Illusion Inter Club Team Racing at Bembridge Sailing Club
by Mike Samuelson 7 Dec 2009 15:52 GMT
5-6 December 2009
Almost perfect conditions on Saturday for the annual Illusion Inter Club Team Racing at Bembridge; Sunday was brighter although somewhat breezier which made for some challenging racing.
Saturday saw each of the eight teams racing each other. Mark & Jo Downer, last year's winners reigned supreme and won all their races; BSC, represented this year by Bruce Huber & novice Xander Shaw came out second with six wins. Working out who filled the next three places required the excellent RO team lead by Jonathan Peel to count back race positions so as the split the Simonds brothers, Raymond & Colin, from SVYC, Ian Southworth with stand-in Joe Robertson for Hamble River SC (HRSC) and Piers & Sue Thomas racing for TTSC (Team Thomas SC!) all who had finished with 4 wins. This left Graham & Julia Bailey, sailing for the Yacht Club de Monaco (YCdeM), Nick Wakefield & Alastair Speare-Cole representing East Wight Combined Clubs (EWCC) and Andrew Christie & Richard Ambler sailing for Thames Sailing Club (TSC) bringing up the also rans!
All the teams were eager to get started on Sunday; in the main semi-final it was RVYC v HRSC and BSC v SVYC; in the plate, TTSC v TSC and YCdeM v EWCC. All were best of three and conveniently but unusually all went to straight 2-0 wins . The best of five finals was therefore between Mark & Jo Downer and Bruce Huber & Xander Shaw. The first two races went to Mark & Jo, however Bruce & Xander clawed back the third in a very close finish. The fourth race started off with Xander a bit late across the start line and Bruce having to work hard to delay proceedings at the first windward mark to allow him to get through. Unfortunately Mark spotted the trap and successfully forced him to take a port & starboard penalty. Although Xander was in front, his boat handling skills in the gusty conditions were just not quite good enough to hold back the Downers who went on to an easy win to make it 3-1.
In the meantime, HRSC beat SVYC 2-0 to take 3rd & 4th places, YCdeM beat TTSC for 5th & 6th, and TSC beat EWCC for 7th & 8th.
A great weekend's sailing; many thanks to the Race Officer team on TRIO, and the four principal umpires Barry Dyer, Penny Carter, Jamie Clark, Jimbo Mitchell and their RIB their drivers.