D-Zero Open at Yorkshire Dales Sailing Club
by Paul Jefferies (and others) 28 Jul 2023 14:28 BST
22-23 July 2023
Yorkshire Dales D-Zero Open © Paul Hargreaves Photography
On a cold, cloudy summer's day in Yorkshire a small fleet of D-Zeros gathered at Yorkshire Dales to have an open meeting and celebrate D-Zero sailor Ed Deacon getting married. Numbers were a little depleted as several D0Zero sailors decided (for reasons we simply cannot fathom) to sail other boats at the event. Ed is also a prominent Vago sailor.
With a leisurely start time of 'after lunch' to allow those travelling from the festivities the previous day to recover the early arrivals had a great view of the RS400s doing their first 2 races. Did you know it is really easy to sail the perfect race when you viewing from an elevated platform...
Race 1
After a lovely lunch prepared by the club the fleet launched and headed down to mark 11 in the north east corner. With seconds to go Rohan decided that there really was a gap between Paul (your roving reporter for day 1) and Gordon. Unfortunately for him said gap was closing resulting in Paul and Rohan getting a little too close for comfort with Pauls mainsheet and Rohans windex enjoying a loving emnbrace. In the ensuing mess both boats ended up of port infringing Richard who had sensibly held back and just managed to squeak through. With turns done Paul and Rohan set off after the rest of the fleet who had a reasonable lead by this point. Depsite their best efforts they simply could not catch Mick and Gordon who were having a good scrap at the front. Gordon took the gun with Mick close behind followed at a distance by Rohan and Paul who had managed to overhaul Gary and Richard.
Race 2
Race 2 was a more civil affair on the start line. Paul got off the line well then proceeded to miss every shift and find every hole and was at the back by the windward mark. Thi time Rohan and Mick were getting away. With the wind becoming increasingly light and flukey anything could happen. Mick managed to get ahead of Rohan and took the gun with Paul a distant 3rd having found some pressure to overhaul Gordon Richard and Gary on the penultimate beat.
So overnight a delighted Mick Green led the meeting, could he hold it on Sunday where the forecast was certainly mixed with no 2 matching except for the fact that it was going to be wet, very wet!
We retired to the clubhouse for an excellent street food buffet laid on by the club and for more celebration of Ed and Gaynors nuptials. As the evening progressed things go very silly with a decidedly secondhand Vago boom being pressed into service as a 'boom of doom' (Steve Bolland you have a lot to answer for my friend).
Sunday dawned to wet and overcast conditions but with a good breeze blowing from the nrtheast. Unfortunately Paul had to retire from proceedings early to return home so the remainder of the competitors take up the story:
Race 3
Gordon flew off the line followed closely by Rohan, Mick had messed up his timings and crossed a little way behind, Gary found himself lining up on the gate line instead of the start. Gordon rounded the windward mark first followed by Rohan a few boat lengths behind. The race officers had been kind to us with the 2nd leg being a lengthy reach down to number 7 (or was it supposed to be 8, the D-Zeros have previous form with those 2 marks), it was at this point Gordon decided to go sightseeing looking for the next mark leaving the door wide open for Rohan to take the lead heading to D, this was also a lovely reach leading into a pretty fruity Gybe mark with RS400s and Laser Vagos on full plane sailing their windward leeward course, heading down to the leeward mark Rohan decided that he was going to gybe very badly and take a quick dip in the water. Gordon retook the lead and maintained this lead right up to the 2nd time round D where he got into a bit of muddle with his mainsheet, allowing Rohan to retake the lead and hold on to take the bullet, Gordon followed in 2nd followed by Mick in 3rd, Gary had retired from the race.
Race 4
The wind had picked up for race 4, with the 3 of us lining up for the start, it was once again Gordon flying off the start at the committee boat end who was first round the windward mark followed by Rohan and then Mick, the course had stayed pretty much the same so Gordon didn't need to do any sightseeing and led for the first lap. After 2 more very wet reaches Gordon once again got muddled up with his main sheet on the gybe mark, Rohan planed passed him down to the leeward mark where he stuffed up his gybe and took quite a big dip in the water much to Gordon's amusement, he opted for the safe tack round the leeward mark and went on to take the bullet, Rohan followed in 2nd and Mick in 3rd.
As the wind increased again Rohan had drank enough Yorkshire tea and decided to call it a day and after a brief discussion Mick and Gordon followed in.
Once the results were in it was a very happy Gordon Stewart who took the meeting from Rohan with Mick in 3rd place.
Thank you to Yorkshire Dales who once again showed why they are a great venue to visit both on and off the water and congratulations to Ed and Gaynor as well as thank you for putting some money in the pot to make it a great weekend of celebration.