Comet Open at Hampton Pier Yacht Club
by David Farmer 22 Aug 2005 07:45 BST
20 August 2005
Hampton Pier Yacht Club played host to the Comet association open event on Saturday 20th August. The heavy rolling seas, breaking on to the shore, made launching difficult from the beach for competitors and safety boats alike. The efforts of an active beach party who braved the elements to get them afloat were gratefully received.
Race officer Terry Taunton set a standard quadrilateral course with separate starts for the Comet and Mino fleets. A steady 20-knot north-easterly wind provided some good sailing conditions.
The first Comet race was a closely fought affair with only a few seconds separating the first 3 boats. Peter Mountfield (Staunton Harold S.C.) finished in first place after lying in third position until lap 3, passing both Ian Coppenhall (Hunts S.C.) and Chris Robinson (Burghfield S.C.), who finished in second and third place respectively. Race 2 saw Ian Coppenhall get into his stride, leading from the start and pulling steadily away from the field and with a similar performance in race 3, Ian Coppenhall secured the Open victory. John Coppenhall (Hunts S.C.) made a splendid recovery in race 3 after retiring from race 2 with a bent mast and a damaged hull. After some rapid repairs during the lunch break he finished in third place behind Robinson.
The Comet Mino fleet, all from Hampton Pier were led by Jack Daly who easily won both the first and second race. Second position had to be decided by the third race after Barry Noble and David Farmer shared the same points at the end of race 2.
Race 3 saw Noble take a commanding lead from the start leaving Farmer and Simon Govier battling for second position. The race officer shortened the course when a squall hit the fleet at the end of lap 2 with Govier taking second place.
Overall Results:
Comet:
1st Ian Coppenhall, 636 (Hunts S.C.)
2nd Peter Mountfield, 780 (Staunton Harold S.C.)
3rd Chris Robinson, 63 (Burghfield S.C.)
4th John Coppenhall, 532 (Hunts S.C.)
Comet Mino:
1st Jack Daly, 587 (Hampton Pier Y.C.)
2nd Barry Noble, 747 (Hampton Pier Y.C.)
3rd David Farmer, 752 (Hampton Pier Y.C.)
4th Simon Govier, 377 (Hampton Pier Y.C.)