Barratt Homes Plymouth Race Week 2011 - Overall
by Robin Price 11 Jul 2011 16:15 BST
7-10 July 2011
The fourth and final day of the Barratt Homes Plymouth Race Week started in sharp contrast to previous days with light airs and a calm sea. However, on the race courses there was all to play for. In a few of the classes the silverware was still open and so there was some relief as the light westerly wind started to fill in to provide a good morning's racing.
The closest finish was in the J24’s who had battled hard all week, and for the final two races there was still all to play for with the top three boats starting the day with two joint leaders and the third boat just one point behind. Adrian Bennett won followed by Jamie Watts and Daryl Conyers putting the first two on level points for the final race. When Daryl failed to take Legal Alien back over the line for an OCS it left ‘Skilled Services’ and ‘Apollo 4’ match racing for the series. In the end Adrian Bennett came in just ahead of ‘Apollo 4’ to win the week but the pair had to follow Steve Wassall’s Westerly built ‘Dogs Jorrocks’ over the line.
Outside the breakwater the IRC A fleet was dominated again by Nick and Annie Haigh’s ‘Dark and Steamy’ who ended the series with ten out of ten bullets. ‘Ayala’, Jasper Crips, and Ian Stewart’s ‘Exotic’ who had jostled all week taking second and third place. John Allen’s ‘Antix’ had a tremendous week winning in IRC B and again a week long skirmish between ‘Elusive’ Neil Tranthan, and ‘Rainmaker’, Dave Allen left the duo in that order.
With six bullets Simon Baker’s ‘Drama Queen’ is the MOCRA National
Champion followed by Rupert Kidd, ‘Suenos’. On equal points for third
and fourth place was Matt Baker and Julian Spooner. Back inside the
breakwater the UK National Sportsboat Championship was continuing to
provide exciting racing. Toe in the Water’s ‘Big Toe’, skippered by
Sam Thompson won the J80 class, and in the Seascape Championships,
Jochem Visser was the clear winner. Croatia’s Ratko Stibric was
second ahead of local sailor Peter Wanstall. Runner up in the
National Sports Boat Championship was Richard Littlejohn sailing his
Open 5.70.
Afterwards at the prize giving in the race village marquee Barratt
Homes Managing Director, Tim Larner, thanked the organisers for a
successful event which they were proud to have been title sponsor
for. And, after being crowned the Overall National Sports Boat
Champion, Jochem Visser who was presented with a stunning Richard
Vassey yacht sculpture, thanked the Royal Western’s Commodore, Chris
Arscott for a friendly, welcoming and exceedingly well run regatta in
some of the best sailing waters he had experienced.