Weston Open Meeting
Saturday 22 May dawned bright and sunny at Weston SC for the
sixth race in the Thames Area Series with a perfect Force 2-3
northeast wind. A few clouds gathered over the course of the
afternoon but never quite managed to fulfil the promise of a
sea breeze. A small but select band of N12 sailors took to the
water at 12.30 for three back-to-back races. In the first race
Caroline Martin and Andy Douglas sailing "Bart" took
the lead off the start and managed to hold on to it until the
second reach when Graham Camm & Zoë Ballantyne in "Thanks
for All the Fish" squeezed past to windward. David Wilkins
and Lincoln in "Cooked to Perfection" were close on
Caroline and Graham's heels, but Matt & Paula Burrows in
"Apple Turnover" unfortunately missed the first start
due to spreader problems.
In the second race, Cooked to Perfection had a flying start
and was first to the windward mark. Thanks for All the Fish slipped
past on the first reach on a good gust to take the lead and Bart
then overtook on the second reach on a handy wave. Thanks for
All the Fish held their lead to the finish.
A fully functioning Apple Turnover took the lead off the third
start and headed right while the rest of the fleet headed left.
The wind on the left then died and it looked as though Apple
Turnover was going to leave the rest of the fleet standing (drifting?)
well behind. Breeze returned to the left however just in time
to bring the fleet on the left back to the windward mark at the
same time as Apple Turnover. Thanks for All the Fish rounded
first with Bart close behind, jostling for the lead until the
finish.
On the Sunday, the wind was slightly lighter and more variable.
New recruit Simon Walworth with son Thomas was seen allegedly
"making fine adjustments to the burgee" on the water
from a horizontal position just prior to the start - well, it
was very hot and they apparently needed cooling down.
On the fourth race, Brian Whitmey sailing with daughter Jackie
in "42" took a considerable lead off the start which
he held until the second lap until Bart and Thanks for All the
Fish split tacks behind him, Thanks for All the Fish taking the
lead as the wind filled in from the left hand side.
The fifth race suffered from a conflict between the growing
sea breeze and the remnants of the lad breeze, resulting in shifts
of up to 120 degrees. At one point, the windward leg unexpectedly
turned into a run, keeping all the competitors guessing what
was going to happen next. Despite the unpredictability, Brian
& Jackie Whitmey had another good start with Cooked to Perfection
hot on their heels, but the later change of wind allowed Thanks
For All the Fish to sneak in at the final mark. .
Results:
|
Position |
Helm/Crew |
Boat
name |
Club |
|
1 |
Graham
Camm/Zoe Ballantyne |
Thanks
for All the fish |
Burghfield |
|
2 |
Caroline
Martin/Andy Douglas |
Bart |
Burghfield |
|
3 |
David
Wilkins/ Lincoln |
Cooked
to Perfection |
Spinnaker |
|
4 |
Matt
& Paula Burrows |
Apple
Turnover |
Weston |
|
