoled with
no warning and had various bits of his boat retrieved by different
rescue boats. George and I hung on the claim second and third.
Congratulations to George for two seconds and herby beating me in the TT
series (I am not bitter - but I did choose his Grafham third prize of a
toy train set .)
Congratulations to Gareth for 4th prize overall
in the medium handicap fleet.
Another exciting and friendly Catapult weekend.
Come and join us next year. (You do not have to sail if the weather is
bad)
All the results are on the Grafham site. Regards
Nigel
Catapults at Grafham Cat Open: the Races
Competitors arrived at the
Grafham Cat Open Meeting warily watching the forecasts, all of which
came true
.On Saturday, with a front coming through, three
back-to-back races had fresh southerly breezes (bracing rather than
warm) at comfortable trapezing strength.
Seven Catapults shared a mixed fleet of
Shearwaters, Dart 16’s and 18’s, and Hobie Dragoons, with a Topaz Ultra
On both days, the club set the same port-rounding
trapezoid course, with a good long beat, and a dead run, connected by
two reaches, one up to windward near the club shore, and the other along
the leeward shore in stronger and rougher conditions, (to prove
significant on Sunday.)
Saturday:
Race 1
Under grey cloud with a Force 4 southerly breeze,
Alastair Forrest’s good starboard end start took him first round the
windward mark, but Gareth Ede following close caught him on the reach,
and after a battle held on to first. Paul Ellis caught Alastair for
second, and in turn was caught again downwind before regaining enough of
a lead on the next beat to hold second for the rest of the race, in
touch but not gaining on Gareth.
These three stayed out in front, but meanwhile
John Peperall had good boat speed to pull out from the from the chasing
pack and close up on Alastair. George Evans, Nigel Harrison and Chris
Phillips finished closely in that order after battling over the places ,
For Race 2, the forecast rain
swept through on lap 2 with the breeze up briefly under the front before
the rain flattened it.
Alastair and Paul held good starting positions
only to stall on the final slow approach, and Gareth swept through, to
take and hold the lead. Paul passed Alastair to hold second but not
threaten Gareth’s building lead on all legs.
These places held for the next laps, with George
Evans came away from the battle for the other places, pulling up to
close on Alastair for fourth, while the other three finished in close
competition.
The rain cleared and Race 3 got
off in sunshine, around 17 knots. Alastair’s good start got him first to
the windward mark just ahead of Gareth who came past him downwind
followed by Paul. The front two extended their lead in that order to the
finish.
George caught Alastair beating in lap two, but
over-cooked the down-wind tacking (which some were electing, pushed to
the right by the Shearwaters) to allow Alastair back to hold third. The
final three places were again closely contested
Sunday
brought bright sunshine and a flat blue lake seen from the sheltered
clubhouse (see photo above) but with a forecast of rising SW wind, and
dark gusts near the far shore. The three back-to-back races became a
daunting task for everybody on the water.
For Race 4,
Gareth was perfecting starting at speed, staying well back and powering
in at the starboard end of the line avoiding the tangle of competing
Shearwaters and getting away. Alastair followed him round the first lap
but touched the leeward mark with the tiller extension, and in a wild
360, attempting the gybe amongst the beating fleet, dropped right back.
Paul chasing Gareth did a high-speed reaching
nosedive and capsized, with a good recovery. George pulled out from the
rest, and Alastair and Paul chasing up found that the conditions had
claimed Nigel Harrison, with Alastair reclaiming third by two seconds
from Paul., with Chris Phillips the other survivor.
Before Race
5 John and Paul concluded that
the increasing wind would be overwhelming and headed home. Gareth again
had a storming start coming in from long range, to be at the first mark
a little ahead of Alastair. These two trapezing stayed out in front
although the boats following, when electing not to trapeze, held good
boat speed and could push up in the gusts, sheeted hard in. Nigel came
in ahead of George,. The conditions claimed Chris, falling while
trapezing, staying connected to the capsized boat only by the wire (hook
released) and being dragged after it.
For Race 6,
the five Catapults were the largest group remaining in the mixed fleet,
with the gusts dark across the water diminishing the takers. The large
Sprint 15 fleet was being picked off all over the lake.
Again, Gareth’s well-timed high-speed start got
him away well, to catch Alastair after the first mark, these two moving
out ahead trapezing.
Storming close behind Gareth down the leeward
reach on the second lap, Alastair pitchpoled, the boat sailing under
without a warning dip or check. He failed to right it. George came
on steadily to press Gareth’s hold on first, with Nigel gaining third.
Alastair Forrest
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