Merlin Rocket, Lark and Albacore Open at Lyme Regis Sailing Club
by Jeremy Rook 8 Jun 2015 10:58 BST
6-7 June 2015
Lyme is famous for waves and the 20 knot plus South-Westerly wind produced plenty of those on Saturday, with sailors revelling in the legendary 'champagne sailing'. Jon Turner said, "This was the best sailing I have had in years".
On Sunday these robust conditions were replaced with a shifty 5 to 8 knot North-Easterly and flat water. The varied conditions on both days tested both the competitors and the Race Management team (limbering up for the Scorpion National championships this coming August). The RIB crews had a very trying and wet day on the Saturday with husband and wife team Jeremy and Sharon Wallace in for particular mention for their fortitude in minding the gybe mark.
Three straight wins on the Saturday was not enough to win the 23 boat Merlin event for Nick Craig and Tye Daddy, as their performance in the lighter winds on Sunday was overshadowed by the overall winners Roger Gilbert and James Stewart. Third overall were Jon Turner and Richard Parslow from Lyme in their new shiny all-black boat called appropriately enough "Panther".
In the 13 boat Lark fleet there was a different winner in each of Saturday's races with the eventual first 3 overall each winning a race on that day. The overall winners Nigel Hufton and Will Kennedy also won a race on Sunday. Second overall were James Ward and Elynid Stewart and third James Goss crewed by Nic Booth. Nigel thanked the team at Lyme and said that he had waited 20 years to race at Lyme and that it had certainly lived up to expectations. The Lark fleet will be welcomed back to Lyme in 2016 for their National Championship.
The Albacore fleet of 11 boats was won by Jerry Rook and Shige Takezoe from Lyme, from Matt Metcalfe-Smith and Lewis Brailsford, and John Woffinden and Rob Blois third. Jerry Rook is the current Commodore of Lyme Regis Sailing Club and had the embarrassing task of presenting himself with the Albacore Southern Area trophy.
Overall Results:
| Pos | Sail No | Helm | Crew | Club | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | Pts |
|---|
| Merlin Rockets |
|---|
| 1 | 3722 | Gilbert | Stewart | Hayling Island | ‑6 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 13 |
| 2 | 3749 | Nick Craig | Tye Daddy | Frencham Pond | 1 | 1 | 1 | ‑13 | 12 | 15 |
| 3 | 3774 | Jon Turner | Richard Parslow | LRSC | 3 | 4 | 2 | ‑9 | 9 | 18 |
| 4 | 3753 | Simon potts | Ali Martin | Burgess Hill | (DNF) | 8 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 21 |
| 5 | 3764 | Tim Fells | Ollie Wells | Salcombe | 5 | (DNC) | 3 | 1 | 14 | 23 |
| 6 | 3770 | Hayes | Ratcliffe | Hayling | 2 | 6 | (DNC) | 7 | 8 | 23 |
| 7 | 3691 | mike Calvert | June Calvert | Axe Y C | 7 | 14 | (DNC) | 4 | 1 | 26 |
| 8 | 3656 | Ollie Turner | Hamish Kilburn | Salcombe | 10 | 5 | 7 | 10 | ‑13 | 32 |
| 9 | 3676 | Harrison | Gifford | Ranelagh | ‑16 | 7 | 6 | 11 | 11 | 35 |
| 10 | 3754 | Jon Gorringe | Nick Bass | Parkstone | 4 | 3 | (DNC) | OCS | 6 | 37 |
| 11 | 3645 | Steve Hall | Simon Haighton | Burnham | 13 | 10 | (DNC) | 8 | 7 | 38 |
