Category: Members
October 22 Update
SYH Classics 11th and 12th June
There were thirty boats in the regatta. three Stellas.
Persephone, Stardust and Timoa.
Timoa came 5th overall, Persephone came 12th overall, and Stardust under new ownership came 23rd overall.
Lodestar had entered but on the way to Levington found a leak coming through a hood end that seemed too bad to continue with and she returned to Eel Pie Boatyard for repairs.
West Mersea Town Regatta, August 13th
Three Stellas entered WMTR. Scorpio, L’Etoile, and Stardust.
They raced in a fleet of 12.
L’Etoille came 2nd in the fleet, Scorpio came 3rd in the fleet, and Stardust came 9th in the fleet.
Mersea Week, August 15th, 16th 18th, 19th, 20th
three Stellas raced in a fleet of 12. Scorpio, L’Etoile, and Stardust.
Overall Scorpio came second in the fleet, L’Etoile came 6th in the fleet, and Stardust came 11th in the fleet.
I will do a proper spreadsheet and work out the placings but I think we can say that by winning 5 races at Mersea Week Scorpio has won the 2022 Stella Worlds! Well done Richard Matthews and team.
Also, how lovely to have L’Etoille return to the fray, and I am pleased to point out, show a return to form by being first Stella in West Mersea Town Regatta.
Other Events.
Round The Island Race
Two Stellas entered in IRC group 3, a group of 124 boats
Timoa had a good race in fairly heavy conditions and placed 7th in the fleet. Lodestar had an entertaining race, somewhat over an hour aground on Ryde Sands almost within sight of the finish line, and coming 115th in the fleet.
Classic Channel Regatta
Lodestar entered the Grande Regatta Classique Manche Atlantique, an event comprising the Classic Channel Regatta from Dartmouth to Paimpol,and supplementary races from Paimpol to Camuret sur Mer, and the Camuret sur Mer to La Rochelle. In perfect for a Stella light airs most of the time, Lodestar managed the highest score overall of all boats in the regatta in all classes, and won her class of small boats.
Rescuing Stellas
So far two Stellas have been brought back to SYH for safekeeping. Do contact us if you want to take one on!
Facebook. There is a Stella Facebook Group, which has been running this year. It is gently gathering new members. Please have a look and join in.
News from facebook
Moonspinner *105 has been bought and photos uploaded on facebook, in the Orkneys! Check out the facebook group for more details. Moonspinner is the featured image above this news item.
Fibreglassed Stellas
We have two sheathed Stellas regularly sailing now. Timoa and Acamar.
February 2022 Update
Timoa is nearing completion, epoxy sheathed to enable her to be trailed to different regattas. She is looking super.
Lodestar demonstrating 2 reefs and a number 5 jib at Queenborough in Feb 22
STEORRA, Stella no 26, unfinished project, is looking for a good home. She is in Brixham. She was taken out of the water in sept 2019. She had some planking done. The interior was taken out, and kept. We are told she has been sprayed with water every month inside and out. As far as we know she is complete minus an engine, but needs re-assembling. But anyone with any hands on wooden boat experience knows there will be more. The space where she is stored is needed this summer.
Any interest? Please contact the Stella Sec Mark Montgomery-Smith in the first instance.
Timoa success in Round the Island Race 2021
Andrew Gilmour entered Timoa in the Round the Island Race this year in the IRC class and won the ROYAL THAMES CHALLENGE TROPHY & SALVER – Third O/A IRC
77 seconds behind the first place, 33 seconds behind the second place, 288 seconds in front of the fourth place boat on corrected time! After just over 9 hours of racing! So very well done indeed.
The crew were Andrew Gilmour, Jonathan Thompson( a previous Stella owner), Robert Bellfield and son in law Luke Porter.
Andrew kitted Timoa out with high tech sails for this. Andrew explained that they are the same dimensions as the standard Stella sails. IRC do not rate sail material, only the linear measurements. The measured IRC handicap Andrew was racing to is almost identical to that used in SYH regatta, different by 4 seconds per hour of sailing. Andrew reports that the difference in performance gained by using laminate sails is considerably more than that, with very clear improvements particularly in pointing ability.
Those who have raced against Andrew in Timoa will know that it takes more then modern sails to very nearly win the RTI race though. Congratulations. And wonderful that a standard Stella, with a polished bottom, fitted with high tech sails, and very well sailed, can take on all comers in the modern arena.
Suffolk Yacht Harbour Classics 2021 Report
What a gas and a great opportunity for Stella‘s to shine!
The team at Suffolk always put on a great event.
4 races planned for the weekend!
