Enterprise Midland Series at Sutton Sailing Club

This event was the third in the 2008 Midland area Double Chine series sponsored by Speed Sails was held at Sutton SC on Sunday 20th April.

The nine boats were met by rain and cold Easterly winds which were both variable in strength and direction which kept everybody on there toes.

In the first race John Wilber/Georgina Fletcher (Sutton SC) starting on port tack from favored end of a heavily port biased line got the best start and led for most of the first lap. Ges Brown/Dennis Swain (Hallamshire) and Nigel Allso/Kate Brazier (Tamworth SC) pulled through on the second lap, with Mike Cossey/Christine Barron (Tamworth SC) in third and Paul Young/Iain Leiper (Midland SC) catching up after a poor start fourth. At the finish after many battles, Brown/Swain was first followed by Allso/Brazier in second. Snatching third on the finish line was Young/Leiper after an exciting tacking duel with Cossey/ Barron on the final beat.

After an excellent lunch, the second race got underway in similar conditions, to the first, this time Young /Leiper making a good start from the middle of the line led up the first beat until Brown/Swain, Allso/Brazier and Cossey/Barron making better use of the wind bends and shifts soon passed him. Allso/Barron and Brown/Swain then pulled away and continued to fight for first place for most of the race, never being more than a few boat apart, with the lead changing several times. Brown/Swain won again, Allso/Brazier was second close behind. Cossey/Barron getting the better of Young/Leiper on the last lap was third.

This left second third and fourth places to be decided in the last race. In the lighter conditions now prevailing Cossey/Barron rounded the windward mark first followed by Young/Leiper, Allso/Brazier and Martin Bottomley/Bill Burton(Emberton Park SC). By the third lap Allso/Brazier had gained the lead followed by Brown/Swain with Cossey/Barron and Young/Leiper in hot pursuit. At this stage the real battle was for third with the outcome not decided until the final tack when Cossey/Barron just far ahead of Young/Leiper to tack in front in front of him, sailed the final few yards remaining on a one sided beat to gain third place overall.

The club's sponsors Purple Marine presented some of the prizes.

Overall Results:

1st 23194 Ges Brown/Dennis Swain (Hallamshire) 2pts
2nd 20443 Nigel Allso/Kate Brazier (Tamworth SC) 4pts
3rd 22823 Mike Cossey/Christine Barron (Tamworth SC) 6pts
4th 22901 Paul Young/Iain Leiper (Midland SC) 7pts
5th 22939 John Wilber/ Georgina Fletcher (Sutton SC) 10pts
6th 23159 Martin Bottomley/Bill Burton (Emberton Park SC) 11pts
7th 22556 Dave Batsford/C Petrie (Sutton SC) 13pts
8th 19616 Dave Hall/Tony Fletcher (Sutton SC) 16pts
9th 18804 M Hughes/Alex Hughes (Sutton SC) 16pts