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Comet Versa Inlands at Cotswold Sailing Club
6-7 September 2008By Stephen Whittle 16 Sep 2008 08:42
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15 teams for the Comet Versa Inlands at Cotswold SC
Photo © Andy Simmonds
Kieran and Myles Whittle win the Comet Versa Inlands
The 2008 Comet Versa Inland Championships were held at Cotswold Sailing Club in the picturesque Water Park near Cirencester on Saturday and Sunday 6th and 7th September. Grey skies, occasional showers but good winds prevailed for the weekend giving some interesting racing.
11 visiting boats travelling from as far away as Kent took on 4 CSC boats.
Race one stared in force 3-4 south westerly with Kieran and Myles Whittle (Cotswold) being first to the windward mark and following a mid race tussle with Chris Taylor and Pete Talbot (Cotswold) crossed the line first with Taylor/Talbot in second.
Following a fantastic lunch all competitors took back to the water with additional ballast for race two. The wind dropped during the afternoon to force 1-2 with Nick and Nicky Kemp (Bristol Corinthian) dominating from the first mark to take honours ahead of Jon Vincent and Anne Presley (Cotswold) who were in constant pursuit throughout.
Race three followed back to back with previous champion Rodney Bottomley and Ian Hewer (Whitefriars) first to the windward mark but were overhauled in the first lap by Nick and Nicky Kemp, Chris Taylor and Pete Talbot and the Whittle brothers who then just held the lead to the finish despite last lap pressure from Chris Taylor and Pete Talbot who were only a ‘bow sprit’ away.
Sunday started with an excellent full English breakfast at the clubhouse and more consistent winds in the force 3 - 4 range. Rodney Bottomley and Ian Hewer lead the first race of the day at the windward mark. A period ensued with the winds in the force 4 range saw the Whittle brothers use the planing abilities of the Versa to move through the field from 5th on the 1st lap to 1st at the start of the 3rd lap, a position they held to the finish of the 5 lap race. Rodney Bottomley and Ian Hewer held second position.
The final race following on back to back saw the winds ease and saw Nick and Nicky Kemp obtain an excellent start and provide all with fine display of controlled sailing leading from the start to win convincingly. Godfrey and Jan Ayres (Frensham Pond) took second place after working their way progressively through the fleet from 8th.
The weekend was a great success with lots of on and off the water entertainment, good winds, great venue and fantastic food.
Overall Results:
1st Kieran and Myles Whittle (Cotswold) 7pts
2nd Nick and Nicky Kemp (Bristol Corinthian) 8pts
3rd Chris Taylor and Pete Talbot (Cotswold) 12pts
4th Godfrey and Jan Ayres (Frensham Pond) 14pts
5th Rodney Bottomley and Ian Hewer (Whitefriars) 15pts
The mid fleet prize was won by Jon Vincent and Ann Presley (Cotswold) 26pts
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So the weather dawned bright and sunny for the Versa Nationals at Bewl – trouble was, nobody had ordered the wind. A high pressure zone stuck over the South of England for over a week meant that winds were light to non-existent.
The Comet Versa Inland championships were held on Saturday 30th May at Kingsmead Sailing Club. Fantastic sunny weather greeted 5 visiting crews and 3 home boats as well as a following fleet of a dozen Comets.