Phantom Open at Blithfield Sailing Club

Blithfield Phantom Open © Dan Stokes

Despite a dubious wind forecast that undoubtedly caused some to stay at home, Sunday dawned with what appeared to be a half decent breeze combined with bright sunshine – sailors' heaven! Upon arrival at the Club however it was apparent that the early promise was not to last and the breeze was disappearing rapidly to leave a really hot day with next to no wind.

Faced with a glassy surface of the lake the race officer for the day had little option but to postpone the first race until 13.30 when a rather erratic but very gentle breeze came along and the Phantoms, Solutions and Club boats managed to get underway. The ripples filled in from different direction which was a precursor of what was to follow.

Race 1 set of in a reasonable if flukey breeze and with the wind so fickle and changeable, places changed dramatically at times. No less than 17 boats including 8 home boats took to the water for the phantom race. A close eye had to be kept on rig and wind indicators as the direction and strength of the breeze varied dramatically. On one leg for example, a wild freak gust nearly caused capsizes for a number of unwary sailors and big gains and losses were made. Although wind direction continued to vary, thankfully it settled somewhat for the remainder of the race resulting in a win for Shustoke sailor Jim Hopton followed by Ed Thomas with Martin Anderson in third.

At the end of race one the intention was to sail the next back to back, but the wind had other ideas and after hanging around for a bit the OD signalled a postponement and all came in for lunch and a much needed cool drink. Some decided at this point that enough was enough and put boats away, but spurred on by the enthusiasm of the visiting sailors the race officer agreed to stage a second race as the breeze again became apparent.

As the Solutions had decided to call it a day, the home Merlin fleet started only 2 minutes after the open meeting which in the conditions proved to be a challenge as the race unfolded. Conditions were such that neither boat found it easy to sail away from the other and a number of close competitions occurred as the two fleets became intermingled.

The front of the phantom fleet also had a moment of confusion as the lead boats headed off towards the wrong mark before belatedly realising their error and rejoining the correct track. Whereas the wind remained variable, it held out to provide a reasonable race and in the circumstances the race officer Duncan Hindley did a good job of ensuring the fleet had the best of the wind.

A review of the results showed that there were a number of tight encounters throughout the fleet such that many had an enjoyable day in the sun with the final outcome decided on count back. Amongst the lead boats, Martin Knott and local Blithfield sailor Martin Anderson swapped positions over the two races. Simlarly, the front two boats also shared the spoils in the final results.

Overall Results:

1st Ed Thomas (Pilkington SC)
2nd Jim Hopton (Shustoke SC)
3rd Martin Knott (Ribble SC)
4th Martin Anderson (Blithfield SC)