Merlin Rocket Inlands at Queen Mary Sailing Club

by Louisa Archer 2 Jun 2010 13:15 BST 22-23 May 2010

Great sunshine but fluky winds for the Inland Championships © Demelza Mitchell / www.demelzamitchell.co.uk

Simon Blake and Alex Jackson win the Inland Championships 2010 © Demelza Mitchell / www.demelzamitchell.co.uk

Merlin Rocket Inland Championships 2010
sponsored by Speed Sails

The first day of summer arrived at the same time the fleet pulled their boats up the slope to the vast, raised waters of Queen Mary reservoir. A gentle breeze accompanying the hot rays of London sunshine played a pattern of cats paws on the blue waters.

The RO Rob Lineham rang the bell for the briefing; giving the fleet an unusual ‘P’ course to complete three laps each in three back-to-back races. As the fleet set off for a midday start with their colourful spinnakers shimmering, the day couldn’t have looked more perfect.

It couldn’t have been further from the truth on the water, for a north east wind oscillating around the mean by 20-30 degrees meant that it was variable in strength from a force one to force three; giving grounds for difficult sailing in what were light, fluky winds.

The first race was won by Simon Blake/Alex Jackson in 3707 (Monkey Business), but the unreadable shifts were enough to knock back Ian Dobson and Andy Tunnicliffe (sailing S. Goachers 3670 Filthy/Gorgeous), who took the first mark in a very close first lap, Blake and Jackson were in the lead by the beginning of the second lap and completely left the fleet behind on the last beat over the finishing line followed by Tom Stewart/Liam Dempsey in 3683 (Blue Bird), Mike Calvert/Chris Downham in 3691 (Quick Fix) and Patrick/Jilly Blake in 3676 (Hot Totty).

Conditions stayed the same in races’ two and three; in the former Dobson/Tunicliffe rounded the first mark in the lead and stayed that way to the end; a tussle ensued for second and third position between Matt Biggs/Ben Hollis in 3705 (2 Pints of Lager), Stewart and Whitworth/Turner in 3703 (Faithless), where they all took a left hand tack which changed the outcome of the race as David Winder/Pippa Taylor in 3662 (Attack of the Clones) and Andy Davis/Tom Pygall 3684 (Keyser Soze) tacked right overtaking all three winning second and third places respectively.

In the latter race we saw Dobson and Davis lead off the line, at the pin end the wind changed direction giving Tim Rush/Piers Lambert in 3671 (Snakey ‘B’) and Steve/Gill Leney in 3716 (Carbon Footprint) the lead around the mark. Whitworth in 3703, Davis in 3684, Calvert in 3691 and numerous others were stuck out on left hand side of course in virtually no wind, it had shifted 40 degrees giving everyone on right huge tactical gain - effectively over everyone on left hand side, it was practically impossible to know which way to go as one beat would be playing one way, and the next one would be blowing the other.

It all was based on luck, chance and judgement giving those who could read the shifts massive gains once in them. Blake/Jackson won with Rush/Lambert next and Dobson/Tunnicliffe came third. All in all, a most challenging time on the water making for very interesting racing.

On the Sunday the fleet waited until 11am for the ROs’ decision to start racing, but it was called off due to no wind whatsoever. The prize giving went ahead seeing Simon Blake win his second Inlands, in a seemingly unstoppable new partnership with Alex Jackson, (his first success was sailing 3612 (Manana), at Datchet Water in 2003, with L Jenkins). Second prize went to Tom Stewart and Liam Dempsey, third to new faces in the fleet Ian Dobson and Andy Tunnicliffe.

Special thanks to those who helped with the reporting and our photographer Demelza Mitchell, whose pictures can be seen here.

Overall Results:

Pos	SailNo	Helm	Crew	Club	R1	R2	R3	Pts
1	3707	Blake	Jackson	Shoreham	1	5	1	2
2	3670	Dobson	Tunnicliffe	Burwain	6	1	3	4
3	3701	Stewart	Dempsey	Northampton	2	6	14	8
4	3662	Winder	Taylor	Hollingworth	12	2	8	10
5	3705	Biggs	Hollis	Blithfield	15	7	4	11
6	3685	Warron	Robinson	Shoreham	5	9	6	11
7	3703	Whitworth	Turner	Hollingworth	8	4	12	12
8	3676	Blake	Blake	Cookham	4	16	9	13
9	3671	Rush	Lambert	Brightlingsea	19	12	2	14
10	3691	Calvent	Downham	Axe	3	14	11	14
11	3655	Adams	Kennaugh	Midlands	7	8	16	15
12	3716	Leney	Leney	Blithfield	28	11	5	16
13	3649	Harris	Douglas	Tamesis	9	13	7	16
14	3684	Davis	Pygall	Chase	18	3	15	18
15	3539	Alsop	King	Lyme Regis	11	10	10	20
16	3611	Taylor	Dodds	Hollingworth	21	15	13	28
17	3693	Rainey	Miller	Shoreham	13	18	20	31
18	3702	Salmon	Garwood	Wembley	14	19	32	33
19	3717	Charlton	Charlton	Brightlingsea	10	30	26	36
20	3692	Zilvold	Nuttall	Whitstable	16	22	35	38
21	3696	Warren	Warren	Shoreham	17	21	22	38
22	3608	Weatherhead	Gibbs	Broadwater	20	20	30	40
23	3665	Jackson	Harridge	Shoreham	25	24	17	41
24	3688	Bond	Bond	Brightlingsea	36	27	18	45
25	3651	Brockbank	Hughes	Wembley	34	17	29	46
26	1097	Stephens	Jones	Tamesis	22	33	24	46
27	3571	Jones	Jones	Parkstone	30	28	19	47
28	3620	Bines	Gentry	Brightlingsea	23	26	31	49
29	3643	Glen	Stretton	Shoreham	35	25	25	50
30	3637	Broadbent	Hall	Wembley	29	23	28	51
31	3697	Page	Page	Hampton	32	39	23	55
32	3411	Kerr	Hall	Bough Beech	24	32	36	56
33	3650	Tosh	Jones	Downs	52	29	27	56
34	3714	Devenport	Aldis	Thorpe	39	52	21	60
35	3483	Kerr	Kerr	Hunts	27	34	33	60
36	3668	Smyth	Horwood	Wembley	26	42	37	63
37	3686	Aldridge	Sorrell	Brightlingsea	31	35	42	66
38	2997	Steward	Yannkkoyoruos	Fishers	37	31	41	68
39	3577	Davies	Hilditch	Exe	33	38	39	71
40	3555	Harridge	Gray	Hampton	38	37	34	71
41	3547	Male	Ellis	Blithfield	40	36	38	74
42	3708	Holroyd	Woods	Burghfield	41	40	45	81
43	3578	Baker	Green	Tamesis	45	41	43	84
44	3599	Duffell	Corking	Tamesis	42	43	44	85
45	3511	Mills	Mills	Hampton	43	44	46	87
46	607	Ritchie	Harris	Tamesis	44	46	52	90
47	3604	Gurney	Burgen	Thames	46	45	52	91
48	3706	Anderson	Anderson	Hampton	52	52	40	92
49	3347	Vines	Webb	Tamesis	52	52	52	104
50	1952	Seaman	Barry	Minima	52	52	52	104
51	1206	Marshall	Broadley	Minima	52	52	52	104