Lark Open at Barnt Green Sailing Club
by Bob Suggitt 17 May 2017 09:01 BST
14 May 2017
Larks at Barnt Green © Matt Sherlock
Visitors from Stewartby and South Staffs joined Barnt Green Larks for the annual open on Sunday. A brisk breeze and bright sunshine made for perfect conditions.
Race one saw Chris White come through the fleet to win, followed by Nigel and Fiona Denchfield and Ollie Ridgeway and Rachel Jennings. The scratch partnership of Bob Suggitt and George Puttock were a distant last.
In race two White/Booth led from start to finish followed by the Denchfields. Suggitt/Puttock had got their act together at the start of race three with a port tack start that easily cleared the fleet, and although White/Booth came through to win, Suggitt/Puttock held on for a second place which was good enough for third overall.
The race for the single-handed trophy has its origins in the 1948 London Olympics when the Firefly (with main and jib) was the boat chosen for the single handed class. The race for the Bittell Bottle has been held every year since and this year was convincingly won by Ollie Ridgeway.
Overall Results:
| Pos | Sail No | Helm | Crew | Club | R1 | R2 | R3 | Pts |
|---|
| 1st | 253 | Chris White | Nic Booth | South Staffs SC | ‑1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2nd | 2459 | Nigel Denchfield | Fiona Denchfield | Stewartby Water SC | 2 | 2 | ‑5 | 4 |
| 3rd | 2467 | Bob Suggitt | George Puttock | Barnt Green SC | ‑5 | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| 4th | 2532 | Tony Hotchkiss | Vicky Ford | South Staffs SC | ‑4 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 5th | 2301 | Ollie Ridgeway | Rachel Jennings | Barnt Green SC | 3 | ‑5 | 4 | 7 |
Single Handed Race:
1st Ollie Ridgeway (Barnt Green)
2nd Bob Suggitt (Barnt Green)
3rd Matt Sherlock (Barnt Green)