Burghfield Open Meeting

Tight racing in blustery conditions kept the National Twelve sailors at Burghfield’s open meeting on their toes and, for the first race, extremely hot as everyone was overdressed for the remarkably mild day.

The Twelves started off 6 minutes before club racing and with a good long beat in the Westerly winds had with all of the five boats in the leading bunch crossing ahead at some time on the first lap. Eventually the National Champions, Graham Camm and Zoe Ballantyne, and John Thornton & Katy Meadowcroft  slipped ahead of the others, but Graham did not manage to break away from John and Katy until they were caught off balance by a gust at the gybe mark by the club house and had a quick swim. Fran Gifford and Sophie Mackley took second place with several changes of place in the shifty winds. Fran held on to second and John & Katy snuck past Caroline Martin and John Brown to snatch third position on the line, taking advantage of a useful lifting gust. Lots of fast planing reaches kept the Twelves ahead of the Club RS400 fleet until the last lap.

For race two the Twelves again started ahead of club racing and with two shorter beats in the more Southerly winds the emphasis was all on rapid response, opportunism and loads of tacking on the short shifts. Graham eventually snatched the lead, but had to keep a watchful eye on Fran & Sophie who always had the possibility of getting ahead on the shifts and the even bigger gusts than in the first race. Caroline Martin and Andy Douglas took third after much place swapping. For the third race the Twelves had the lake to themselves, with a slightly depleted lineout. Conditions were marginally steadier but the rain started and the exhausted competitors were glad when race officer Richard Foster shortened the last race.

Results

N3492 Graham Camm & Zoe Ballantyne

N3431 Frances Gifford & Sophie Mackley

N3455 Caroline Martin & Andy Douglas

First Admirals Cup boat – Brian and Jackie Whitmey