| 12 | 3703 | Whitworth | Whitworth | Parkstone | 8 | (DNC) | DNC | 2 | 5 | 39 |
| 13 | 3711 | Dave Lee | Hannah Shawell | Starcross | 11 | 9 | 8 | 14 | ‑16 | 42 |
| 14 | 3709 | Lonsdale | Markham | Upper Thames | 9 | 11 | (DNC) | 15 | 19 | 54 |
| 15 | 3539 | Alsop | King | LRSC | (DNF) | DNC | DNC | 6 | 2 | 56 |
| 16 | 3744 | Chris Martin | G Crabtree | Midland | 14 | (DNC) | DNC | 12 | 10 | 60 |
| 17 | 3566 | Wells | Wells | Starcross | 17 | 13 | (DNC) | 18 | 18 | 66 |
| 18 | 3729 | Dominic Bowns | Tim Warhurst | LRSC | (DNF) | 12 | 9 | DNS | DNS | 69 |
| 19 | 3769 | Graham Granfield‑Smith | Jake Stow | Salcombe | 12 | (DNC) | DNC | 16 | 17 | 69 |
| 20 | 3713 | Harling | Thames | Starcross | 15 | (DNC) | DNC | 19 | 15 | 73 |
| 21 | 3732 | Alister Glen | Moira Glen | Starcross | (DNF) | DNC | DNC | 17 | 20 | 85 |
| 22 | 3734 | Phil Ashworth | Alison Ashworth | Weymouth | 18 | (DNC) | DNC | DNS | DNS | 90 |
| 23 | 3594 | Robin Clifton Dey | Michael Clifton Dey | | (DNF) | DNF | DNC | DNS | DNS | 96 |
| Larks |
|---|
| 1 | 2470 | Hufton | Kennedy | Frencham Pond | 1 | 2 | ‑3 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| 2 | 2507 | Ward | Stewart | Netley | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ‑4 | 9 |
| 3 | 2026 | James Goss | Nic Booth | South Staffs | ‑6 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 16 |
| 4 | 2475 | Chris Holiman | Kate Hutchins | Tewkesbury | 2 | (DNC) | DNC | 5 | 3 | 24 |
| 5 | 2502 | Chatten | Evans | Netley | 10 | 5 | 4 | (DNC) | 7 | 26 |
| 6 | 2495 | Stuart Hyden | Victoria Hyden | Shustoke | 8 | (DNC) | DNC | 4 | 1 | 27 |
| 7 | 2472 | Scott | Marlow | | 5 | 4 | (DNC) | 7 | 11 | 27 |
| 8 | 2527 | Kearney | Johnson | South Staffs | 4 | (DNC) | 6 | 8 | 9 | 27 |
| 9 | 2531 | Pete Grey | Rachael Rhodes | Staunton | 7 | (DNC) | DNC | 2 | 5 | 28 |
| 10 | 2504 | Crooks | Kerr | Waldringfield | (DNS) | 6 | 5 | 11 | 13 | 35 |
| 11 | 2530 | Chris Ellis | Judith Young | Frencham Pond | 9 | (DNC) | DNC | 10 | 10 | 43 |
| 12 | 2469 | Oliver Bown | Venessa Bown | Frencham Pond | (DNC) | DNC | DNC | 9 | 8 | 45 |
| 13 | 2510 | Mike Williams | Imogen Williams | Penzance | (DNF) | DNC | DNC | 12 | 12 | 52 |
| Albacores |
|---|
| 1 | 8128 | Jerry Rook | Shige Takesoe | LRSC | ‑3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | | 5 |
| 2 | 8158 | Metcalfe‑Smith | Brailsford | Sutton in Ashford | 1 | 2 | ‑5 | 4 | | 7 |
| 3 | 8213 | John Woffinden | Rob Blois | Maidenhead | 2 | (DNF) | 4 | 3 | | 9 |
| 4 | 7992 | Hamish Walker | Trish Walker | RNSA | 5 | (DNF) | 1 | 5 | | 11 |
| 5 | 8131 | Colin Walters | Dave Witcombe | LRSC | 4 | (DNC) | 7 | 7 | | 18 |
| 6 | 8155 | matthew Thompson | Heather Thomson | Tewkesbury | (OCS) | DNC | 6 | 2 | | 20 |
| 7 | 6649 | Chrispin Read Wilson | Mark Calvert | LRSC | 7 | (DNC) | 2 | OCS | | 21 |
| 8 | 8208 | Graham Sharland | Helen Bruno | LRSC | 6 | (DNF) | 8 | 8 | | 22 |
| 9 | 7993 | John Howard | Linda Bennett | Tewkesbury | (DNC) | DNC | DNS | 6 | | 30 |
| 10 | 7525 | Pearce | Simpson | Hawley lake | (DNF) | DNC | 9 | 9 | | 30 |
| 11 | 8079 | Pete Morton | Dot Wood | LRSC | (DNC) | DNC | DNS | DNS | | 36 |