Six Stellas were present, : Persephone *6, Acamar *19, Rollicker *42, Lodestar *64, Stardust *89, Timoa *91. There were 28 classics in all.
Friday evening was a stand alone race for those who could make it. Stardust and Timoa both made it and had great fun. They got soaked in a downpour but enjoyed the delights of a stunning double rainbow setting the scene for the first event for many since lockdown. Both were seen hanging their spinnakers up to dry on the beautiful sunny Saturday morning.
Saturday morning, fickle light wind, flood tide, an upwind uptide start at Beacon Hill.
The wind was so light and holey that many boats in the previous start were still trying to cross the line when we started. But we mostly made it across the start line! and two of us, Stardust and Lodestar, made it past the Harwich breakwater, sneaking along out of the tide and popping past the swirly whirlpool just off the end, when the race was cancelled! Simply too many boats in the following start could not even make the start line.
The race was then restarted an hour or so later at Pye End Buoy, with a reasonable steady F2 breeze, and we all 6 had a great two laps a round a course which lasted nearly three hours and all six of us finished with 20 minutes of each other, and all in the top half of the Regatta Fleet as a whole, So Well Done Everybody!
This in the end was the only race of the weekend that counted!
Saturday evening in SYH was a triumph of organisation beating the Covid rules by having boxes of beer and gin and tonic widely distributed by the organisers around the boats, music playing over a tannoy, and Pizzas being cooked to order , so we had a really nice party on our boats without breaking any rules.
Sundays race was very different. It was an almost dead downwind start in a fresh F4 which grew into a F5, veering to a reach, for the first mark, Penny Hole.
Rollicker found their bilge pump unequal to the day, and retired before the start. Stellas are great but they can be rather leaky when worked other then gently.
Timoa shot across the start line with the Spinniker up, milliseconds after the gun, the rest of us followed very close behind and hoisted our kites in short order, and had a wonderful chase . Then it got more interesting as the wind picked up and veered! We saw a kite ahead from the previous start, blow to shreds, and took that as a cue to hoist the No 3 and drop the kite while still somewhat under control. Everybody managed to get their kites down one way or the other. Timoa was first around Pennyhole for a beat to Outer Ridge, then Acamar, then I can’t remember the order! On Lodestar we were very happy to have chosen a small headsail and had a wonderful time , initially chasing after Timoa, then tacking towards the windward mark, successfully crossing the bows of the rest of the fleet, feeling very pleased with ourselves, completely oblivious to the news that the race was abandoned at some point ! We finally took notice of the squawking radio once we had rounded Outer Ridge and made our way back to harbour with everyone else.
Despite there only actually being one completed race on Saturday and Sunday it felt like a very successful Classics and it was really nice to see Acamar and Rollicker join in the racing, it feels like there is a rolling programme of Stellas being restored and raced over the years since we bought Lodestar in 2011.
Actual Results, in order from 1st to 6th, Timoa, Stardust, Lodestar, Persephone, Rollicker, Acamar.
Sailing 2021
Dates for Stella Events so far this year
Suffolk Yacht Harbour Classics
Friday 25th to Sunday 27th June
Mersea Week
Sunday 8th to Friday 13th August
Some fun fit out pictures:
Sailing Footage from Recent Years
Sailing Footage from Recent Years, taken by Stella Lyra, 2017
We recieved an exciting package with 2 memory sticks with Stella sailing footage! Thank you mystery sender!
Whilst none of us are able to get out sailing we are taking the opportunity to put a few videos on the website to keep our spirits up. One at a time!
Best wishes, Mark and Helen, Lodestar * 64
Here is a photo of Celeste. No 101. She lives in the Solent and mainly cruises between Chichester and Poole, and clearly spends a good amount of time being scraped, painted and varnished!
January 2020 Update
Happy New Year Everybody!
Lodestar(64) had a lovely restful Christmas and New Year sitting unused on her muddy mid river mooring in the River Medway so that when she was re introduced to the joys of sailing on January 11th she wasn’t leaking a drop. It was also a test of using a large dry crystals de-humidifier. She was really dry inside, no condensation. So either thats just how the weather has been or the dehumidifier is working a treat. The experiment continues.
We had a glorious sail to Burnham on saturday afternoon/ evening, in a good 2 reefs south westerly breeze, arriving in time to get served a meal in The White Hart. An 0545 departure on Sunday gave us a fantastic return trip into a 1 reef south wester, back at Hoo Ness YC in time for a 5pm pint.
Winter Sail video click to play
If anyone else would like to share any winter trips or fit out stories I would be very happy to put them on the website.
The November AGM included a lively discussion about the calender.
2020 Racing Calendar
14 races. 7 to count.
