Merlin Rocket Open at Hayling Island Sailing Club
by Ben & Louisa Archer 24 Jun 2011 11:18 BST
18-19 June 2011
This was the 12th meeting in the Craftinsure Silver Tiller series. As Hayling is the National Championship venue for the Merlins this August it was a highly competitive fleet that attended. Unfortunately the wind on Saturday was just too strong for dinghy racing and the first days racing was cancelled. But a well organised social evening in the excellently appointed club bar helped ease the pain.
Sunday began a different day and the first race was dinghy sailing at its best with the eighteen knot south westerly meaning lots of surfing and exciting downwind rides. Geoff Carveth and Graham Williamson led from start to finish, in second place Andy Davis and Tom Pygall managed to hold off John Gorringe and Toby Lewis who came in third.
For the second race of the day the wind had increased and despite following Chris Martin and Ben Hendon into the first mark, heavy weather kings William Warren and Chris Robinson won, Gorringe/Lewis had worked their way up the fleet to second. Third place was taken by Simon Lytton and Jackie Lytton, newcomers to the fleet who sailed an absolute blinder.
It was at this point that the RO Roger Palmer received a BrambleMet wind reading of thirty knots plus and wisely decided to abandon racing for the rest of the day. The fleet derigged in winds gusting forty knots. It was consistency that won the day; as Gorringe and Lewis, who hadn’t left the top three throughout the competition, came first overall. Warren and Robinson took second with Davis and Pygall in third place.
Overall Results:
Rank | SailNo | Helm | Crew | Club | R1 | R2 | Nett |
1st | 3712 | Jon Gorringe | Toby Lewis | Parkstone YC | 3 | 2 | 5 |
2nd | 3685 | William Warren | Chris Robinson | Shoreham SC | 5 | 1 | 6 |
3rd | 3684 | Andy Davis | Tom Pygall | Blithfield SC | 2 | 4 | 6 |
4th | 3722 | David Hayes | Jonny Ratcliff | HISC | 4 | 6 | 10 |
5th | 3652 | Geoff Carveth | Graham Williamson | HISC | 1 | 14 | 15 |
6th | 3728 | Judith Massey | Olly Turner | HISC | 7 | 8 | 15 |
7th | 3656 | Simon Lytton | Jackie Lytton | HISC | 14 | 3 | 17 |
8th | 3727 | Tim Fells | Chris Downham | HISC | 12 | 7 | 19 |
9th | 3705 | Matt Biggs | Ben Hollis | Blithfield | 10 | 10 | 20 |
10th | 3696 | Alan Warren | William Carroll | | 13 | 9 | 22 |
11th | 3583 | Chris Martin | Ben Hendon | | 18 | 5 | 23 |
12th | 3693 | Will Raines | Sophie Mackley | Shoreham SC | 8 | 16 | 24 |
13th | 3702 (3690) | Andy Dalby | Phil Dalby | HSC | 6 | 19 | 25 |
14th | 3704 | Rod Porteous | Mo Porteous | HISC | 15 | 11 | 26 |
15th | 3676 | Pat Blake | Jill Blake | Cookham Reach SC | 17 | 12 | 29 |
16th | 3731 | Andy Jones | Maddie Jones | Parkstone YC | 20 | 15 | 35 |
17th | 3555 | Tim Harridge | Ben Harridge | Hampton SC | 22 | 17 | 39 |
18th | 3697 | Richard Page | Peter Page | HSC | 24 | 18 | 42 |
19th | 3703 | Richard Whitworth | Francis | HLSC & PYC | 9 | DNC | 46 |
20th | 3573 | Simon Bond | Anna Carr | RYA | 27 | 20 | 47 |
21st | 3610 | Richard Dee | Chris Gould | Midland | 11 | DNC | 48 |
22nd | 3724 | Martin Jones | Vicky Jones | HISC | DNF | 13 | 50 |
23rd | 3700 | Phil Emery | Karen Emery | Whitstable YC | 16 | DNF | 53 |
24th | 3660 | David Lee | Tim Laws | Starcross YC | 19 | DNF | 56 |
25th | 3569 | John Bell | Duncan Bell | Hampton SC | 21 | DNC | 58 |
26th | 3647 | Hywel Bower-Perkins | Rachel Dobrijevic | Hampton SC | 23 | DNF | 60 |
27th | 3710 | John Rees | Andrea Ralph | HISC | 25 | DNF | 62 |
28th | 3692 | Rien Zilvolo | Julie Nuttall | Whitstable YC | 26 | DNC | 63 |
29th | 3713 | Stephen Harlins | Eleanor Thomas | Starcross | 28 | DNF | 65 |
30th | 3726 | David Hitchcock | Jill Hitchcock | HISC | 29 | DNC | 66 |
31st | 3510 | Mike Raine | Jane Hill | Rudyard Lake SC | 30 | DNF | 67 |
32nd | 356 | Martin Smith | Karen Besyon | Blithfield | 31 | DNF | 68 |
33rd | 3599 | Ken Duffell | Brian Corking | Tamesis | DNC | DNC | 74 |
33rd | 3478 | Mike Partridge | Claire Davis | HISC | DNF | DNF | 74 |
33rd | 3591 | Terry Bridgewater | E Bridgewater | Earlswood Lakes | DNF | DNF | 74 |
33rd | 3643 | Alistair Glen | Moira Stretton | Shoreham SC | DNC | DNF | 74 |