Buzz Inland Championship at Rutland Sailing Club
by Stuart & Zoe Noble 17 Sep 2008 11:14 BST
13-14 September 2008
This year's Buzz Inlands were hosted by Rutland SC, who were to run 6 races over 2 days.
The first race was scheduled for 12.30 and the wind arrived sufficient for the race to be started, unfortunately this didn’t last and the race officer decided to abandon, which received a loud cheer by all! The situation didn’t improve during the afternoon so it was decided to abandon all races for the day and aim for 4 races on the Sunday.
A good meal was provided by Rutland SC in the evening which was followed by some games in the bar area!
Sunday's first start was at 10.30 to allow time for our 4 races, the light breeze was sufficient to complete the first race successfully, all be it in a very shifty breeze. Simon Cory/Clare Hansell (Buzz 1089) made the most of these condition to finish first, followed by Ed and Sarah Styles (Buzz 969) in 2nd, Jane Noble/Mark Wilson (Buzz 1027) were 3rd.
Race 2 saw a change of places with Jane and Mark claiming the top spot, Candice Clark/Bryn Tovey (Buzz 590) and Stuart Bailey/Zoe Noble (Buzz 1079) both improved on their first race to finish 2nd and 3rd respectively.
The wind increased slightly for the third race, Stuart and Zoe were first to round the windward mark, but then slowly worked their way down to 6th on the downwind legs. Meanwhile Ed and Sarah managed to sail well in the shifty conditions to claim first place with Simon/Clare in 2nd and Jane/Mark in 3rd.
The battle for first place overall was between Simon/Clare, Ed/Sarah and Mark/Jane, all within a point of each other. Simon/Clare and Ed/Sarah decided to battle their way along the starboard side of the course, but this unfortunately led them to a large ‘hole’. Jane and Mark faired better on the other side of the course closely followed by Stuart and Zoe who managed to get the win, although a little late in the day. Ian and Jess Staples (Buzz 919) finished this race in 4th whilst Simon/Clare managed to recover well from their first leg to get 3rd, but Jane and Mark achieved a 2nd, which was good enough to become Inland Champions!
Many thanks to Rutland SC for a well run event in far from ideal conditions.
Overall Results:
1st 1027, Jane Noble & Mark Wilson, 6pts
2nd 1089, Simon Cory & Clare Hansell, 6pts
3rd 969, Ed Styles & Sarah Styles, 8pts
4th 1079, Stuart Bailey & Zoe Noble, 9pts
5th 590, Candice Clark & Bryn Tovey, 10pts
6th 919, Ian Staples & Jess Staples, 15pts