Mad March Pursuit at Hollowell Sailing Club
by Robin Buxton 3 Mar 2014 11:34 GMT
2 March 2014
Going for a splash during the Mad March Pursuit at Hollowell © Robin Buxton
The new sailing season kicked off in impressive fashion this Sunday at Hollowell Sailing Club. Despite gusts of up to 40mph, competitors were keen to get back on the water, after the 2 month break.
Mike Playle, Duty Officer for the day, set an inspired course for racers, taking in the whole 114 acres of the water, with each lap covering approximately 2.6 miles as a straight line.
Conditions on the water were such that out of the 24 boats that crossed the start line, only 8 managed to finished. There were numerous capsizes, particularly down at the bottom end of the reservoir where one boat actually sank. Thankfully this was in shallow water and one of three safety boats on duty that day was able to recover it. A GP14, which is normally a very stable boat was hit by a gust on a jibe and capsized in spectacular fashion, nose-diving into the water. Most boats experienced so kind of mishap, however there were smiles all round in spite of the conditions and freezing water.
Overall Results: (eight finishers)
| Pos | Boat Type | Helm |
|---|
| 1 | Dart | Dave Holyoak |
| 2 | Laser Radial | Ian Clark |
| 3 | Solo | Keith Lancaster |
| 4 | Laser Radial | Andy Baker |
| 5 | Laser | Tim Robinson |
| 6 | Solo | Simon Deeks |
| 7 | RS400 | Sam and Andy Wilford |
| 8 | Laser Radial | Simon Bickers |
All eight competitors who finished received a prize and young Eleanor Cranfield was singled out for a special mention, having completed nearly 3 laps in her Topper!
This Sunday sees the start of the Spring Series at Hollowell and it will be interesting to see which competitors establish a lead early in the Series.