Laser Open at Chichester Yacht Club

Chichester Laser Open winners (l to r) David Perez-Perez, Richard Bailey and Tim Boon © Gideon Ewers

Chichester Laser Open © Gideon Ewers

Flying Fijian claims Chichester Laser crown

Once again the weather gods dished up a Race Officer's headache with the forecast 10-15 kts due for the scheduled 1230 start singularly failing to appear to the chagrin for the 30 Laser sailors who'd made the trip to Chichester Yacht Club's Laser Open last Saturday – the final leg of this year's Laser South Coast Grand Prix with racing for Standard, Radial and 4.7 Lasers. Prize for the furthest club represented, went to the Musket Cove Yacht Club which, as it turns out, is in Fiji.

After a delay of an hour and a half OOD Derek Jackman was able to get the fleets away on the first of a scheduled three races. In the Standard Fleet Lymington's Nik Froud and "Fijian" Ritchie Bailey established a lead over the peloton early in the first beat and were left to trade punches for the next two and a half laps before Froud was able to extend away from Bailey with Fireball ace Richard Anderton taking third. Meanwhile in the Radials, the racing was a tighter affair with the fleet closing for a blanket finish after two laps Josh Bakker claiming first over Rob Beere and Tim Boon meanwhile fourth was declared a dead heat with the Race team unable to separate Liz Shepard and Sue Richie at the line. In the 4.7s David Perez-Perez from Arun demonstrated disturbing speed to claim first over Felpham's Owen Aldous.

In the second race the breeze continued to build giving the fleet planing conditions on parts of the course. In the Standards on the fist leg Bailey and Froud succumbed to a challenge from Anderton who led round the top mark only to chuck it away while temporarily navigationally challenged on the second leg once leaving the door open for Bailey and Froud who finished in that order. As it turned out Anderton was scored OCS at the start allowing Nick Forster to claim third. Racing in the Radial fleet remained as tight as the first race with the entire fleet never separated by more than a minute. At the line Boon and Bakker had swopped places with Beere remaining consistent in second. In the 4.7s Perez-Perez once again dominated to the extent that he was ahead of the back marking Radials taking first to ensure his victory in the meeting.

With the ebb tide well away OOD Jackman had concerns about depth at the bottom end of the course and decided to call the meeting after two races. The final results for the Standards requiring a two way tie break between Bailey and Froud with the former taking the spoils and a three way tie in the Radials between Baaker, Beere and Boon with the second race win in the second enough to seal it for CYC's Boon.

Overall Results:

Laser Standard
1st Richard Bailey (Musket Cove YC)
2nd Joe Froud (Lymington Town SC)
3rd Nick Forster (UMSC)

Laser Radial
1st Tim Boon (Chichester YC)
2nd Josh Bakker (Hayling Island SC)
3rd Rob Beere (Frensham Pond SC)

Laser 4.7
1st David Perez-Perez (Arun YC)
2nd Owen Aldous (Felpham SC)