SYH Classic Regatta. 4 races in all fri 12th, sat 13th, sun 14th June
During the day on fri 12th , there is a plan to have a Stella Pursuit Race, with start times based on previous SYH results. A case of Stella to the winner!
Mersea Week. 5 races Sun16th Aug to Fri 21st Aug, no race wed.
Mersea Town Regatta. 1 race Sat 22nd Aug
Maldon Town Regatta. 2 races Sat 19th Sept
HPYC Autumn Classic Regatta. 2 races. Sat 29th, sun 30th Aug
Spring Fling
To be organised. For the past two years it has been at The Lightship. Previously it has been in West Mersea. I would be very pleased to receive suggestions of places and dates, destinations should be possible to reach by Stella.
HPYC – SYH Autumn Classic Regatta 2019 Race Report
HPYC – SYH Autumn Classic Regatta 2019 Race Report
Once again there were only four yachts on the line on Saturday, Illyria, Whisper, Vashti and Stardust. The wind was SW 3 to 4. We started from the club line in an easterly direction, the others, being closer winded were towards the N end of the line, I thought it was better to be out of the tide on the S side, we were third around Collimer then a beat down to Orwell No. 1. A lively spinnaker run followed before a close reach up to Bay, then back down the river and round again for a second lap. Whisper, Illyria, Stardust and Vashti was the finishing order. A very enjoyable canter round the river.
Benedict, my son, helmed on Sunday when the wind was a notch stronger, NW 3 to 5. Whisper had some spreader damage the day before and didn’t race. The course was in the same area as the previous day and Stardust was first around the windward mark but this time nobody hoisted a spinnaker The two larger boats overtook Stardust, three laps were completed and the race concluded with Illyria taking line honours, followed by Vashti with Stardust third in close order. Handicap results are awaited with interest.
Philip Waring, Stardust
Final Race Results – Stardust Retains the Buxey Trophy!
| Stella 2019 Worlds | ||||||||||||
| SYH Classic Regatta | Mersea Week | SYH/HPYC Classics | Points | Place | ||||||||
| Race 1 | Race 2 | Race 3 | Race 4 | Race 5 | Race 6 | Race 7 | Race 8 | |||||
| Sail No | Boat Name | Owner | 22 Jun | 22 Jun | 23 Jun | 11 Aug | 12 Aug | 13 Aug | 31 Aug | 1 Sep | ||
| 89 | Stardust | Phillip Waring / Jeffrey Bowles | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 DNC | 3.0 DNC | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 18.0 | 1 |
| 75 | Stella Lyra | Trevor Spero | 4.0 | 8.0 DNF | 4.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 DNC | 3.0 | 11.0 DNC | 11.0 DNC | 46.0 | 2 |
| 64 | Lodestar | Mark Montgomery-Smith | 10.0 DNC | 10.0 DNC | 10.0 DNC | 1 | 3.0 DNC | 2 | 11.0 DNC | 11.0 DNC | 58.0 | 3 |
| 91 | Timoa | Andrew Gilmour | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 11.0 DNC | 11.0 DNC | 11.0 DNC | 11.0 DNC | 11.0 DNC | 59.0 | 4 |
| 90 | Scorpio | Richard Matthews | 2.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 11.0 DNC | 11.0 DNC | 11.0 DNC | 11.0 DNC | 11.0 DNC | 60.0 | 5 |
| 6 | Persephone | Roger Reid | 6.0 | 5.0 | 6.0 | 11.0 DNC | 11.0 DNC | 11.0 DNC | 11.0 DNC | 11.0 DNC | 72.0 | 6 |
| 100 | Centaur | Peter Dyson | 5.0 | 4.0 | 8.0 DNF | 11.0 DNC | 11.0 DNC | 11.0 DNC | 11.0 DNC | 11.0 DNC | 72.0 | 7 |
| 12 | Rollicker | Keith Ballantine | 7.0 | 8.0 DNF | 10.0 DNC | 11.0 DNC | 11.0 DNC | 11.0 DNC | 11.0 DNC | 11.0 DNC | 80.0 | 8 |
| 1 | La Vie En Rose | Peter Haldane | 10.0 DNC | 10.0 DNC | 10.0 DNC | 11.0 DNC | 11.0 DNC | 11.0 DNC | 11.0 DNC | 11.0 DNC | 85.0 | 9 |
| 19 | Acamar | Julian Young | 10.0 DNC | 10.0 DNC | 10.0 DNC | 11.0 DNC | 11.0 DNC | 11.0 DNC | 11.0 DNC | 11.0 DNC | 85.0 | 10 |
Well done(again!) Philip and crew!
Race report to follow