Tipsy Icicle Series at Leigh & Lowton Sailing Club - Week 4
by Paul Heath 28 Jan 2016 18:42 GMT
24 January 2016
Week 4 of the Leigh & Lowton Sailing Club Tipsy Icicle series and after a week of forecasts promising us wind the competitors arrived to find the Flash mirror like without a ripple of breeze upon it.
As the midday start time got nearer there was still no sign of wind but the PRO Peter Baldwin had been busy checking out nearby airports and reported that wind was on its way. In the meantime the AP pennant was hoisted and everybody had an early lunch. An hour later a light 5 knot breeze filled in from the south and the 70 boats were sent afloat.
As is usual first away was the 18 boat Laser fleet. Greg Marshall (West Lancs YC) took advantage of the port biased line to tack away early and take the lead which he held for a lap. The conditions got trickier and as the race went on series leader Jack Hopkins (Delph SC) passed Marshall and went on to take the win. New to the series Mark Lunn (LLSC) also managed to squeeze past Marshall to put him down to third while Charlotte Greenhalgh (LLSC) came home in fourth.
After a general recall the 25 boat handicap fleet, which included 12 Solos, started under a black flag. The Albacore of Mike Banner/Martin Cooper (LLSC/WLYC) took a big lead to cross the line first but had to settle for third on handicap as they couldn't beat the Devoti D-Zero of Martin Couch (Rudyard Lake SC) who took the win from series leader Andy Flitcroft (Supernova – Bolton SC) while the Enterprise of Alan Johnson/Kaye Tickle (LLSC) made up the top four.
In the Solo fleet Paul Heath (LLSC) and Patrick Hamilton (Burwain SC) continued their weekly battle trading places at the front. Hamilton hit the lead but fell foul of the fickle breeze and just before the end he missed a gust that took Heath into the lead and to the win. Behind them new to the series Tony Sampson (South Caernarvonshire YC) took third place and Brian Sprague (LLSC) fourth.
Next away were the 9 boat Asymmetric fleet. First home, and taking the win on handicap, was the RS400 of Chris Pickles/Matt Sharman (Delph SC) but they were pushed hard by another RS400 sailed by Caroline Exley/Jude Allen (LLSC) who took second. There were five RS200s in the fleet and third and fourth place were taken by these as Gareth/Jen Williams (LLSC) managed to hold off Jon Chapman/Wendy Martin (Budworth SC).
Finally the 18 boat junior fleet got under way. Three of the top four places were taken by the Optimists of Archie Leckie (LLSC) Drew Gibbons (Redesmere SC) and Bruno Nicholas (LLSC) who finished first, third and fourth respectively with the Topper of Lorcan Knowles (LLSC) finishing second.
The second race of the day was started in 6 knots of breeze with gusts of 10 knots from the SSE.
The Laser fleet had the same top four with only Lunn being consistent by finishing second. Greenhalgh took the win to move her up to second overall in the series, Hopkins had to settle for third and Marshall fourth.
The top three boats in the series to date finished in the top three of the handicap race. Flitcroft got himself back in the grove to take the win and remains first overall. Banner/Cooper were second, Mark Cuthbert (Supernova – LLSC) third and Graeme Bristow (Streaker – LLSC) fourth.
It was the same again in the Solo fleet with the same top four finishing in the same order as the previous race.
In the Asymmetric fleet Pickles/Sharman had to settle for second in this one as Exley/Allen sailed fast to pull out a large lead to take the win. The RS100 10.2 of series leader Greg Booth benefited from the extra bit of breeze and came home in third and remains as the series leader. The RS200 of Julia Bawdon/Brandon West (LLSC) played the corners to their advantage to jump up the fleet and come home in fourth.
The extra breeze also helped the spinnaker carrying boats as the top three positions in the junior fleet were all taken by RS Feva XLs. First home was Sian Talbot/Eloise Clapson-McBride (LLSC) followed by Maddie Bristow/Lelia Peckham (LLSC) and Simon Hall/Emily Houghton. Knowles was fourth but still leads the series.
Full results can be found on www.llsc.org.uk/LLSC/Results/2016/Tipsy.htm and photographs can be found on the clubs Facebook page, www.facebook.com/LeighLowtonSc.