Leigh-on-Sea Sailing Club Race to Benfleet
by Graeme Sweeney 1 Oct 2006 16:13 BST
24 September 2006
On the 24th September Leigh Sailing club’s annual race to Benfleet Yacht club took place, a mixed fleet of 26 boats started from Leigh sailing clubs east rack race line, the wind was a SSE force 3-4 with glorious sunshine, the start was set west to east with a beat along the chalkwell shoreline to the first mark, a 1/2mile to the east.
It was a beam reach to the next mark, 3/4mile to the south, out in the Hadleigh Ray, and by now the fleet had separated, with Leigh sailing clubs, John Charles sailing his RS200 showing the fleet round.
The finish line was a reach up into the shallows of Benfleet creek, 5 miles to the south, Leigh sailing clubs Steve Jones and Steve Brown, in their GP14 battled it out with Benfleet yacht clubs, Dave Blaker in his Laser, with the GP14 boys eventually showing that consistency pays as they worked the GP14 through the fleet. The Topper Omega sailed by Steve Holt showed some fine pace in open water and looked as if they could snatch victory, but lagged behind in the more sheltered creek, Bryan Haynes in his RS600 took line honours seven minutes in front of the next boats, but was unfortunately unable to save his position on corrected time, the next boat or should I say boats, all three of them, crossed the finish simultaneously with the with the precision only seen at air shows by fighter pilots, finally, the three Baily one designs, a local class using a Mirror rig, trailed home to complete this years race.
Overall Results:
1st - GP14, 13825, Steve Jones and Steve Brown, LSC
2nd - RS600, 960, Bryan Haines, LSC
3rd - Topper Omega, 3589, Steve Holt, BYC
4th - RS200, 387, John Charles, LSC
5th – Laser, 140125, Dave Blaker, BYC
6th – Blaze, 609, Adam Smith, LSC
7th – Topaz Race, 3641, David Braun, LSC
8th - Topaz Race, 980, Nick Hardwick, EYC
9th – Laser, 14464, Gary Baker, BYC
10th – Topper, 45372, Michael Rivers, LSC
11th – Mirror, 9, Matt Tothill, LSC
12th – Topper, 44251, Chris Rivers, LSC
13th – Topper Sport 16, Smith & Kemp, BYC
14th - Laser Radial, 123570, Ashley Manning, BYC
15th – Laser Radial, 117415, Kristie Deal, BYC
16th – Laser Radial, 144645, Nicola Scriven, BYC
17th – Bailey One design, Chris Bailey, BYC
18th – Topper, Charlie Bibby, BYC
19th – Bailey One design, Peter Deeley, BYC
20th - Topper, 15953, Ellis Morley, BYC
21st - Bailey One design, Ian Kemp, BYC
22nd - Bailey One design, Richard Scurry, BYC
23rd – Wanderer, 675, LSC
24th – Tideway, 102, Ann Adams, BYC
DNF- Topaz Race, 1439
DNF – Laser, 77734, Phil Bostock, BYC
