Barratt Homes Plymouth Race Week 2011 - Day 2
by Robin Price 9 Jul 2011 21:36 BST
7-10 July 2011
The second days racing at Barratt Homes Plymouth Race Week saw high
excitement and drama as big wind and seas tested all the classes,
both inside and outside the breakwater. All the courses saw the
breeze well into the twenties and towards the end of the day touching
thirty.
South of the breakwater the IRC classes had a fabulous days racing
with Nick and Annie Haigh’s ‘Dark and Steamy’ carrying on Thursdays
form taking three bullets ahead of Jasper Crips’ ‘Ayala’. In IRC B,
‘Antix’, John Allen, took three bullets to remain at the top of the
table followed closely by Dave Allen’s ‘Rainmaker’. Broaching was the
order of the day and in race four, several boats went to the aid of a
man overboard one of which, Neil Tranthan’s ‘Elusive’ who suffered
damage for her efforts, was given redress for the last two races
keeping her firmly in third place.
Inside the breakwater the Sports-boat fleet provide a spectacular
days entertainment with planning and broaching aplenty. On course 1
the Seascape’s continue to be dominated by Jochem Visser who added a
further three bullets, with local sailor Pete Wanstall, who didn’t
perform quite as consistently as Thursday hanging onto second. He’s
just ahead of the Croatian boat helmed by Ratko Stibric who, despite
not starting the first race, had two seconds bring him up from the
bottom of the table into third place. This event forms the Seascape
National Championships.
Toe in the Water’s J80 ‘Big Toe’ helmed by Sam Thompson now has five
bullets out of the three competing putting him fourth in the overall
sports-boat table behind Peter Wanstall, Adam Littlejohn sailing an
Open 5.7 and Jochem Visser in poll position.
Again there was close racing in the J24 fleet with Daryl Conyers
coming out just one point ahead of Jamie Watts while Adrian Bennett
continued a steady midfield battle to remain in third place. The
MOCRA fleet, who managed to complete two races yesterday, is lead for
a second day by Simon Baker.
The race village marquee was packed out and over four hundred
revelers danced the night away to the electrifying Mad Dog McCrea.
Thursday nights auction in aid of the regattas charity ‘Help for
Heroes’ under the flamboyant hammer of Graham Barton, raised over
£3,000.