Solo Spring Championship at Oxford Sailing Club
by Bob Ashby 21 Apr 2009 15:10 BST
18 April 2009
After a week of dodgy light wind forecasts, 58 Solos signed on at Farmoor on Saturday 18th April for the second year of the Spring Championship.
Conditions proved to be deceptive with a North Easterly breeze off shore from the clubhouse that seemed gentle and innocuous.
Launching after Race Officer and Laser maestro Peter Bickerton's briefing, it was quickly discovered that conditions were brisk and gusty with planing aplenty as shelter of shore and Wytham Hill were lost.
Courses were laid on a triangle / sausage course and racing commenced quickly with only one recall, proving to be fast, furious and close. As the sun emerged the conditions became increasingly shifty near the windward mark, but as usual the 'class' emerged triumphant with Jim Hunt taking the win from Charley Cumbley (Teign Corinthian) and David McGregor (Hayling Island).
After lunch, in now glorious sun, (dispelling memories of the horrendous 'winters' at Grafham), the fleet got a little cheeky and rule 30.3 black flag corrected the forward tendency. Andy Davies (Chase SC) came to the fore with Bob Taylor (Corus) and Charlie C. Past Solo (and still quite handy) Master Pete Gibbard watching from shore noted "Jim Hunt planing past about 9 boats on one reach... amazing" with sage shake of head. It only got him to 4th though!
The third race was held back to back with slightly lighter breeze and shiftiness increasing a little. This time it was Charlie Cumbley taking the win with Lee Sydenham (Chichester YC) and David McGregor second and third respectively. Jim Hunt was one of two boats to fall foul of the black flag.
None of the home boats managed to cover themselves in glory with Terry Brooks sitting on his tiller, Bob Ashby disqualifying himself for forgetting bouyancy and flyweight Lesley Hotchin being overpressed in the conditions but wanting the exercise to tone up for this weeks Laser European Masters in Spain.
Overall Results:
| Pos | Sail No | Helm | Club | R1 | R2 | R3 | Pts |
|---|
| 1st | 4986 | Charlie Chumbley | Teign Corinthian | 2 | -3 | 1 | 3 |
| 2nd | 7 | Andy Davies | Chase SC | -7 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| 3rd | 4985 | Jim Hunt | RYA | 1 | 4 | (BFD) | 5 |
| 4th | 4984 | David McGregor | Hayling Island SC | 3 | -11 | 3 | 6 |
| 5th | 4748 | Andrew Fox | Crosby SC | -14 | 6 | 5 | 11 |
| 6th | 4735 | Daniel Goodman | Kingsmead SC | -20 | 5 | 6 | 11 |
| 7th | 4934 | Nick Brook | Hollingworth Lake SC | 6 | -32 | 8 | 14 |
| 8th | 4442 | Lee Sydenham | Chichester YC | -13 | 13 | 2 | 15 |
| 9th | 4907 | Bob Taylor | Corus SC | -32 | 2 | 13 | 15 |
| 10th | 4357 | Richard Pye | Draycote SC | 8 | -9 | 7 | 15 |
| 11th | 4835 | Will Loy | Littleton SC | 4 | 12 | (RTD) | 16 |
| 12th | 4578 | Neil Wilkinson | Shustoke SC | 5 | (RTD) | 11 | 16 |
| 13th | 4983 | Chris Brown | RYA | -10 | 7 | 9 | 16 |
| 14th | 4501 | Simon Jenos | Teign Corinthian | 11 | 10 | (DNC) | 21 |
