Solo Inland Championships at Rutland Sailing Club
by Claire Clark 7 Sep 2009 18:01 BST
5-6 September 2009
Moving the date from the traditional calendar slot of June proved to be successful with good wind forecast for the weekend. Another change this year was to the race format with 2 additional races introduced to bring the total number of races over the weekend to 6.
A total of 90 entrants from all corners of the UK showed up with some having attended the previous days training session.
Saturday greeted the fleet with September sunshine but the strong winds from the previous day hadn’t completely abated with the fleet racing in a stiff 18-22mph breeze.
Race 1
Andy Fox rounded first at the windward mark and gained another 20 metres lead on the first reach and proceeded to hold the lead up the second beat.
However on the downwind leg he was unlucky enough to find a patch of weed and Andy Davis zipped past into the lead and held on to take the win.
Race 2
Simon Jones found a gap at the committee boat end at the start and having put in a couple of tacks found himself sailing free of the fleet.
However on the second round Chris Brown had sneaked past but Jones was having none of this and retook the lead downwind and went on to win.
Race 3
The building breeze gave excellent conditions for the last race of the day. With Andy Davis having gained an unassailable position at the front of the fleet, the chasing pack were left to fight it out with incredibly tight racing. It was Steve Broom who found success on the left hand side of the beat to claim 2nd place with the next four boats crossing the finish line overlapped but the results showed Chris Brown 3rd, Paul Rayson 4th, Andrew Bonsey 5th and Dave Winder 6th.
Sunday initially dawned with lighter winds than the previous day with the fleet launching in a reasonable 10mph but during the course of racing the wind freshened to 15 mph at the start of the last race.
Race 4
Andrew Bonsey was first to the windward mark with David Mitchell and Andy Davis in hot pursuit. With some minor place changes in the chasing pack it was the front 3 who held their held their positions to the finish.
Race 5
Following a general recall and a number of competitors being black flagged in the restart, Stuart Bush found himself just behind the leaders at the windward mark. Having put a couple of tacks in to find clear air he emerged in a lifting breeze to clear the leading pack. The downwind leg saw Bush ahead of Dan Goodman, Andy Davis and Lee Sydenham. The front two changed places a couple of times, but it was Bush who regained the lead on the last reach to win.
Race 6
This time the fleet got a clean start with Andy Davis, Chris Brown, David Mitchell and Dave Winder showing the rest of the fleet the way to the windward mark. This group held their positions for the first round but up the second beat Dave Winder picked up a good port lift and moved into the lead which he went on to hold to the finish.
Many thanks to Rutland Water SC for hosting another superb event.
Thanks also to Fotoboat for capturing the action.
Overall results
1st Andy Davis 5050 Chase SC
2nd Chris Brown 4983 RYA
3rd David Winder 5040 Hollingworth Lake SC
4th Paul Rayson 4718 Fishers Green SC
5th Andrew Bonsey 4925 Northampton SC
6th David Mitchell 4935 Winsford Flash SC
7th Steve Broom 4911 Spinnaker SC
8th Richard Pye 4357 Draycote Water SC
9th Kevan Gibb 4870 Largo Bay SC
10th Lee Sydenham 5045 Chichester YC
1st Veteran – David Mitchell
1st Grand Master – John Webster
1st Septimus – John Daniels
1st Junior – Bruce Deppe
1st Lady – Vanda Jowett
1st Plate Series – James Mead