Challenger Regatta at Burghfield Sailing Club
by Richard Johnson 12 May 2014 17:56 BST
9-10 May 2014
Burghfield has a reputation for good weather... so who messed this one up? On Friday morning clouds were racing in from the West, the tall pylon in the boat park was roaring like the mast of a clipper rounding Cape Horn and 30-plus knots of wind were hitting the water in front of the clubhouse. The gusts were so vicious that lunch was brought forward but, when they had not lessened by two o'clock, it was officially deemed to be "pitchpole" weather and racing was cancelled for the day - to the relief of sailors and insurance companies!
Saturday morning had not improved much but the Burghfield Race Team had spotted a Weather Window from 10:00am to 1:30pm and the fleet, pre-warned, were ready to go racing by 9:30.
It was still gusty but at 10:00am flags appeared on the committee boat and the fleet were racing. The gun went and - disaster! Val Millward was stalled on the line when her rudder came off. It was quickly fixed but she was by then a hundred yards behind the fleet. John Draper had a good lead but problems gripping the sheet in heavy weather meant he would have to work hard for a win. John led for all of lap one but the fickle gusts worked in Graham Hall's favour and he pulled into a good lead by the finish. Val, quick in any weather, powered her way up to fourth.
In race two, Val was away on time and challenging Graham but it was Diana Faulks in 288 who led the fleet at the windward mark. The gusts were beginning to pick up and the run down the middle of the course was a white knuckle ride, with the following reach even worse, boats nose dived in sheets of spray. Unfortunately, on the next lap, the wind swirled at mark 1 and stalled half the fleet. Graham Hall emerged first and led to the finish for a second win. John was second, Val third.
What proved to be the final race started, with gusts showing that the Race Committee's judgement was spot on. Graham and John fought for first place, with Graham surviving best. Diana retired after a particularly strong squall. Neil Bartlet and Buddy David Newton the only Bronze fleet entry, wisely decided not to risk it. As the fleet finished, squalls arrived that made Burghfield seem as though it had slipped down into the Roaring Forties!
Overall Results:
1st G. Hall
2nd J. Draper
3rd V. Millward
4th A. Hovden
5th D, Faulks
1st Bronze, N. Bartlett/D. Newton
1st Burghfield Boat, J. Draper