Tiller and Spar Event 2014 at Cransley Sailing Club
by Robin Buxton 11 Jun 2014 21:38 BST
7 June 2014
Tiller and Spar at Cransley © Stewart Elder
Two out of three for Hollowell SC in interclub event against rivals Cransley SC
Sailors from Hollowell Sailing Club were away this weekend at Cransley Sailing Club. They were there to compete in the annual Tiller and Spar Event. Up for grabs were three coveted prizes – Fast Fleet, Slow Fleet and Youth Fleet. Hollowell, who last year had hosted the event were hoping to improve on their previous results where they succeed in winning the Slow and Youth Fleet titles, but failed to win the Fast Fleet.
This year's event at Cransley saw some 35 boats compete in the three races. Weather conditions on the day were pretty awful. The morning saw torrential rain which final eased off towards the afternoon. However with the easing of the rain, the wind also died, so sailors had to use all their skills, particularly in the last race to keep their boats moving.
In the Fast Fleet, 8 of the 12 boats competing were Lasers. However it was Nigel Austin in a Comet Duo who took the title for Cransley, followed by Cransleys Tom Bull in a Laser. Hollowell's Ian Clark and Mike Pipes came in third and fourth respectively.
In the other two fleets, Hollowell fared much better. Keith Lancaster in a Solo securing the Slow Fleet title for Hollowell, followed by Cransley's Rob Campbell and Peter Stein Snr. Hollowell's Keith Miller came in fourth.
However it was Hollowell's Youth Squad that were the real stars of the day, claiming all four top positions to win the Youth Fleet title for Hollowell. Izzy King came in first, followed by Ed Middleton-Smith, Mike Harding and Morgan Smith.
Commenting the event, Hollowell's Commodore, Nicola Wilkinson picked up on the success of the youth squad "The Youth Squad at Hollowell are one of the Club's strongest assets and I'm pleased to see them all doing so well." Nicola also paid tribute to organisers at Cransley for hosting such a well-run event.
Next year the event returns to Hollowell and the Club needs to work on its Fast Fleet if it hopes to take the title away from Cransley.