Camel Week at Rock Sailing and Waterski Club
by George Dale 23 Aug 2010 17:55 BST
With an entry of 109 monohulls, 11 catamarans and 26 Shrimpers, a total of 109 craft, Rock Sailing & Water Ski Club’s Camel Week retained its place this year as one of the most popular family regattas in the country. With a wide range of boat handling skills and boats ranging from fast multihulls to championship level dinghies, Race Officer Chris Creak and his team set courses throughout the week that tested all levels of expertise and ensured first class racing for all.
Race 1 - for the dinghy fleet the Brea Buoy Cup and for cats the Dinham trophy - was held in benign conditions utilising the length of the Camel Estuary. Jon Heissig and Nicky Griffin in their Alto were first over the line in the dinghies followed by Dave and Jane Wade in the Scorpion Popping Polly and Mike Lyons in his Blaze Twist & Shout. In the cat fleet, Mike Coulson and Viki Herbert-Coulson in their Hurricane 5.9 Erbitz were first with Andrew Evans in his Topper Topaz CX14 second and Georgina and Peter Williams in their Dart 18 Pink Panther third.
The second race would normally have been a pursuit but light wind conditions delayed the star and the Rush High Flyer for cats and the dinghies’ Porthilly Cup were run instead. Tim and Matthew Yates in their RS400 Mercury were first over the line, followed by Jon Heissig and Nicky Griffin and Mike Lyons. The cats winner was Andrew Evans with Georgina and Peter Williams second and Jums Greaves with Henry Greville Collins in their Hobie 16 Smoking Bimbo third.
Then to the first of two pursuit races, the Renovation Trophy. Conditions were ideal with enough wind to make for fair racing all round. Cats and dinghies race against each other in this event, which was won by Toby Barsley-Dale and Gareth Russell in their Flying Dutchman Ogg the Clever with John and Sally Wade in their Wayfarer Popping Polly second and Mike Lyons once again in third place.
Race 4. Catamarans’ Chisholm Cup and dinghies’ Gentle Jane Cup: A stiff, building breeze greeted the competitors out in the bay and there were plenty of capsizes to keep the patrol boats busy. First over the line for the cats was Pink Panther with Smoking Bimbo second and Ed Chisholm with Roy Higginson in their Hobie 16 third. The Alto of Jon Heissig was first of the dinghies with Toby Barsley-Dale second and Mark and Helen Dinwoodie in the Fireball Which Way is Up? third.
The fifth race on the Thursday, the Commodore’s Cup pursuit was once again breezy with many boats non-starters. Toby Barsley-Dale’s FD was winner for the second day running, with Mark Dinwoodie’s Fireball second and Martin and Caroline Hough in their 400 Sacré Bleu third.
Race 6. Catamarans’ Camel Silver Salver, dinghies’ Rock Trophy. The final day of racing would determine the final result between the Alto of Jon Heissig and the FD of Toby Barsley-Dale; the winner of this race would decide the series. In the event Jon was the winner with Toby second. Mark Dinwoodie took third place. For the Cats, Andrew Evans’ took first place, Mike Coulson second and Georgina Williams third.
This was a most successful week for the Club and the overall dinghy winners for the week were 1st Jon Heissig and Nicky Griffith, 2nd Toby Barsley Dale and Gareth Russell, 3rd Mark and Helen Dinwoodie. The cat winners were Jums Greaves and Henry Greville Collins 1st, Georgina and Peter Williams 2nd and Andrew Evan 3rd.
Meanwhile, further out in the bay, the Shrimper fleet was racing, with Mark Peak and his team enduring gruelling conditions in their committee boat. Racing was for the Eclipse Trophy, the Red Buoy Cup, the John Lees Memorial Cup, the Cibie Cup, and the St Minver Cup. The Skippers reported excellent courses, mindful of the sometimes severe conditions. Overall winners for the week were Peter Skinner and Graham Renwick in Black Dog, second was Peter Thomas with various crews in Haggis and third Rod Offer and Paul Harris in Aurora.
Overall Results:
Dinghies
Brea Buoy Cup – Jon Heissig & Nicky Griffin (Alto)
Renovation Trophy – Toby Barsley-Dale & Gareth Russell (FD)
Porthilly Cup – Tim & Matthew Yates (RS400)
Gentle Jane Cup – Jon Heissig & Nicky Griffin
Commodore’s Cup – Toby Barsley-Dale & Gareth Russell
Rock Trophy - Jon Heissig & Nicky Griffin
Overall winners of the series
1st Jon Heissig & Nicky Griffin
2nd Toby Barsley-Dale & Gareth Russell
3rd Mark and Helen Dinwoodie
Catamarans
Dinham Trophy – Mike Coulson & Viki Herbert Coulson (Hurricane 5.9)
Rush High Flyers – Andrew Evans, Georgina & Peter Williams
Chisholm Cup – Georgina & Peter Williams (Dart 18)
Camel Silver Salver – Andrew Evans
Overall winners for the week (the Gunn Cup)
1st Jums Greaves & Henry Greville Collins (Hobie 16)
2nd Georgina & Peter Williams
3rd Andrew Evans
Shrimpers
David Suter Eclipse Trophy – Peter Skinner & Graham Renwick
Parker Trophy - Trehane & Richard Oliver
Francis Cup – Peter Thomas & various crews
Red Buoy Cup - Peter Skinner & Graham Renwick
John Lees Memorial Cup - Peter Skinner & Graham Renwick
Cibie Cup – Rod Offer & Paul Harris
St Minver Cup – John Greaves & Penny Allen
Robertson Trophy – Peter Thomas
Average Cup – Andrew Scott & various crews
Click here for full overall results.
More photos on the Peter Glaser Photography website.