Streaker P&B Southern Paddle Series at Broxbourne Sailing Club
by Veronica Falat 3 Sep 2013 18:10 BST
1 September 2013
Streakers at Broxbourne © Karen Langston
After a summer break the P&B Streaker Southern Paddle travellers series resumed at Broxbourne on Sunday 1st September. 12 boats from as far afield as Somerset, Sussex, Suffolk and Sheffield came to play and enjoy the warm, sunny conditions. The breeze was somewhat unsteady but provided some interesting racing which the spectators probably enjoyed if they were laying bets on the outcome of each wind shift!
In the first race, Alan Gillard made the best start but couldn't pull far away from Veronica Falat. They took it in turns to lead the fleet and at the finish it was Veronica who was just ahead. For much of the race Mark Langston was clear in third place but Ian Bradley eventually caught him up and just beat him to the finish.
After lunch the conditions were much the same, with the puffy wind giving lifts and knocks seemingly at random. Veronica made a good start in Race 2 but Alan and Ian were right there too on the first lap and it looked like these three would pull away. However, the chasing pack was never far behind and Alan was overtaken by Scott Bonner, while Veronica and Ian were able to keep clear and they finished in that order.
The breeze was a bit lighter for the third and final race. Veronica again took the lead and Ian had to fight off the challenges of Scott, Mark, Bill Strange and Gerry Ledger before feeling secure in second place, by which time Veronica had a comfortable lead. This meant that she won the event with three firsts.
The next event on the Pinnell & Bax Southern Paddle circuit will be at Mengeham Rythe SC on September 21st. Before then, the Sail Register Northern Paddle starts up again at Ripon on September 14th, with Scammonden SC on the following day.
Overall Results:
| Pos | Sail No | Helm | Club | R1 | R2 | R3 | Pts |
|---|
| 1 | 1654 | Veronica Falat | Waveney & Oulton Broad YC | ‑1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2 | 1817 | Ian Bradley | Ouse Amateur SC | ‑3 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 3 | 1832 | Alan Gillard | Sheffield Viking SC | 2 | 4 | (DNS) | 6 |
| 4 | 1803 | Scott Bonner | Durleigh SC | ‑6 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 5 | 1664 | Mark Langston | Beccles Amateur SC | 4 | ‑5 | 4 | 8 |
| 6 | 1850 | Gerry Ledger | Up River SC | 5 | ‑8 | 6 | 11 |
| 7 | 1791 | Bill Strange | Stewartby Water SC | ‑7 | 7 | 5 | 12 |
| 8 | 1700 | Alan Simmons | Lancing SC | ‑9 | 6 | 7 | 13 |
| 9 | 1691 | Jane Hill | Broxbourne SC | 8 | ‑11 | 8 | 16 |
| 10 | 1607 | Richard Dean | Broxbourne SC | ‑12 | 9 | 10 | 19 |
| 11 | 1828 | Nick Carter | Burghfield SC | 11 | ‑12 | 9 | 20 |
| 12 | 1608 | Geoff Town | Broxbourne SC | 10 | 10 | ‑11 | 20 |