Musto Skiff Open at Highcliffe Sailing Club

Musto Skiffs at Highcliffe © Tim Olin / www.olinphoto.co.uk

Musto Skiffs at Highcliffe © Tim Olin / www.olinphoto.co.uk

Musto Skiffs at Highcliffe © Tim Olin / www.olinphoto.co.uk

13 Musto Skiffs arrived at Highcliffe SC to be greeted by 12 knots and baking sun. Although by the time we had launched the wind had was beginning to die and by the time the race was meant to start it had gone a long way left and caused a delay to first race.

By the time we started we had a very shifty and gusty north easterly 3-14 knots. It produced a very snakes and ladders race which Bruce Keen got the best out of with almost a leg lead at one point. The fleet did give him a scare on the last beat though when he sailed in to a big hole on the left and let Tom wright how had gone hard right close to within a couple boat lengths at the windward mark. Keen held on to win the race with Wright second and Dave Posten third.

After the race the wind completely died for about half an hour till a sea breeze filled in with what felt a like a very steady 12 knots particularly after the first race. In the second race most of the fleet went left up the first beet but there were a handful of boats that went right. The boats on the right came out on top with Peter Hayward leading at the windward mark. Although by the leeward mark it was Sam Barker leading having gone left down the run. Barker held the lead to till the end of the last beat when Alex Knight got past and with it the race win. Barker came in second and keen in third having come back from a bad first beat.

The wind was beginning to die to 4-6 knots at this point and after one abandoned start the race officer sent the fleet in to a good evening meal and the football in the club house.

On day 2 the wind was back in the North East and was just as gusty and shifty as the first race, although there was everything from 5-18 knots. Keen got a good lead in race 3 and was never really challenged to the finish. This left Posten and knight to fight it out for second. After many place changes posten got past Knight on the last beat and went on to take second with Knight coming in third.

By now the tide was beginning to get stronger making and already complicated course even hard to try and understand. Posten made the best out of it in race 4 to take the win with Stuart Keagan second and keen third. In the last race the wind swung hard to the right up the first beat which left Keegan with a large lead at the first windward mark. He held this till the finish with Keagan coming second and Mathew Holden third.

This left Keen winning overall, Posten in second and knight in third. Thanks to everyone at Highcliffe Sailing Club and particle the race officer Paul Walker and his team how had two challenging days.

More excellent Tim Olin photos can be found here.

Overall Results: