Alton Water Sports Centre Academy Regatta
by Alex Berry 3 Jul 2011 22:17 BST
3 July 2011
Light winds produce close racing
As volunteers and young competitors alike prepared for the first AWSC Academy regatta, a calm descended over the reservoir, the likes of which had not been seen by the academy for months, leaving areas of the water a glassy mirror image of the clear summer’s sky above.
As the first race began the 11 competitors had only a couple of knots breeze with which to make progress, leading to some very slow, but very close racing, which tested the tactical abilities of the sailors as boats frequently met. The wind also shifted frequently, turning beats into reaches, and downwind legs into upwind legs, but this just added to the entertainment!
On the first beat Freddie Raymond took the lead, displaying great light wind skills in his Topper, and went on to win the race, but was challenged throughout by Robert Halls, who took second, missing out on top spot by less than half a boats length; and Becky Miller, who claimed third place.
In the RS Teras Maris Munro led to win the first race, with Zac Monk not far behind.
The second race continued in much the same way, with Freddie Raymond again leading the Toppers, with a more comfortable margin over Robert Halls; and Maris Munro leading the Teras once again.
The biggest improvement from the first race came from Patrick Bray in the Toppers; who, having been OCS at the start of the first race, had finished seventh, but now moved up to third as the wind steadily built.
The third and fourth races saw more wind, with a gusty breeze of around 10 knots, and a more constant direction. In the Toppers Robert Halls, who had been threatening to overtake Freddie for the previous two races, did better in the steadier wind, finishing first in the third and fourth races, in which the fleet spread out more.
Patrick Bray challenged Robert well in the final two races, getting two-second places to finish off his day’s racing. Freddie fell back a little, getting a fifth and a third, with Charlie Crouch taking third place in the third race. Meanwhile, Maris Munro continued her winning streak in the Teras.
With all four races completed, and the discard taken into account the results were left very tight, 1st in the Toppers was Robert Halls, who had a narrow lead of just one point over Freddie Raymond who finished second with 5 points; and third was Freddie Raymond with 7 points. Maris Munro finished first in the Teras with perfect results, discarding a 1st, and Zac Monk in second.
Everyone who competed greatly enjoyed their morning’s sailing, and particular thanks should go to Jerry Andrews and Gavin Johnson who organised the event and coached the academy throughout the year.
We would also like to thank our Kind sponsors, Seamark Nunn, Fox’s chandlery, Topper International, RS racing boats and Harken for some great prizes.