Wanderer Month: August 2023

Saturday started with rain, but this was short-lived with the sun returning by the time the seven-strong fleet were rigging their boats for the 2023 Wanderer Class Owner’s Association Inlands, held once again at the Cotswolds Sailing Club. The race officer, Ray Workman, then briefed us on the “knitting pattern” 5p 8p 10p 4s 1s 9s (or thereabouts!) which constituted the course for the first race. The wind was as strong and gusty as forecast, but this did not give an inkling as to the shiftiness, which seemed in the event to be plus or minus 50 degrees at times, with gusts from both sides. And so to the racing. In the first race there was little to separate Ian Simpson (W1004 crew Dave Bardwell), Lindsey Weatherly (W1795 crew Hillary Handley) and Leonie Milliner (W1800 crew Evelyn Johnson) at the first mark. The next run/reach was a spinnaker leg (not

Winning Tactics by Ian Simpson, Dave Bardwell and Amanda Shakir (W 1004) Photos of Race 1 sailed in the lightest of airs by Philip Meadowcroft On 22nd and 23rd April, Ian Simpson and Dave Bardwell won the West Oxford Wanderer Regatta, winning all five races in Dave’s boat, Teazle. The event was held simultaneously with a parallel Wayfarer event, sailing the same courses, with the Wayfarers having a 5-minute start. In the fourth race, Ian and Dave came first on the water beating not only the other Wanderers, but also the Wayfarers, even with their 5-minute head start. When asked to recount their tactics – what happened during the race, Ian said that he didn’t know – he was watching the front of the jib all the time. Dave said that that was also true for him. So this write-up, clearly, will contain the adventures of the front of the