Crewsaver Tipsy Icicle Series at Leigh & Lowton Sailing Club - Week 1
by Paul Heath 7 Jan 2015 17:56 GMT
4 January 2015
Sunday 4th January saw the first weekend of the 'Crewsaver' Tipsy Icicle series at Leigh & Lowton Sailing Club, Pennington Flash. As the competitors arrived they found the Flash covered in thick fog but there was a light breeze filling in from the north east. As time went on the fog slowly lifted, the wind swung to the east and the sun came out just in time for the start as the series PRO team, Peter and Judith Baldwin, got the racing under way at midday with a four fleet starting sequence for the 61 boats.
First away in the 5 knot breeze was the 18 boat Laser fleet. Howard Green (LLSC) made the early running but he was closely followed by Mark Lunn (LLSC) and Greg Marshall (West Lancs YC) As the race progressed the breeze began to drop off to nothing and then a different pattern of breeze would appear elsewhere on the course so it really did become a game of 'snakes and ladders' sailing. In the end Lunn and Marshall managed to overhaul Green and they finished in that order with Mike Baldwin (LLSC) fourth.
Second away was the 28 boat handicap fleet which included 12 Solos (the results of which will be taken separately from the handicap finish) In the main fleet the X1 of Alex Morrison/Steve White (LLSC) led from the start and pulled out an impressive lead to take the win on corrected time. Behind them there was plenty of place changing as some boats were becalmed while others found small zephyrs of breeze. In the end it was Alex Collins (SuperNova – Bolton SC) who took second from Mike Banner/Mark Atherton (Albacore – LLSC) in third and Tom Wallwork/Sam Platt (420 – Bolton SC) fourth.
It was close in the Solo fleet as Andy Tunicliffe (Royal Windermere YC) and Innes Armstrong (Burwain SC) had a battle at the front and it was only at the end that Armstrong sunk low to get ahead of Tunicliffe and hold on to take the win while Patrick Hamilton (Burwain SC) came home in third and Brian Sprague (LLSC) fourth.
Next away were the 15 boat Asymmetric fleet. Sailing like they had been shot out of a cannon it was Hamish Gledhill/Simon Dowse (RS400 – West Riding SC) who took a large early lead and were never headed as they took the win. Behind them it was pretty tight racing and the RS200's were never far away from the front runners. On corrected time it was the RS200's of Louise Mckeand/Cathy Partington (LLSC) and Jon Chapman/Wendy Martin (Budworth SC) who finished second and third while Greg Booth (RS100 10.2 – Port Dinorwic SC) rounded off the top four.
Last away was the all Topper 8 boat junior fleet. There was extremely close racing throughout and the winner was only decided at the death when Lorcan Knowles (LLSC) managed to sneak past Samuel Copper (West Lancs. YC) to take the win. Behind them it was Toby Cope (Rudyard lake SC) in third and Brandon Banner (LLSC) fourth.
During lunch the breeze disappeared altogether. This led to a delay to the start of race two while the PRO team waited for some to arrive which it duly did as it filled in from the south east at 3 knots before going more easterly as the raced progressed.
In the Laser fleet it was the same old faces at the front and a repeat one, two, three as Lunn took an early lead which he held to the end. After a poor start Marshall managed to work his way through to second and Green, who had been second for most of the race, finished third with Stuart Belfield (LLSC) fourth.
In the handicap fleet the X1 repeated its first race performance as it sailed off away from the fleet to take the win. Behind them it was Wallwork/Platt in the 420 who sailed well to take second from the Albacore of Banner/Atherton while Gareth Williams (RS Aero 7) came home in fourth.
In the Solo fleet it was Armstrong who took his second win of the day with Hamilton second, Ray Wood (LLSC) third and Sprague fourth.
The junior fleet once again saw close racing and a different race winner as Cooper came home in first with Knowles second, Banner third and Cope fourth.
Last away, due to an earlier general recall so to the back they went, was the Asymmetric fleet and this time it was Richard Catchpole/Gary Coop (RS400 – LLSC) who took the lead from the start and built up what was surely an unassailable lead. It was then that the wind dropped even further in strength and the fleet stopped for a short while. When the wind did fill in again it was all around them and all they could do was sit and watch as the fleet drifted up to and overtook them. This and a later 720 penalty turn put paid to their dreams of victory. In the end it was Chapman/Martin who took the win on corrected time from Chris Pickles/Matt Sharman (RS400 – Delph SC) second, Robin Dawson/Phil Davenport (Bassenthwaite SC) third and Gledhill/Dowse in fourth.
There is plenty of wind forecast for this coming weekend so come and join us on Sunday, 11th January for races 3 & 4 in the 'Crewsaver' Tipsy Icicle series the largest dinghy winter series in the country. It's a midday start and full details on how to enter the series online via webcollect can be found on the club website, webcollect.org.uk/llsc/category/event. You can also enter on the day at the reception desk. We look forward to seeing you.
Full results can be found at www.llsc.org.uk/1/LLSC/Results/2015/Tipsy.htm
www.llsc.org.uk