British Moth Open at Mid Warwickshire Yacht Club

British Moths at Mid Warwickshire © Tom Seaton

British Moths at Mid Warwickshire © Tom Seaton

Mid Warwickshire Yacht Club welcomed 14 entrants and their families for its 5th British Moth Open Meeting on Saturday 29 March 2014, which included 3 members from the home club. Competitors were greeted with sunshine, a light breeze and a good water level on the small reservoir at Leamington Spa which is ideally suited to the British Moth. However, the wind picked up as the day progressed and the conditions were challenging at times with a capsize or two to keep the spectators amused and the safety crews on their feet!

In Race 1 the fleet were very well disciplined on the start line with just one boat returning voluntarily. Roger Witts from Frampton got cleanly away towards the port end of the start line and built up an early lead. The chasing pack consisted of Colin Hall, Graham Pope and Gary Tompkins. Elaine Laverty from the home Club also gave chase from a little further behind. As the wind freshened, Roger continued to dominate and lapping some of the back markers to take line honours. Colin Hall was the most consistent of the pack and took 2nd place with Gary Tompkins finishing 3rd and Graham Pope 4th.

During the now traditional Chilli lunch washed down with a beer, the wind had continue to freshen but remained in the same direction, so apart from a modified finish line the course remained unchanged for Race 2. Once again Roger Witts led from the start and this time the chasing boats included Grahm Pope, along with Colin Hall and Peter Lee. The wind took its toll on the competitors with Colin Hall sustaining a bad capsize which sent him from 4th to 10th where he remained for the rest of the race. Jonathan Twite also suffered similarly but ended up on a lee shore and needed outside assistance which ended his race. Back on the race course Roger Witts maintained his lead right to the finish and was not seriously challenged throughout. Similarly Graham Pope and Peter Lee both sailed a consistent race throughout to keep second and third place respectively. Elaine Laverty worked her way through the fleet to take 4th place.

After a quick cuppa and with the wind showing no sign of abating the competitors set out for Race 3. With Roger Witts now safely off the water, it was Graham Pope who came to the fore and showed the rest of the fleet the way to go. A terminal capsize for Ian Hayward at the windward mark on the second lap indicated that this race was going to be no less challenging than the first two. It was looking really good for Peter Lee as he held 2nd place for 4 laps raising the home fleet supporters’ expectations. Unfortunately the challenges from the rest of the pack in the shifty conditions proved too much and he dropped to fourth and then 5th place. Richard Keefe eventually got the better of the mid fleet duel, but unfortunately for him Graham Pope’s lead was unassailable.

Overall Results: