Hornet Open at the Exe Regatta at Topsham Sailing Club
by jon williams 6 Jul 2006 09:07 BST
1-2 July 2006
The Hornets race within the Exe Regatta © Jon Williams
A Hornet open meeting within the Exe Regatta, organised by Topsham Sailing Club, attracted twelve entries from as far as Essex and North Wales for the early start on Saturday.
In the first race it was Strangler and Paul McGahey that led round the first lap in the force 2-3 wind. The local boat of Dick Garry and Matt McGrath passed on the second beat and held this position from Strangler to the finish.
The breeze increased with the temperature and we had excellent conditions for the second race. Tom Guy led round the first mark with the fleet very close behind. The youth team of Will McGrath and Sam Woolner powered down the spinnaker reach to take the lead but a suspect gybe onto the next leg let a few boats pass. Another youth team, Olly Turner and Barney Dearsley now led and did well to hold off various challenges to take the win.
The Sunday race was part of the regatta pursuit race. Dick Garry and Tim Coombe were both early at the start which let Strangler away first. The wind dropped even more as the temperature soared and the beat to the top of the estuary frustrated all. Eventually the wind turned 180 and increased till boats were fully powered up. Strangler still led but Dick Garry tried to reel him in on the final downwind legs. The positions stayed the same with Olly Turner coming in third. The Cadets had managed to miss the lightest winds and won the pursuit.
Overall Results:
| Pos | Sail No | Helm | Crew | Club | Pts |
|---|
| 1st | 2132 | Strangler | Paul McGahey | RYA | 3 |
| 2nd | 2154 | Dick Garry | Matt McGrath | Starcross YC | 3 |
| 3rd | 2113 | Olly Turner | Barney Dearsley | Starcross YC | 4 |
| 4th | 2161 | Paul Jacobs | Dan Jacobs | Starcross YC | 7 |
| 5th | 2147 | Tim Coombe | Jane Smith | Starcross YC | 8 |