Fox's Marine and Country Alton Water Frostbite Series 2014 - Day 8
by Martin Pavey 27 Feb 2014 16:27 GMT
23 February 2014
10/10 to the forecasters and only two more races to go
A forecast 25mph with gusts of 35mph, yet again from the SW, proved correct, so the less brave or more cynical of us who thought that the steady 15mph breeze that was present on arrival and for the mark laying was set to be with us for the whole day were disappointed.
A start line was set at the far NW end of the reservoir to make best use of the wind direction and available water - the depth proving rather challenging for the pin-end buoy; a small inconvenience compared to problems the rest of the country has had to cope with regarding water levels. Next time we will either lay it in shallower water or treat ourselves to extended ground tackle (this being a somewhat belated apology from your race officer!). The now rather familiar course was set – every weekend since the beginning of the year has seen a wind between South and West and the creative race team have run out of other options – and so it was again two beats, a gybe mark in front of the club house and a non-crossing reach along the leeward shore.
As soon as the preparatory signal was made the wind did what it was forecast to do, increasing in strength and the gusts starting to come through.... rather gently at first and then with a vengeance as the second race started. All fleets had their fair share of capsizes and a substantial number of boats either didn't start or didn't finish the second race – something that will be considered by the race committee when it comes to awarding the 'perseverance' trophy.
Next Sunday sees the final races of the series and with 16 out of 18 races sailed to date and weather permitting, we hope to complete the full series - a first for a few years? Impressive prizes and substantial vouchers from our sponsors Fox's Marine and Country will be the order of the day at our prize giving after the completion of racing on Sunday 2nd March. The success of the series to date has meant that more prizes are now on offer and, after a close-run competition across classes, a good turnout of Toppers over the past few weekends has ensured that they will get some class glassware.
Race by race action highlights from the four fleets:
- in the Fast Handicap fleet the Fireball excelled in the conditions, showing the rest the way around the course. The ever present and best sailed Phantoms were not far behind and had close racing, reversing their positions across the two races. The RS400s had some exciting asymmetric reaching, if only for the first race of the day. Any of the existing top three boats in this fleet could win so there is all to play for on the last race day.
- the results in the Laser fleet rather reflected the age and fitness of the competitors; with the younger squad trained sailors coming out on top of those who are more mature and experienced. It looks as though the class winner is already known but the runner-up spot is still up for grabs, as possibly is the Radial winner.
- the usual fleet leaders in the Medium fleet were away this week and this gave an opportunity to some new faces to smell that fresh air at the front of the fleet and also enjoy some less congested racing. On the day the Finn took the gun and the OKs had some very competitive racing just a little further behind.
- with a 'hat shop' of Toppers out on the water they ensured that they will get class prizes but the days' best performance came from the RS Feva. The well-sailed Cadets planing under spinnaker in 25+ mph were a sight to behold and they mixed it with the Toppers in the overall results.
Races 15 and 16 Provisional Results:
| Series position to date | Helm | Crew | Club | Boat Type | R15 | R16 |
|---|
| Fast Handicap |
|---|
| 1 | Matt House | | AWSC | Phantom | 3 | 1 |
| 2 | Pete Kyne | Tom Kyne | Brightlingsea SC | Fireball | 2 | 2 |
| 3 | Bob Portway | | AWSC | Phantom | 1 | 3 |
| Laser |
|---|
| 1 | Graham Ireland | | RHYC | Standard | 3 | 5 |
| 2 | Ben Clegg | | Brightlingsea SC | Standard | 2 | 2 |
| 3 | John Russsell | | AWSC | Standard | DNC | DNC |
| 4 | Alistair Grant | | AWSC | Radial | 5 | 4 |
| 5 | Charlie Linsell | | Waldringfield SC | Standard | 4 | 3 |
| 6 | Matthew Aldous‑Horne | | AWSC | Standard | 1 | 1 |
| Medium Handicap |
|---|
| 1 | Alan Krailing | Annie Knott | Waldringfield SC | Lark | DNC | DNC |
| 2 | Harry Pynn | Gemma Cook | Waldringfield SC | Lark | DNC | DNC |
| 3 | Ben Alexander | Gemma Thompson | Deben YC | RS 200 | 4 | 6 |
| 4 | Simon Cox | | Waldringfield SC | OK | 1 | 1 |
| 6 | Jerry Andrews | | AWSC | Finn | 3 | 2 |
| 10 | Matthew Stearn | Kerry Robson | Waldringfield SC | Lark | 6 | 3 |
| 31 | Jonathan Fish | | Waldringfield SC | OK | 2 | DNC |
| Slow Handicap |
|---|
| 1 | Ashley Deaton | | RHYC | Topper | 4 | 4 |
| 2 | Harry Wallhead | | AWSC | Topper | 7 | 6 |
| 3 | Richard Townley | | AWSC | Topper | 14 | 10 |
| 12 | Ed Harris | Faye Chatterton | Waldringfield SC | Cadet | 5 | 2 |
| 24 | Alexander Clarke | | Brightlingsea SC | Topper | 2 | 5 |
| 28 | Will Taylor | Fiona Mulchahy | AWSC | RS Feva | 1 | 1 |
| 31 | Lucy Terkelsen | Cally Terkelsen | Stone SC | Cadet | 3 | 3 |
The overall results across all 100+ entries for the 18 race series will be published next week – suffice to say that there is room for movement amongst the top four boats for the glory of a top three place.
Full race by race fleet results to date can be found at: www.altonwater.co.uk/index.php?pid=167&series=346&full_series_fleet=346
Please contact the office or call 01473 328408 regarding any queries.