Gul Osprey Grand Prix Round 2 at Coniston Sailing Club

Seventeen Ospreys from as far afield as Kent, Kielder and Cornwall came to the line at Coniston Sailing Club for the second leg of the Gul Grand Prix Curcuit held over the Bank Holiday weekend. They enjoyed three days of excellent weather and winds from the South and South West which enabled the Race Officer to set a series of big courses well suited to the Osprey.

The introduction of the fine new Ospreys from Hartley Laminates three years ago and the generous sponsorship from GUL has rejuvenated the class and this was clearly demonstrated in the competitive nature of the racing over the seven race series. With four different race winners the eventual outcome was not decided until the final few yards of the last race. Similar battles were fought throughout the fleet.

Race one saw Richard and Mark Hartley make some navigational errors whilst leading and this allowed Viola and Mike Scott to take the initiative with a win from Dave Carroll and Jonno Baker in second and Mike Pickering and Paul Jones in third. The Hartleys regained their concentration to come back strongly in the next race sailed in a stiffish force 3. Rob Shaw and Ian Little came into the frame in second with the Scotts third. After the racing the fleet enjoyed the excellent BBQ and bar facilities provided by the host club.

Day two dawned with wall to wall sushine and a mirror-like lake but the wind kicked in and allowed the Race Officer to get the fleet away on time in an excellent force 4. The Scotts kept up their momentum with another race win followed by a brace of seconds whilst Shaw and Little responded with a 1-2-3 and Pickering, this time with David Slater aboard, with 1-3-3. Somewhat suprisingly the Hartleys could only manage 4-DNF-4. The fleet came off the water having enjoyed a fabulous days sailing in champagne conditions and, despite three strenuous races, the party continued well into the night. The Scotts still held the edge overnight but could not afford to relax just yet.

The final day saw more sunshine with a bit less breeze and a few more holes. The Hartleys came roaring back with a convincing win followed by Carroll and Baker and Shaw and Little. The Scotts were obviously feeling the pressure and dropped to seventh.

With the final results still not settled the fleet got away, after one false start, for the last race. The Hartleys, determined to make a point, sailed straight into and early lead and remained there until the finish. Carroll and Baker, obviously enjoying a good day, came second again and the Scotts, regaining their form, secured the decent result, a third, which they needed to clinch the series and a very popular win. When the sums were done it transpired that the Hartleys had secured second place and nudged Shaw and Little into third by the narrowest of margins.

Thanks go to Coniston Sailing Club, itself enjoying a rennaisance, for proving such excellent hosts, the Hartleys for building great boats and even better coming and joining in the fun and finally to GUL for their sponsorship and likewise joining the fleet on the water.

Overall Results:

1st 1314 Viola and Michael Scott
2nd 1338 Richard and Mark Hartley
3rd 1317 Robert Shaw and Ian Little
4th 1302 David Carroll and Jonno Baker
5th 1340 Mike Pickering and Paul Jones/David Slater
6th 1311 John Batt and Nick Broomhall