Comet Versa Open at Crawley Mariners Yacht Club
by Jeff Smith 16 Mar 2012 05:43 GMT
11 March 2012
Comet Versas at Crawley Mariners © Alison Martin
Eight boats attended, three sailed single handed. The forecast, a maximum of F2 northerly, was accurate, producing difficult conditions. The course was a zigzag up the lake including two short beats then a reach down the length of the lake.
The first race had the most wind of the day, enough to keep moving. An unfortunate incident saw Malcolm Cove being capsized when another Versa’s bow sprit caught his main sheet. Two boats used spinnakers, this gave a little speed advantage but some of the gains were lost during the drops. Places changed on a regular basis. Mike Everest and Lauren Thayre managed to break clear and achieve a convincing win.
The second race saw one boat over the line. Michael & Diana Thompson made a good start. The wind became lighter with major directional changes, but there was plenty of close racing, the Thompsons won in only their second race in a Versa.
The third and final race again saw the Thompsons getting a good start, they battled with Ray Suomi & Janice Beaumont for much of the race. As leading boat Ray tacked at the end of the penultimate lap the wind shifted round with him, letting through three boats lead by the Thompsons. During the last lap the wind died but the Thompsons hung on for their second win.
Overall Results:
| Pos | Helm & Crew | Sail No |
|---|
| 1 | Michael & Diana Thompson | 225 |
| 2 | John & Jacqui Sturgeon | 366 |
| 3 | Ray Suomi & Janice Beaumont | 252 |
| 4 | Mike Everest & Lauren Thayre | 359 |
| 5= | Steve Dowling (single handed) | 262 |
| 5= | Malcolm Cove (single handed) | 230 |
| 7 | Alan Chignell (single handed) | 295 |
| 8 | John Carlton & Ian Michell | 303 |