Flying Fifteen Open at Datchet Water Sailing Club
by Richard Jones 16 Oct 2011 19:05 BST
15-16 October 2011
Pea Soup and The Datchet FF Open Meeting
Twelve Flying Fifteen teams, including three visitors, rolled up on Sunday 16th October to be greeted by a pea soup of a fog, copious coffee, and New Zealand thrashing the Aussies on TV. No contest really… The Club Weather Station gave the average wind over 30 minutes as 0.0knots…
The Saturday had kicked off under blue skies and 7 knots of gently failing breeze – the PRO setting out to get three races in. The fleet was led out of the gate by Mike Firth and James Waterhouse making their second great start of the year! Tacking around the first buoy they led off to the wrong mark, the Fleet dutifully following. John Hanson and Helen Selden, tail-end Charlies at that point, spotted the error and pushed out to windward and into the lead. The Fleet, of course, rolled over Firth and Waterhouse pushing them to the back. Race one was brilliantly won by Chris and Tom Waples, ahead of Hamish MacKay and Andrew Lawson, with Hanson and Selden coming in third. Race two was again taken by The Waples, followed by Whittaker and Fairley of the home Club, and Hanson and Selden again squeezing on to the podium.
Then, the breeze died completely and the PRO called it a day. Sunday was a washout what with the fog and no breeze. Overall results were dominated by The Waples, followed by Hanson/Selden, Whittaker/Fairley both of the home Club.
Overall Results:
1st 3716, Waples/Waples, 2pts
2nd 3539, Hanson/Selden, 6pts
3rd 3732, Whittaker/Fairley, 7pts
4th 3788, MacKay/Lawson, 8pts
5th 3378, Clark/Boyd-Philips, 11pts