|
IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY DONE SO,PLEASE MAKE A NOTE THAT OUR BROGBOROUGH EVENT WHICH WAS SCHEDULED FOR SAT 7 MAY IS NOW ON SUN 8 MAY. OUR APOLOGIES FOR THIS CHANGE.
It looked like it was going to be one of those hot, windless days we get when we are in the middle of a high. Well it was certainly hot, but we had quite enough wind for some serious racing. We also were able to use Fisher Green’s new set of inflatable pillar marks so the course setting was more flexible that we were used to, just as well because the wind was coming from the east, a whole new experience for us at this venue.
The results sheet, which if course shows the positions of the boards at the end of the race, does not reveal all the place swapping that went on throughout the fleets as shifts were spotted and gusts anticipated. Rob Kent did not have it as smoothly as the results would suggest, James Moon and Alan Jackson made him work very hard indeed at times.
An additional hazard were the shallows around the smaller islands which caused more than one sailor to make an excursion over the handlebars, Rod Davis managed to put his skeg bolt three-quarters of the way through the end of his board, a problem subsequently resolved only by industrial quantities of Dr Ding!
Russ Canning, hither to well-known for his individualistic approach to the art of getting round a course, has devised a new method of entertaining his fellow sailors, namely crossing the start line several aeons ahead of the gun, a technique guaranteed to get up the nose of the most tolerant race officer - he was suitably OCSsed, a pity as he was actually sailing rather well.
It was great to see our most senior member, Colin Flint, back on the water after rather too many visits to the hospital. Colin had a fight on his hands in the 7.5 fleet with Alan Palacio, they both ended up on the same points but as Colin had decided to take to the bank after Race 3, Ian was able to slip in a 12th which made him the winner. Colin has found his old UltraCat raceboard in the back of his garage and has offered it free of charge to any Youth/Junior who is prepared to give it a little TLC and take it racing again. (See homepage for link)
The Juniors enjoyed the extra helping of wind, indeed in Race Three when the main fleet suffered a General Recall, (the first for five years at least!) they were crossing the finish line whilst the main fleet was still at the bottom of the first beat! This time it was the turn of Rebecca Kent to walk away with the laurels.
Heaven help us all when Andrew Robinson gets a 9.5, and Matt Barton on his Techno is already putting the frighteners on the back end of the raceboard fleet.
RESULTS: Overall positions in brackets
9.5 Raceboard:
1: Rob Kent (1); 2: James Moon (2); 3:Alan Jackson (3)
1st Heavy: Nick Kidd (5), 1st Vet: Andy Lacy (6),
1st Youth: Andrew Robinson (9)
7.5:
1: Ian Palacio (14); 2: Colin Flint (15)
Techno:
7.8:
1: Matthew Barton (12); 2: John Humphries (16), 3: Josh Miles-Coppard (19
5.8:
1: Emily Kent (18)
4.5:
1: Rebecca Kent; 2: Galahad Wisbey; 3: Alysia Gibson, 4: Emilia Gibson
|
