Merlin Rocket Open at Blackpool & Fleetwood Yacht Club

Sunshine and a 3-4 knot breeze provided excellent conditions for the Blackpool & Fleetwood Yacht Club open meeting, part of the Craftinsure Silver Tiller series. It was a pity that only 10 boats took part, but clashes with other events took their toll.

In the first race Steve Crook and Sally Townsend rounded first mark first, with Matt Biggs and Richard 'Dickie' Dee closely behind. Matt got through to lead until he decided to sail another leg instead of going for the finish, letting Steve and Sally through to win. Matt was second and Dickie third.

In the second race Dickie Dee and Chris Gould rounded first and built up a large lead to the finish. Matt had a poor start and could only recover to third, with Steve Crook second.

In the last race Matt Biggs and Ben Hollis made no mistakes and led all the way, but it was not easy with Dickie very close on the second lap. On the second beat Matt went right and Dickie went left, with neither boat gaining or losing, but when they did the same on the third beat, Dickie lost out with Steve closing right up to him.

However, the positions did not change, so that all 3 boats counted a 1st, 2nd and 3rd. As the last race prevailed, this gave the win to Matt and Ben with Dickie and Chris 2nd, and Steve and Sally 3rd.

Overall Results: