Smoked Salmon and Profiteroles At Midland S.C. 8 July 2012
Very testing, light and variable wind greeted the 7 National 12’s at
Midland S.C. in Birmingham on Sunday 8 July.
Race 1
PRO Malcolm Hyams and his team, not only had the fickle weather to deal
with, but also the complication of keeping a fleet of Enterprises happy
too. The first race got underway at 11.00 prompt with the 12’s starting
first. Beating into a light breeze, swinging from NW to NE, huge gains
could be made. Home boat ‘Le Shed’, helmed by Tom White and crewed
by Matt Smith used local knowledge and considerable ‘small pond’
experience to break clear early on, never to be troubled again, leaving
visitor Andy McKee crewed by Jayden Wood in a Dead Cat Bounce and Ian
Smith and Jenny Chen to battle for the minor places. Andy and Jayden
taking 2nd and Ian and Jenny in 3rd. An interesting battle between 2
clinker China Dolls, a Crusader and a Feeling Foolish ensued further
back
Race 2
After a splendid buffet lunch, including smoked salmon and
profiteroles, the second race got underway, using the same course as
race one. This time in a little more breeze, Ian and Jenny got a great
start and led to the first mark, rounding 30 yards clear of Tom and Matt
and Andy and Jayden. Maintaining the lead for the next 2 legs, only for
the wind to fill in from behind, enabling the chasers to close the gap.
A split on the next beat saw the order change, with Andy clearly getting
to grips with the conditions and the stronger breeze helping the
performance of DCB he took the lead and held on until the finish. Tom
and Matt finishing 2nd and Ian and Jenny again in 3rd.
Race 3
With Tom and Matt, and Andy and Jayden with a 1st and 2nd each, the
pressure was on Tom. As the holder of the Firefly Trophy, he was keen to
retain it. He managed to sail Andy out of postion at the committee boat
end, only to be scuppered by fellow Midland member Arthur Bedford, who
with 3 seconds to go, came storming into an impossible gap to windward
of Tom. Collision resulted, Tom had no alternative but to bear away to
clear his air. Fortunately (for Tom), Arthur’s antics caused Andy some
difficulty too and he couldn’t take advantage. Tom managed to lead
around the top mark, followed closely by Andy and Ian. The next downwind
leg saw the order change, with Ian and Jenny taking advantage of a
slightly stronger wind stream on the run and being able to sail out from
underneath, to lead into the next beat. The order changed several times
over the next few legs until Tom and Matt settled into a nervous lead.
Andy and Jayden pushed hard all the way to the finish but were unable to
slip past. The finish being very close, Tom and Matt holding on to take
1st, Andy and Jayden, 2nd and Ian and Jenny once again in 3rd.
Overall results
1st 2765 Tom White/Matt Smith
Midland S.C.
2 pts
2nd 3510 Andy McKee/Jayden Wood
Rutland/ Midland S.C.
3 pts
3rd 3316 Ian Smith/Jenny Chen
Midland S.C.
6 pts
4th 2487 Paul Turner/Christine Preston
Trent Valley S.C.
8 pts
5th 2606 Kevin Hopkins/Tyrone Wood
Midland S.C.
9 pts
6th 3434 Arthur Bedford/ Sue Burton
Midland S.C.
12 pts
7th 3510 Dave Borrett/Liam Borrett
Hykeham S.C
13 pts
