Contender European Championship at Highcliffe Sailing Club - Day 1

by Sarah Desjonqueres 5 Sep 2016 22:31 BST 3-9 September 2016

Bonanza day for Bonezzi

So after yesterday's practice race we marched happily on to races 1&2 of the Contender European Championships and into yet another day of floppy weather and wishy-washy westerlies.

With the sun yet to make an appearance and the wind clearly disappearing off to look for it, race 1 of the second day of the Championships started (almost) on time and immediately posed the eternal question, is it better to beat out to sea or to head toward the coastline?

The leg out to the windward mark split the fleet perfectly down the middle, offering just enough wind to get out on the wire. But a divided fleet must at some point meet again and where better a place to collide than the mark?

As boat after boat on starboard headed straight to the mark, in came boat after boat on port, all hoping to sneak in and tack round the buoy unnoticed, presumably. It didn't always work. On more than one occasion the air turned blue, the shouting could be heard from the wing mark and the tension in the air was palpable. From where the roving reporter was sitting actual collisions were not witnessed, but it is true to say that there was at least one 720 performed.

The wind held good at F1-2 for the rest of the race and most of the race positions taken in the first round were held for the rest of the race giving Max Billerbeck of Germany, who took a healthy lead from the beginning, a well deserved win with Italy's Luca Bonezzi coming in a close second and Dutchman Rene Heynen taking third.

For race 2, after a general recall on the first attempt, it went straight to a black flag start which caught out 6 sailors who, too quick off the mark, were deemed to be OCS, which was unfortunate for Max Billerbeck who raced an equally great second race.

The second race started pretty much in the same vein as the first with a split fleet for the beat and much interesting language thrown about around the windward mark, the gybe mark and the leeward mark this time.

But with such light winds the eagle eyed jury boats were out and about amongst the fleet and the roving reporter understands that someone was caught 'going at it like a sewing machine' – not my words. I am assuming that this is a reference to some illicit pumping but only team Nob-Tag know the truth of this statement.

With the wind shifting round 30 degrees the race team effected a quick windward mark course change and decided to finish the race on the last beat.

Race 2 fared better for the 2 local lads, Gary Langdown and Simon Mussell, posting a 6th and 7th respectively but today was really Luca Bonezzi's day managing to add top line honours to his previous 2nd place. Following close behind came Denmark's Jesper Nelsen and crossing in 3rd was Germany's Jan Von Der Bank.

The weather tomorrow doesn't look enormously inviting, but there is a little whisper of some wind on its way, so everyone start whistling.

Results after Day 1:

Pos	Sail No	Helm	R1	R2	Pts
1st	40	Luca Bonezzi	2	1	3
2nd	2582	Rene Heynen	3	7	10
3rd	2507	Jan Von Der Bank	8	3	11
4th	2439	Gary Langdown	9	5	14
5th	2352	Jesper Nielsen	18	2	20
6th	678	Tommy Hooton	17	4	21
7th	2465	Stuart Jones	4	18	22
8th	528	Mark Reynell	13	10	23
9th	2572	Ed Presley	7	20	27
10th	2619	Mike Murley	15	12	27
11th	713	David Evans	6	22	28
12th	384	Marco Ferrari	10	19	29
13th	2420	Simon Mussell	26	6	32
14th	2503	Tim Holden	22	11	33
15th	2378	Thomas Herbst	20	13	33
16th	13	Jérôme Porée	12	26	38
17th	2484	Nick Grace	31	9	40
18th	2603	Michael Koch	5	36	41
19th	2203	Adrian Smith	11	31	42
20th	2315	Ben Holden	27	15	42
21st	720	Graham Scott	25	17	42
22nd	2607	Carl Tagoe	19	23	42
23rd	2438	Markus Maisenbacher	16	27	43
24th	2449	Robert Smith	33	16	49
25th	589	Keith Paul	21	28	49
26th	2522	Chris Boshier	23	29	52
27th	9	Paul Verhallen	40	14	54
28th	595	David Adams	24	30	54
29th	326	Daniel Chiesa	49	8	57
30th	630	James Spikesley	39	21	60
31st	691	Peter Noble	38	24	62
32nd	2510	Jörg Schlienkamp	30	34	64
33rd	2383	David Davies	28	37	65
34th	488	Max Billerbeck	1	OCS	69
35th	242	Richard Batten	45	25	70
36th	2496	Tony Brooks	32	39	71
37th	2612	Joachim Harpprecht	36	35	71
38th	900	Utz Müller	42	32	74
39th	56	Claus Litzinger	37	44	81
40th	2618	Nick Noble	14	DNF	82
41st	2500	Henning Wermuth	44	38	82
42nd	712	Rodger White	55	33	88
43rd	652	Nicholas Curry	48	41	89
44th	2637	Cees de Gruijter	43	46	89
45th	2407	Richard Buttner	47	45	92
46th	2477	Chris Howe	52	43	95
47th	2527	Dirk Muller	29	OCS	97
48th	2422	Neil Ferguson	57	40	97
49th	2491	Pete Barr	46	51	97
50th	2318	Alan Mollatt	56	42	98
51st	716	Richard Franks	34	OCS	102
52nd	2561	Antonio Lambertini	35	OCS	103
53rd	666	Bill Hooton	58	47	105
54th	416	Frank Richter	53	52	105
55th	2599	Tony Cook	54	53	107
56th	2432	Jerry Hone	60	48	108
57th	2584	Robert Wiedemeijer	50	58	108
58th	2476	Stefan Heising	41	OCS	109
59th	2459	Kerstin Schepanski	51	59	110
60th	2639	Ralph Drew	61	50	111
61st	1764	Mark Jackson	65	49	114
62nd	2361	Tom Coley	59	56	115
63rd	2458	Joerg Glaescher	63	54	117
64th	697	Malcolm Hall	62	55	117
65th	445	Paul Green	67	57	124
66th	2376	Peter Giffen	64	DNF	132
67th	315	Ole Pahnke	66	OCS	134
68th	675	David Gautier	DNF	DNC	143
69th	2505	Peter Dives	DNC	DNC	148
69th	2493	Karsten Kraus	DNC	DNC	148
69th	2602	Michael Pulin	DNC	DNC	148
69th			DNC	DNC	148
69th	92	Jacqueline Rüfenacht	DNC	DNC	148

For further information please see www.highcliffesailing.co.uk