Firefly Open at South Staffordshire Sailing Club
by Jenny Smallwood 1 Aug 2023 08:28 BST
29 July 2023
Six visitors were warmly welcomed at SSSC for the annual Open meeting, along with eight home boats, most in club boats with (pretty) yellow and pink sails.
Racing got under way promptly in fresh, gusty conditions of 10-15 knots, with periods of sunshine.
In race one, the fleet got away cleanly under P flag. A good battle between Samuel and Ollie, Mike and George Senior and Jenny Smallwood and Phil Aldhous at the front pursued, with Jenny and Phil managing to get ahead for the final lap.
Racing was tight in the pack, with big gains and losses possible in the shifty breeze and if you were not careful to regularly check your centreboard for weed.
A tasty lunch was served by the galley, before the fleet launched again for two more races.
In the second race, the fleet was too keen to get away and after a single general recall, PRO Bill went straight to a black flag. This was enough to keep the fleet behaved and the start got away cleanly.
This time it was Andy and Holly Davis, Mike and George and Jenny and Phil fighting it out at the front. A too-tight mark rounding from Mike and George led to a penalty turn, allowing Jenny and Phil to overtake and maintain the lead for the final two laps. The rest of the fleet was also compressed and places kept changing all the way up to the finish line.
Race Three was started with a black flag, with only one starter jumping the gun. By the first mark Jenny and Phil had a boat length lead which they managed to extend for the rest of the race. Behind, racing continued to be tight and small gains were fought for. This is reflected in the race results with six boats counting combined scores within 11-16 points.
The top three overall were Jenny Smallwood and Phil Aldhous, Mike and George Senior and Andy and Holly Davis. Youth Winners were Jack Hodgkins and Mia Hateley.
The NFA would like to thank SSSC for hosting another great event, in particular Samuel the event organiser and Bill and the rest of the race team. We look forward to next year's open, with some more visitors hopefully!