Graduate Open at Papercourt Sailing Club
by Jason Aldous 14 Oct 2016 17:02 BST
9 October 2016
Graduates at Papercourt © Jason Aldous
Saturday 9th October started with a mill pond at Papercourt Sailing Club for the 8 Graduates competing in the combined Firefly and Graduate open. The Race officer Andrew Boyce, assisted by his wife Penny, were confident of the forecast 7-9mph North easterly arriving and set a predominantly windward leeward course.
The travellers, Paul & Issy Craig (2928), Alistair & Hamilton Roaf (2901), Rob & Sally Riddelsdell (3016) and Chris Parker and Katie Ross (2097), rigged calmly in the carpark before preparing for the battle royal that would ensue. The travellers were joined by local regular crews of Sarah Heaver & Jane Cochran (2837), Brenton Caffin with daughters Aggie and Ellie (016), Tim & Nicolas Granger (2909) and Jason & Toby Aldous (2976).
Competitors had a range of new sails from Goacher, Tim Harper, P&B, Morgan/NN and Rooster on various stiffer mast sections, including the new Selden Zeta section on Chris Parker's macine.
Race 1
The fleet behaved for a clean start with Tim & Nicholas starting solidly from the committee boat end and aiming to towards the snakes and ladders shifts in the narrows. The Riddesdells and Aldous' came out on top of the shifts with Jason leading at the windward mark and Rob just behind, Paul, Chris and Tim were in close pursuit. The run bought the fleet closer together with Hamilton and Sarah sailing low with a little more pressure to close the gap. The narrows and several fireflys were the next challenge on the penultimate beat of the race, which ended with Rob pulling clear of the fleet and Chris and Tim pulling up into 2nd and 3rd place, with Paul, Brenton and Sarah in close proximity. The run saw place changing with Jason/Toby pulling through to 2nd.
Race 2
The Graduate start was elevated to before the Firefly's allowing for clearer wind for the first beat. The Aldous team hit the start line at speed with a port tack flyer that 'just worked' according to Jason and a different story from Brenton. The breeze had filled a little to a more solid 7mph and the race was on. Chris worked the left bank and played the shifts well and came out leading at the windward mark with Jason and Brenton close behind. The first beat had been close with a good game of snakes and ladders, with Paul hitting the biggest snake and rounding in 7th place and a lot to do on the run. The 2nd lap was a shift fest with Tim and Hamilton trading tacks and Sarah and Brenton locked in a similar battle. The run saw Paul work hard and pull through to 4th and Jason slip past Chris for the lead.
Race 3
This start was firmly won by an impressive pin end start with commanding speed that had the Craigs leading by a good few boat lengths shortly after the start. Despite a desperate attempt by Paul to miss his toestraps, he hung on to retain the lead for the first half of the beat. Chris Parker and Rob battled the middle ground and traded tacks for the full beat. The breeze was stable for the first half of the beat but lightened at the windward mark allowing the fleet to tighten up with Hamilton and Sarah pulling through to mid fleet. Chris/Katie rounded first followed by Rob/Sally, then Paul/Issy. Chris held the lead through to the finish line, making his 4 hour journey all the more worth while!
Race 4
With Rob/Sally and Chris/Katie scoring 1,2,3 scorelines and Jason/Toby 1 point adrift there was all to play for in the final race. A clean start by the fleet saw Rob & Sally with and early lead with the whole fleet in the hunt and everything to play for through the looming shifty narrows. The top of the beat saw The Aldous pairing, Riddelsdells' and Chris/Katie trading tacks, with Jason/Toby rounding first followed by Rob and then Chris Parker. The run saw the fleet catch up with the Firefly's, which lead to some tactical positioning. Jason/Toby gained the advantage and consolidated a small lead. Paul/Issy were tight on the heels of Chris and Rob with Hamilton, Brenton and Sarah sailing low and keeping clear wind. The final beat was clear wind and a steady 9mph allowing for early hiking in the sunshine. Chris/Katie and Rob/Sally were pushing hard for the lead with Paul/Issy a close 4th. Jason and Toby hung on to the lead for the final legs and followed home by Rob/Sally.
Overall Results:
1. Jason/Toby, 4pts
2. Rob/Sally, 5pts
3. Chris/Katie, 6pts
4. Paul/Issy, 11pts
5. Hamilton/Alistair, 16pts
6. Brenton/Aggie/Ellie, 18pts
7. Tim/Nicholas, 19pts
8. Sarah/Jane, 21pts
Our grateful thanks to The Boatyard at Beer, who are now building new Graduates, for the generous donation of prizes for the presentation.