| 15th | 4714 | Mike Ball | Papercourt SC | 16 | 8 | (DNC) | 24 |
| 16th | 4833 | Ian Harridge | Nantwich SC | 9 | 17 | (BFD) | 26 |
| 17th | 4884 | Winder Boats | Hollingworth Lake SC | 12 | -24 | 17 | 29 |
| 18th | 4606 | Mark Lea | Spinaker SC | -28 | 18 | 12 | 30 |
| 19th | 4954 | Ian Fox | Corus SC | -15 | 15 | 15 | 30 |
| 20th | 4620 | Vanda Young | Littleton SC | (RTD) | 22 | 10 | 32 |
| 21st | 4669 | Nick Rawlings | Hayling Island SC | 19 | 14 | -26 | 33 |
| 22nd | 4760 | Paul Hiles | Royal Bermuda YC | -29 | 23 | 14 | 37 |
| 23rd | 4687 | Nigel Davies | Draycote SC | -27 | 21 | 16 | 37 |
| 24th | 4860 | Jeremy Atkins | Imperial Poona YC | 17 | 20 | -22 | 37 |
| 25th | 4851 | Gareth Wilkinson | Chelmarch SC | (DNC) | 16 | 27 | 43 |
| 26th | 4474 | Dave Smith | Hollingworth Lake SC | -31 | 25 | 18 | 43 |
| 27th | 45 | Stevie Broom | Spinaker SC | -26 | 26 | 19 | 45 |
| 28th | 4336 | Terry Brooks | Oxford SC | 21 | (RTD) | 24 | 45 |
| 29th | 4581 | Derek Jackman | Chichester YC | 23 | -34 | 25 | 48 |
| 30th | 4772 | Mike Wilkie | Littleton SC | 18 | (RTD) | 31 | 49 |
| 31st | 4386 | Michale Dray | Littleton SC | 22 | -28 | 28 | 50 |
| 32nd | 4880 | Godfrey Clark | Fisher Green SC | -40 | 30.5 | 20 | 50.5 |
| 33rd | 4847 | Andrew McGaw | King George SC | 24 | 27 | (DNC) | 51 |
| 34th | 4859 | Garth Griffiths | Island Barn SC | (DNC) | 29 | 23 | 52 |
| 35th | 4342 | R Lonsdale | West Oxfordshire SC | 25 | 30.5 | (RTD) | 55.5 |
| 36th | 5017 | Richard Willetts | Burghfield SC | 37 | 19 | (RTD) | 56 |
| 37th | 4740 | John Davey | Teign Corinthian | -50 | 38 | 21 | 59 |
| 38th | 4532 | David Downs | Corus SC | -43 | 36 | 30 | 66 |
| 39th | 4665 | Jon Jowett | Littleton SC | 30 | -37 | 36 | 66 |
| 40th | 4481 | Peter McCrea | Draycote SC | 33 | 33 | (RTD) | 66 |
| 41st | 4867 | Chris Goswell | Burghfield SC | -39 | 35 | 32 | 67 |
| 42nd | 4504 | Phil Wheeler | Spinaker SC | 36 | -46 | 34 | 70 |
| 43rd | 4853 | Martin Allen | Bewl Valley SC | -46 | 42 | 29 | 71 |
| 44th | 4040 | John Daniels | RYA | 35 | -44 | 37 | 72 |
| 45th | 5002 | Frank Brown | Papercourt SC | -45 | 39 | 35 | 74 |
| 46th | 4732 | Keith Meekins | Maidenhead SC | 34 | 45 | (DNC) | 79 |
| 47th | 4952 | Joe Rycroft | Lithtow Sc | -42 | 41 | 39 | 80 |
| 48th | 4353 | Dave Cornish | Banbury Cross SC | 41 | 40 | (DNC) | 81 |
| 49th | 3961 | Anneka Smith | Papercourt SC | (DNS) | 43 | 40 | 83 |
| 50th | 4071 | Peter Halliday | Island Barn SC | 51 | (RTD) | 33 | 84 |
| 51st | 3940 | Lesley Hotchin | Oxford SC | -52 | 47 | 38 | 85 |
| 52nd | 4400 | Paul Bristow | Burghfield SC | 49 | (RTD) | 41 | 90 |
| 53rd | 4942 | Roger Millett | Chichester YC | 38 | (DNC) | RTD | 97 |
| 54th | 3716 | Bill Hutchings | Tonbridge Town SC | 53 | 48 | (RTD) | 101 |
| 55th | 3550 | Bob Ashby | Oxford SC | 44 | (DSQ) | DNS | 103 |
| 56th | 4254 | Dave Jones | Burghfield SC | 47 | (DNC) | DNC | 106 |
| 57th | 4215 | Claire Clark | Fisher Green SC | 48 | (DNC) | DNC | 107 |
| 58th | 4515 | T Ollerearnshaw | Stuartby SC | (RTD) | RTD | DNC | 118 |
