Kestrel Winter Nationals at Stewartby Water Sailing Club

Nine Kestrels gathered at Stewartby Water for this event and were greeted with a brisk South Westerly force 4 and the usual gusts, flaws and shifts which we traditionally associate with this venue and which keep the sailing interesting and frequently err... wet. Race Officer Karl Pountney and his team laid an excellent course for all three races using most of the buoys on the lake and putting a premium on team work/boat handling skills amongst the crews.

Race 1 got underway with Chris Grice/Paul Wilkinson taking an early lead with Gordon Miller/Ernie Miller (Dusty up until circa 1993) hot on their heels. Chris and Paul tried to fly the kite on a fetch and by the time they had given it up, both Gordon/Ernie and Dusty (post 1993) Miller/John Ellingham had passed them. These three stuck nose to tail for a lap until Chris/Paul slipped back into the lead only to lose it when Chris toe strap failed and he fell out of the boat, breaking his B+Q tiller extension in the process. Gordon/Ernie missed a mark which dropped them out of contention and the race became a contest between Dusty/John and Liam Pike/Al Luxford, which Dusty/John duly won.

Race 2 was sailed straight after the finish of race 1 and was lead from the start by Dusty and John who established a comfortable lead from Liam and Al. Further back, Paul Jarvey/Jane Drummond and Gordon/Ernie had a race long duel for third – only to be pipped on the last lap by Chris/Paul who had been slowly closing up on them.

The fleet retired to the shore for a well earned lunch and some running repairs including a new main halyard for Kevin Edwins/Kevin Jones as theirs had failed in race 1. The final race was sailed in slightly less wind, but this didn’t seem to affect Dusty and John who started first and pulled away. Chris/Paul and Paul/Jane contested second place for most of the race, finishing in that order with Liam and Al close behind.

Overall, Dusty and John took home the silverware discarding one of their three wins. Liam and Alistair were second and Chris and Paul third, closely followed by Paul and Jane.

Overall Results: