Dart 15 Southern Championships at Swanage Sailing Club

Drifting with dolphins

May 1st and 2nd 2004 saw Swanage Sailing Club play host to Event 2 in the Dart15 Traveller Series.

The dreary forecasts of strong north easterlies with plenty of rain, in the preceeding week, did not bode well for the event as the east facing Swanage shoreline can make launch and recovery a nightmare. However, come the day, 11 visitors and 5 home club members took to the water in almost no wind and Race 1 was a slow drift around the bay. With very little chance of more wind in the 2nd race, and with boredom setting in, Swanage played their trump card by arranging for a pod of 10 Dolphins to come and play with the fleet. They stayed for around 30 minutes until all the competitors were totally distracted but enthralled by the experience.

Sunday was a bright and sunny day with the first race being a test of reading tides and wind shifts in the light force 1-2 airs. After a short break for lunch, the last race was fought out in brilliant sunshine and a nice steady breeze. The only upset was an injury to local competitor Henry Clark following a collision just before the start. He was whisked off smartly by the safety crews and then to hospital for a few stitches. We are happy to report he is OK but a bit sore.

The last race results reflected the final positions in the series with George Carter, followed by Mike Cemm, sprinting just ahead of Bob Carter sailing standard rig.

Overall Results:

1st George Carter, Sprint (Grafham)
2nd Bob Carter, Standard (Grafham)
3rd Mike Cemm, Sprint (Swanage)
4th Jeremy White, Standard (Emsworth)
5th Erling Holmberg, Standard (Shanklin)
6th Steve Cole, Standard (Gurnard)
7th Steve & David Littlejohns, 1st 2 up boat (Swanage)

2004 Open Results so far: