Fireball Inland Championship at Draycote Water Sailing Club

by Tim Saunders 18 Oct 2007 07:59 BST 13-14 October 2007

Simon Hextall (left) and Richard Mason (right) win the Fireball Inlands at Draycote © Tim Saunders

On the 13th and 14th of October 62 Fireball crews gathered at Draycote Water for their Inland Championships. On the same weekend as the great storm 20 years ago, all were greeted by mist and no wind. The race team did a good job and waited until 2pm to send the fleet out in a very light but consistent enough breeze for a fair race.

Andy Smith and Jonny Mildred (Notts County) led at the first mark to be passed by Tom Fenn and Mike Lewing (also Notts County). Fenn and Lewing stayed in front to the end. Dave Wade and "Pumping" Rob Gardner (Northampton) passed Smith and Mildred to finish second. The fleet drifted to the bank with rugby and drinking planned for Saturday night.

Sunday morning and still no wind. All set off to sail, on the first start a few were sent in by the black flag and a general recall. Richard Mason and Simon Hextall (Notts County) led for three laps being followed by Peter Gray and Simon Forbes (Staunton Harold) who passed Wade and Gardner on the second lap.

The final race was led from start to finish Becky Priest and Tim Saunders (Staunton Harold) being followed by Matt Mee and Richard Wagstaff (Hollingworth Lake). Mee and Wagstaff needed a first in this race to take the championship and tried to out-tack Priest and Saunders on the final beat. However Andy Pearce and Gary Henwood-Fox (Thornbury) had found a useful area of pressure and a favourable shift on one side of the course and just pipped Mee and Wagstaff on the line.

As lunch was served the wind dropped almost to nothing so the Race Officer wisely decided to call it a day leaving Mason and Hextall the Inland Champions for 2007. Wade and Gardner ended up second overall and Fenn and Lewing third. The prize giving and event was sponsored by Speed Sails. Thanks also to Draycote for a well-run event, great food on the Saturday night and a big screen to make England’s rugby world cup win seem all the more impressive. Just a pity the international contingent to this Fireball event was Irish and not French!

Overall Results:

Pos	Sail No	Helm	Crew	Club	R1	R2	R3	Pts
1st	14969	Richard Mason	Simon Hextall	?	7	1	4	5
2nd	14929	David Wade	Rob Gardner	Northampton	2	3	15	5
3rd	14945	Tom Fenn	Mike Lewing	NC	1	29	5	6
4th	14919	Matt Mee	Richard Wagstaff	Hollingworth Lake	3	9	3	6
5th	14873	Andy Pearce	G Henwood-Fox	Thornbury	DNC	5	2	7
6th	14895	Andy Smith	Jonny Mildred	Notts County	4	4	DNC	8
7th	14954	Becky Priest	Tim Saunders	Staunton Harold	13	12	1	13
8th	14955	Ian Western	Keith Bundy	DWSC	5	8	37	13
9th	14893	Elaine Tudor	Warren Tudor	Brightlingsea	10	19	7	17
10th	14805	Mark Maskell	Jon Watkins	Fishers Green/Hunts	8	DSQ	9	17
11th	14723	Simon Lomas-Clarke	Gavin Tillson	Tipplers Cruising	DNC	13	6	19
12th	14953	Noel Buttler	Jon Bale	Chew Valley Lake	12	18	11	23
13th	14864	John Curzon	Pete Ewer	SH	DNC	6	18	24
14th	14837	Russ Cormack	Ali Cormack	Budworth	14	24	10	24
15th	14941	Derian Scott	Andy Scott	Chew Valley Lake	23	10	14	24
16th	14920	Vince Horey	Andy Thompson	KG	18	7	24	25
17th	14950	Kevin Hope	Russell Thorne	Notts County	DNC	17	8	25
18th	14840	Conor Clancy	Francis Rowan	National Yacht Club	6	20	26	26
19th	14973	Peter Gray	Simon Forbes	?	DNC	2	25	27
20th	14843	Adam Whithouse	Mike Pratt	DWSC	9	21	27	30
21st	14807	Tom Foskett	Tim Needham	Staunton Harold	DNC	14	16	30
22nd	14780	Alex Piggott	John Rowell	Notts County	15	15	32	30
23rd	14778	Mike Deane	Kath Jackson	DWSC	20	11	22	31
24th	14442	David Stanley	Jane Stanley	Chelmarsh	22	DSQ	13	35
25th	14630	M Lewis	Richard Byne	DWSC	16	22	40	38
26th	14885	Jez White	David Turner	DWSC	11	DSQ	28	39
27th	14797	Roger Tait	Bob Yeamans	Lerwick /Aberdeen & Stonehaven	17	25	34	42
28th	14963	Mo Turner	Paul Brigley	DWSC	27	27	17	44
29th	14266	Bob Tuckwood	Debbie Tuckwood	Notts County	41	33	12	45
30th	14883	Mike Whithouse	Karen Whithouse	Chelmarsh	19	30	42	49
31st	14909	Ian Priest	Maria Boyle	South Cerney/DWSC	21	28	47	49
32nd	14949	Tom Jeffcoate	Mark Hogan	Notts County	32	32	20	52
33rd	14779	John Hobson	Amy Clay	Notts County	25	34	29	54
34th	14463	Philip Popple	Ed Toucz Hobson	Shoreham	DNC	26	30	56
35th	14865	Andy Bines	Kerrie Forster	Brightlingsea	24	DSQ	35	59
36th	14322	Ian Macwhinnie	Nick Lewis	DWSC	39	48	21	60
37th	14882	S J Kelsall	Rob Watson	SH	29	40	31	60
38th	14111	John Tenney	Tom Vian	DWSC	30	44	36	66
39th	14452	Matt Cook	Abi Morgan	West Riding	35	31	48	66
40th	14903	Mike Jones	Jean Jones	Chelmarsh	26	DSQ	41	67
41st	13951	Peter Slack	Will Jones	Staunton Harold	31	36	50	67
42nd	14755	Dave Ryder	Michelle Ryder	Blackwater	34	35	39	69
43rd	14940	Miles Thomas	Peter Greenrod	Chelmarsh	38	38	33	71
44th	14285	Colin Snowdon	Karen Hiles	DWSC	28	45	45	73
45th	14391	Alex Shaw	Jo Line	Portishead	37	42	38	75
46th	14870	Peter Wood	James Wood	DWSC	DNC	16	DNC	79
47th	13984	Tom Burrows	Tom Greenhalgh	Staunton Harold	36	49	43	79
48th	14370	Daren Fasey	Colin Davis	Staunton Harold	DNC	DSQ	19	82
49th	14099	Maria Richards	Naomi Chetland	Blackwater	DNC	37	46	83
50th	14468	Ian Elkington	Nicola Elkington	Langstone	33	52	53	85
51st	14899	Tim Rush	R Anderton	Dell Quay	DNC	DSQ	23	86
52nd	14966	Grahame Newton	Mark Stevens	Staunton Harold	DNC	23	DNC	86
53rd	14789	Rhys Lancester	Jason Richards	BC	DNC	43	44	87
54th	13887	James Hadden	Richard Rawson	?	40	50	55	90
55th	14891	Paul Roe	Helen Salisbury	DWSC	43	47	49	90
56th	11/13884	Mike Shreeve	Adam Race	DWSC	44	46	54	90
57th	14818	Pete Badham	Paula Symons	DWSC	DNC	41	51	92
58th	13847	Joe Matthews	Kate Pell	West Riding	42	53	52	94
59th	14625	Steve Greenhalgh	Max Greenhalgh	Staunton Harold	45	51	DNC	96
60th	13013	James Hamilton	David Bruce	Herts Youth Dinghy Racing Squad	46	54	56	100
61st	14803	Ian Kelly	Neal Gibson	Staunton Harold	DNC	39	DNC	102
62nd	14716	Paul Anthony	Quentin Hayes	DWSC	DNC	DNC	DNC	126