Bembridge Illusions Flying Dutchman Trophy
by Kass Schmitt 20 Jan 2015 14:15 GMT
17-18 January 2015
Ten hardy Illusionists gathered on a clear, frosty and nearly windless morning for the first day of the inaugural Flying Dutchman Trophy regatta, an initiative from our "flying dutchman" Rudy Jurg. Pre-race challenges included freeing jib furling drums and lines from the blocks of ice which had encased them as well as avoiding the ice patches formed in the boat park as soon as a number of competitors pumped the rainwater out of their bilges. Dark clouds appeared over Brading as the boats were craned in, and the fleet was hit by a squall with strong gusts by the start of the first race. Conditions varied considerably over the three races on Saturday with the only constant being James Meaning's dominance of the fleet.
Rupert Holmes made a strong start in the squally conditions of the first race on Saturday, leading at the windward mark on the first beat and extending his lead on James Meaning and Raymond Simonds to five boat lengths by the leeward gate. The three front boats took turns leading through the remainder of the race, but on the final run James developed an unassailable 12 boat length lead which he held until the finish. Raymond pipped Rupert to take second.
By the start of Race 2 the wind had eased considerably. The start was a close one, with Julia Bailey well up on the line. James tacked off onto port early and got to the windward mark in front. As the wind and tide continued to drop RO James Row shortened the course to one lap. James drifted across the line to take first, followed by Robbie Southwell and Raymond Simonds.
The start of Race 3 saw a narrow zephyr of wind snaking along the right hand side of the course. The fleet ended up parked behind the line with the exception of James Meaning, Julia Bailey and Rudy Jurg, who, one after the other, managed to coax their boats into the wind and away. The wind gradually filled in across the course, but not enough for anyone to challenge the positions of the front three.
The relatively warm and more consistent breeze on Sunday brought out an additional seven competitors, with Maddie Fenner and Philip Meakins making their Illusion racing debuts. All three races were held in a north-northwesterly force 3. Having helped out on the race committee on Saturday, Mark Downer took to the water as a competitor and worked hard to break James Meaning's winning streak. However, he was unable to do so until the final race when he overtook him on the first run and maintained the lead until the end, scoring 2-2-1 for the day and even finishing ahead of a number of people who had raced both days in the final results.
Overall, James Meaning was first by a large margin, counting only first places, with Raymond Simonds second and Rupert Holmes in third.
Next Regatta: Bill's Barrel - 22nd & 23rd January.
Overall Results:
| Pos | Helm | Sail No | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | Pts |
|---|
| 1 | James Meaning | 31 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| 2 | Raymond Simonds | 23 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 17 |
| 3 | Rupert Holmes | 47 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 20 |
| 4 | Robbie Southwell | 161 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 10 | 3 | 22 |
| 5 | Rudy Jurg | 158 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 23 |
| 6 | Julia Bailey | 157 | 6 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 26 |
| 7 | Steve Warren‑Smith | 146 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 28 |
| 8 | Mark Downer | 124 | S | S | S | 2 | 2 | 1 | 41 |
| 9 | Guy Mattinson | 26&8 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 50 |
| 10 | Robin Ebsworth | 12 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 13 | 8 | 13 | 50 |
| 11 | Mike Toogood | 73 | 8 | 7 | 10 | S | S | S | 61 |
| 12 | Matthew Muhlenkamp | 152 | S | S | S | 9 | 12 | 9 | 66 |
| 13 | Andy Blundell | 888 | S | S | S | 11 | 9 | 11 | 67 |
| 14 | Nick Foden‑Pattinsson | 136 | S | S | S | 10 | 11 | 10 | 67 |
| 15 | Philip Meakins | 15 | S | S | S | 15 | 12 | 15 | 78 |
| 16 | Alex Downer | 123 | S | S | S | 14 | 13 | 16 | 79 |
| 17 | Maddy Fenner | 26 | S | S | S | 15 | 16 | 15 | 82 |