Marblehead Veterans Nationals at Guildford Model Yacht Club

Action from the Marblehead Veterans Nationals at Guildford MYC © Roger Stollery

The 2003 RM Veteran's Championship on 7-8th June was organised by Guildford MYC at Abbey Meads lake, Chertsey. Over the 2 days each skipper sailed 28 races, sailed back to back in a style to suit veteran skippers, over a simple triangle and sausage course with buoys at distances that did not strain distant vision from the high operating bank.

Saturday’s conditions were excellent with a top suit strength wind and 16 races were sailed at a leisurely pace. The weather was much better than forecast and it became really hot with a 5-8mph wind and testing gusts of 12mph blowing more or less straight down the lake. These allowed some very fast offwind legs with planing on the limit of control with rudders showing. Saturday’s racing ended with Colin Smith in the lead, closely followed by Dennis Moss and Peter Popham. These three skippers were sailing boats to the ‘Starkers’ design and between them won all but 4 of the races.

A PRO’s nightmare followed the Sunday briefing at 09.15... no wind! In fact it was 10.30 before a course could be set and racing started. A top suit wind blew up from the south and the same traditional Olympic course was set. As the day progressed the wind direction and strength became more variable, gusting severely at times. The last race, finishing at 15.30, was really weird. The wind’s progress down the lake from the south was a series of circular strongly swirling eddies a few ten’s of metres in diameter. Boats were seen on all possible points of sailing at once. Some boats were running, some beating, some reaching, but all going in the same direction! The Sunday honours were shared equally by the three leading boats, with 3 wins each. Colin Smith preserved his lead and won the event by 14 points from Peter Popham, who had in turn, edged Dennis Moss out of second place. Mick Shillington, in addition to getting 5th place, retained the Perpetual Plate trophy for the best placed oldest skipper.

Overall Results: