Please select your home edition
Edition
Allen Brothers

Scorpion Open at Grafham Water Sailing Club

by Simon Gillow 27 Apr 2012 15:05 BST 21-22 April 2012

This weekend 24 Scorpions braved chilly temperatures, killer shrimp and Feva parents to attend the first Scorpion Open of the year at Grafham. 6 races were sailed over the weekend on a triangle/sausage course shared with the Flying Fifteens and Larks. A number of the fleet have bought new boats over the winter and are also experimenting with new twin-pole systems so it was to be an interesting event to see what effect these changes had on the results.

On Saturday the wind started at a nice 10mph but this occasionally picked up a bit as each new black cloud came over. Race 1 got underway under a black flag, Tom Jeffcoate/Mark Hogan and Pete Gray/Rich Pepperdine made the best of the shifts up the first beat and finished in that order just ahead of a fast finishing Andy McKee/Tarren Jones. Race 2 saw Andy/Tarren take the lead ahead of the wooden boat of Tom Gillard/Andy Thompson. Race 3 saw Andy/Tarren make the most of the shifts to lead round the first mark followed by Simon Gillow/Fiona Brett, on the final lap a big black cloud came and the wind increased to about 20mph, Tom/Mark managed to avoid the distraction of watching the Lark fleet death rolling down the run to take the lead while everyone else started reaching for their mast rake controls. The fleet made it ashore just in time to watch the Feva fleet pummeled by rain/hail from the warm dry clubhouse.

After the usual evening of fun and games the wind looked pretty similar on Sunday. In race 4 the fleet struggled to find the gybe mark, the majority headed for a bouy somewhere off the clubhouse before realising where the real mark was. Tom/Andy spotted it first and led from Steve/Sarah Cockerill who had overcome some twin pole teething issues overnight, Dave Wade/Ben Rayner came in 3rd. Dave/Ben led race 5 followed by Tom/Andy and a fast finishing Simon/Fiona who overtook Tom/Mark on the final reach. Going into race 6 there were 3 boats who could possibly win the open, Tom/Andy took the lead and held it to the finish to take the open title ahead of Tom/Mark in 2nd. Andy/Tarren finished 4th which gave them 3rd overall.

All in all everyone had a great weekend and are looking forward to the next opens at Shotwick Lake on 6th May and Chew Valley on 12/13th May.

More photos on Fotoboat at fotoboat.thirdlight.com/viewdir.tlx?albumid=324849

Overall Results:

PosSail NoHelmCrewClubR1R2R3R4R5R6Pts
1st1976Tom GillardAndy ThompsonSheffield Viking42(DNC)12110
2nd2025Tom JeffcoateMark HoganNotts County131-84211
3rd2004Andy McKeeTarren JonesDovestone SC3124-12414
4th2026Dave WadeBen RaynerNorthampton SC5-9531317
5th2023Stephen CockerillSarah CockerillHill Head SC-194425520
6th1947Steve WalkerJerry HannabussPennine8-123106734
7th2003Simon GillowFiona BrettChipstead SC6107-1431339
8th2013Pete GrayRich PepperdineStaunton Harold SC258179(DNC)41
9th2017Jack BanksPenny JeffcoateDovestone SC97107-18841
10th2024Barry WolfendenRachel RhodesChipstead SC15669-17945
11th2028Ryan BuchananHannah BurkeHill Head SC12-151468646
12th2010John ClementsonMelanie TitmusChipstead SC7-16121171451
13th1987Matt PotterSteve GrayamNotts County10813-20151662
14th2005Janet RichieAlan RichieChipstead SC17111713(DNC)1169
15th1979Alex HaymanDave ElstonSidmouth/Lyme Regis11(DNC)919141770
16th1952Elinor PeggAdam ParryYealm YC13-191812131571
17th1967Chris MasseyCharlotte FarmerDovestone SC-18171518111273
18th1984Richard SearleLucy SearleMill Head1418-1915191076
19th202Tom CastleTim HartleyNorthampton SC(DNC)13161610DNC80
20th1994David HannanMike HannanHill Head SC(DNC)DNC11516DNC82
21st1925Martyn DenchfieldHarry JanesRipon SC/SWSC-222120222018101
22nd1852Carol HainesJon HainesElton SC1614(DNC)DNFDNCDNC105
23rd1963Julie HolroydPaul HolroydHunts Sailing Club2120(DNC)21DNCDNC112
24th2018Nigel PotterTom StoreyNotts County20(DNC)DNCDNCDNCDNC120

Related Articles

Scorpion Foundation gives new life to an 80s hull
Now the association can encourage younger racers to join the class Scorpion 1929 was commissioned by Graeme Bristow in 1989 and was the very first boat built by Kevin Gosling when he set up Gosling Dinghy Craft after working with Jon Turner for seven years. Posted on 22 Apr Scorpions at Chew Valley Lake
Some had to battle through snow to get there The 2024 Silver Scorpion kicked off at a chilly Chew Valley Lake Sailing Club. Some had to battle through snow to get there, but the most foolhardy members of the Scorpion, Merlin Rocket and Flying 15 fleets launched for the midday start. Posted on 4 Mar It's a wrap!
In sailing we have a lot of plain white hulls In sailing we have a lot of plain white hulls. Let's face it, when everything looks the same, it does make things a bit dull. The end of February is a dreary time, so it's time to talk about boats which brighten things up. Posted on 19 Feb The Staunton Blaster
East Midlands Mini-Series event won by Pete and Rach Gray Light winds put paid to fast paced sailing on Day 1, in fact almost put paid to any racing! After one race where sailors cajoled their boats along and tried to catch every slight hint of a puff, it was decided to postpone. Posted on 13 Feb Scorpion End of Season Championships
Staunton Harold hosts end of Silver Scorpion series Despite a continually changing forecast, 27 Scorpions skirted the Midlands wide flood water, descending upon Staunton Harold Sailing Club for the 2023 End of Season Championships. The fleet were met with hot beverages and pastries. Posted on 6 Nov 2023 It's all in the Name!
Racing Sailboats, an institution right at the very heart of the UK dinghy sailing scene It is a sad fact of life that the sailors who were drivers at the heart of the so called 'golden era' of dinghy racing are getting older, but their ability to get together for an afternoon of fun and laughter is as strong as ever. Posted on 3 Nov 2023 The Morning Sun
...when it's in your face really shows your age Taking the positive feedback that was received as the main metric, it seems a pretty fair assessment that the recent article on the state of the domestic dinghy scene struck something of a chord with a number of classes and individuals. Posted on 29 Oct 2023 2024 Scorpion sailing programme
Plus increased capacity for the Nationals at Castle Cove We are very excited to release the Scorpion sailing programme for the 2024 season, with events at established Scorpion favourite venues and new ones to add to the fold. Posted on 23 Oct 2023 Scorpion Inlands at Draycote
Your author hopes to start winning soon, and escape report writing It would seem that I have once again landed myself the role of report writer (you'll all be sick of hearing from me this year) - we really need to sort ourselves out and start winning to avoid this... Posted on 28 Sep 2023 Something so right
Dougal Henshall looks at what makes for a good championships attendance Jack Knights coldly set out that the golden age of dinghy racing had already had its day, and by the mid-1970s he felt that that all the signs were that activity levels had peaked. He claimed to see the first signs of a downward trend. Posted on 13 Sep 2023
Copyright 2024 YY Online Services Ltd. registered in England no. 7895890
Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy