Please select your home edition
Edition
Leaderboard FD July August September 2023

Comet open meeting at Littleton Sailing Club

by Daniel Goodman 22 Sep 2015 21:12 BST 13 September 2015
Race 1 start at the Littleton Comet Open © Clive Cherry

Twenty boats enjoyed four races in light shifty winds that provided four different race winners and tight racing throughout the fleet.

The first race start line was a little short but the fleet got away cleanly. National champion Eddie Pope seemed to have great speed and led away until a lack of wind allowed the chasing bunch to catch and overtake him. Tim O'Toole led from here until the gun, in a shortened two lap race. Great close racing resulted in several photo finishes including a group of six that finished within seconds of each other.

Race two and the breeze allowed the full distance to be sailed. It was Pope who led from start to finish with young Chris Hatton (competing in his first open away from his home club on the River Severn) pulling through to take second.

After a fairly short lunch break the course was re-laid to account for a swing in the wind that as usual only lasted until the sequence had started! Luckily for the race officer the wind swung back half way up the first beat and O'Toole led again after heading to the left of the course. O'Toole's lead was short lived however, with Steve Lemmon overtaking and fighting off Hatton to eventually win the race.

A quick shuffle of the buoys yet again and race four started with it all to play for. The shifts were still there and this time the breeze was starting to die, though producing the biggest gusts of the day. Once again O'Toole had a great start and led at the first mark, but by the third mark the lightweight Hatton had over hauled him and proceeded to do a horizon job on everyone. The rest of the fleet were having some great battles, although the wind was not kind to many leaving half of them sitting in no wind while the leaders raced away producing a spread out fleet.

At the end of the day it was the consistent results of young Chris Hatton that gave him the very well deserved overall title, and with this having been the first open event of his sailing career, there is little doubt that his name will be one to watch in the future!

With only one DNF all day everyone enjoyed their racing and good socializing afterwards helped by a free afternoon tea. The Comet fleet is friendly, with good fair racing and a big open circuit. So if you are too small for a Laser and would like a small light boat that is a bit more comfortable, why not try a Comet!

Overall Results:

PositionSail NoHelmR1R2R3R4Pts
1st48Hatton Chris‑82215
2nd805Lemmon Stephen2‑7158
3rd804Pope Eddie‑51438
4th532Coppenhall John64‑8212
5th597Palmer Ben43‑11613
6th800Jaggers Henry38‑9415
7th84Ettenshank Michael‑963817
8th867Robinson Chris757‑919
9th666O'Toole Tim1‑1313721
10th801Welham Brian1195‑1225
11th480Underwood Malcolm10106(DNF)26
12th323Walter Annette1311‑161034
13th212Sandell Ian16‑17101137
14th400Sturgeon John141212‑1838
15th611Walter Phil1215‑171542
16th57Gregory Steve15‑18151444
17th168Watson Andrea‑1919141649
18th520Lamb Ros1714‑201950
19th470Price Nick‑1816181751
20th639Todd Alistair‑2020191352

Related Articles

Attenborough Comet Open
Perfect conditions for the Northern Aphelion event The day started with perfect champagne sailing conditions. A nice steady breeze blowing down the lake in sunshine and warm conditions. We had four visitor boats and four club boats making a total of eight for the first race at 11am. Posted on 1 Jun
Border Counties Midweek Sailing at Shotwick
From drifting to hiking: a day of many winds (and one Dave) Shotwick Lake played host to a fleet of 25 boats and 29 sailors on Tuesday May 20th for the Border Counties Midweek Open, with sailors from far and wide (well, some from Winsford Flash and Shustoke, at least) turning up to battle it out. Posted on 28 May
Comets at Winsford Flash
In the picturesque area of Cheshire known as 'The Cheshire Broads' A fine sunny Saturday in Cheshire with a 21degC heat and a Northern breeze forecast of 10kts with 13kt gusts expected. As the day unfolded the Race Officer faced several challenges as the wind changed direction on multiple occasions and overall. Posted on 26 May
Silver Wing Comet Open
You could hardly have wished for better conditions You could hardly have wished for better conditions for the 2025 Comet Open at Silverwing SC. An Easterly breeze of about force 3 to 4 due to veer slightly to the Southeast was nearly perfect. Posted on 13 May
Burghfield Comet Open
12 competitors and the race officer battle with the light winds The twelve competitors found a gentle wind across the reservoir on arrival at Burghfield's Comet Open on 26th April. However, just before the start the wind died away and what was left kept shifting by up to ninety degrees. Posted on 5 May
Comet Southern Aphelion at Littleton
15 entrants from 11 different clubs Littleton SC played their joker for a great sailing day for Comets after a year away from the venue. There were 15 entrants, 4 from the host club and 11 from 10 other clubs. Posted on 21 Sep 2024
Comets at Crawley Mariners
After a windless start, much to the RO's relief a moderate westerly wind settled in Seven visitors travelled some considerable distances to Hedgecourt Lake for the Crawley Mariners YC Comet open meeting on Saturday 14th September. They were joined by four home boats for the racing. Posted on 17 Sep 2024
2024 Comet Nationals at Merthyr Tydfil
An excellent turnout of 29 competitors An excellent turnout of 29 competitors plus supporters arrived at the stunning rural location of Merthyr Tydfil Sailing Club, for the 2024 Comet National Championship. Posted on 8 Sep 2024
The Comet Dinghy: A Best-Kept Secret?
A small, light, single-handed dinghy that offers exciting and rewarding sailing The Comet is a small, light, single-handed dinghy that offers exciting and rewarding sailing. Whether you're close racing with other Comets or simply sailing for fun, the Comet appeals to an amazing range of people - juniors, ladies and gents. Posted on 3 Aug 2024
Cransley Comet Open
An unusually warm northerly welcomes the fleet What a miserable year so far in terms of weather! Well, for one day at least, the gods looked down on our wonderful reservoir in Northamptonshire and welcomed 10 visitors as well as the 7 from the home club to a unusually warm northerly. Posted on 17 Jun 2024