Solo Northern Traveller at Burwain Sailing Club

Lining up at the start, Lee Tennant in the foreground, for the Solo Northern Traveller at Burwain © Mark Sutcliffe / www.salarmedia.com

Burwain Sailing Club welcomed ten visitors for the first event of the Northern Traveller series. They were joined by five boats from the home club which, between them, have won the overall team results for the past three years.

Spring might have arrived, but it was a breezy and chilly south-easterly that greeted the competitors for the long first beat. After many place changes among the leading boats, it was the home boat of Lee Tennant who took the gun, followed by Alastair Banks from West Riding, with Philip Barnes of Budworth third.

Race 2 saw Alastair Banks out in front, but after a real ding-dong battle, the home boat of Patrick Hamilton pipped Lee Tennant to the line by less than a half a boat-length, with Philip Barnes again in third.

With a first and a second in the bag, the event was Lee Tennant's for the taking, but while leading the fleet at the gybe mark he went for a lengthy swim after turning turtle. The same fate befell Alastair Banks, so with Lee Tennant forced to retire, Patrick Hamilton only needed to finish second to seize overall victory.

Wily Andy Fox from Leigh & Lowton had other ideas however, and once he got to the front of the fleet, he never relinquished the lead. Andy took his first gun of the season with Philip Barnes squeezing out Hamilton by half a boat length for second and third respectively.

It was a close call for Lee Tennant who watched from the dinghy pen as clubmate Patrick Hamilton was forced into second overall. Best visitor was the consistent Philip Barnes in third.

Overall Results: