Single-handed Open at Horning Sailing Club
by Holly Hancock 15 May 2016 09:04 BST
14 May 2016
It was a breezy but bright day for Horning Sailing Club's Single-Handed Dinghy Open, with fifteen dinghies battling it out on the River Bure in lively conditions.
In the first race of the day, Edward Wildman made a flying start in his Laser to break away from the fleet, before capsizing on the last leg and being overtaken by Roger Hannant sailing his Laser Radial. Two firsts and two seconds was enough to secure Roger first overall in the competitive fleet of Lasers, narrowly ahead of Edward.
Izzy Barham-Brown recovered from a spectacular capsize in her Laser, from becoming firmly stuck in the mud to finishing the race and receiving third place overall, after a consistent day of a second and two thirds. Jonas Osborn and Dominic Copping each took a win in this fleet.
The equally competitive Topper 'A' fleet saw particularly close racing between the lead three boats - Ellie Edwards, Natalie Stiff and Jack Copping with Natalie leading in the first race until her traveller broke, forcing her retirement from the race. Ellie went on to win this and the remaining three races, making it a clean sweep and winning overall, with Natalie second and Jack third.
The Topper 'B' fleet saw close competition between Tom Echlin-Riches and James Pettit; eventually three wins out of four was enough for Tom to win the class.
It was a true test of grit and determination, with the young (and not so young) sailors showing great perseverance, particularly as the winds became gustier during the afternoon.