Laser Grand Prix at Arun Yacht Club
by Dick Holden 5 Sep 2010 22:43 BST
5 September 2010
Laser Grand Prix at Arun © Dick Holden
The Arun Yacht Club at Littlehampton hosted a very enjoyable and successful Laser GP open meeting on Sunday 5th September. Twenty two boats were split between Standard and Radial rigs, with each fleet sailing the same “triangle/sausage” course but having their own start.
Sailing took place over low tide off Littlehampton town beach in a boisterous Force 5 south-easterly wind. Race officer Richard Dobson had warned the competitors that he would consider calling off the event if wind speeds exceeded 25 knots; in fact they were 24 knots so the racing continued!
Fortunately sea conditions were moderate and with plenty of safety cover the competitors enjoyed some spectacular high speed sailing with very few retirements. A full programme of four races was completed, but to prevent over-eager competitors rushing the line and forcing repeated re-starts the dreaded black flag was used throughout, which led to some disqualifications.
Overall Results:
Standard fleet
1st Ian Morgan (Weston)
2nd Richard Horn (Weston)
3rd David Giles (Weir Wood)
Radial fleet
1st Alex Benbow (Stokes Bay)
2nd Kerry Morgan (Weston)
3rd Tobias Hamer (Langstone)