Wanderer Open at Whitstable Yacht Club

Racing hard through the Whitstable chop © Champion Marine Photography

Racing hard through the Whitstable chop © Champion Marine Photography

The weather forecast for the weekend was ominous, and in the event it proved accurate. Anyone who watched the Open Championship at Royal St. George's will get the idea!

The Wanderers shared the weekend with the Laser Stratos Nationals. Conditions were extreme on Saturday and Race Officer Jon Silk decided to postpone. With a relative lull between two fronts forecast from around 1500, the fleet of 8 Wanderers and 9 Stratoses went afloat.

The first race was sailed in a SW wind 20 kts and gusting. Steve Nation and Liz North won the start and went right. Gavin Barr and Mark Skipper went left and both met at the windward mark. Gavin and Mark rounded first, but they had fouled Steve and Liz in a port starboard incident and did penalty turns. Both set spinnakers and creamed away on a broad reach. These two battled away, tack for tack, with 1626 coming out ahead on the finish line. Behind them Mark Fagg and Ian Hender were in close pursuit, with Andrew Folkard and Matthew Hubbard, and Mike and Ian Bennett close behind. Mark and Ian capsized on the final lap, suffered a bent mast, missed a mark and recorded a DNF. Andrew and Matthew came 3rd and the Bennetts 4th.

By the start of race 2, the "lull" was definitely over, with the wind now over 25 kts. Gavin and Mark won the start and headed inshore to escape the strongest of the tide which was now ebbing fast. Steve and Liz followed. Both attempted to hoist spinnakers on the first reach, but the wind was too strong to hold them, so down came the kites. At the gybe mark Gavin and Mark capsized, allowing Steve and Liz through. With a quick recovery Gavin and Mark were back in pursuit. Up the second beat, conditions had reached "survival" level, with gusts of 35 kts. Meanwhile the Bennetts and Andrew and Matthew had both capsized. Mark Fagg and Ian battled on, sailing better on the starboard tack than on port due to the bend in the mast! On the final run Gavin and Mark went too wide allowing Mark and Ian to overtake and take 2nd place behind Steve and Liz, with Gavin and Mark 3rd. These were the only boats to finish. Racing was then abandoned for the day, and the rescue crews were kept very busy ensuring everyone reached the shore safely.

Saturday evening brought an excellent social and dinner, with many hair-raising tales, and some highly competitive inter-class singing, won I have to say by the Stratoses!

No racing was possible on Sunday. Great respect to all who sailed Saturday, with special mention for David Clausen and Karen Dalton from Gravesend S.C. who had only recently acquired their boat, and had never launched off a beach or sailed on the open sea before.

Overall Results: