OK Dinghy Sprint Open at Burghfield Sailing Club

OKs at Burghfield © Jeremy Carey

OKs at Burghfield © Jeremy Carey

OKs at Burghfield © Jeremy Carey

Under grey skies and a promise of a 20 knot South Wester with gusts of over 30 knots, a small, but star studded fleet of OKs descended upon Burghfield Sailing Club for a 10 race "Sprint" Open meeting. Bourne showed up with his brand new "Purple monster" which in fairness wasn't quite as hideous a shade of purple as most were expecting however, foils in a dubious shade of pink bore witness to Bourne's balanced masculine/feminine polarities.

The course consisted of a beat through the islands to a mark laid outside the club house, followed by a run, a fetch around an island, to another run to the gybe mark, finishing with a beam reach blast back to the finish. With the windward mark laid off the club rather than right at the top of the lake the shifts were tolerable 30 degrees, rather than Burghfield's customary 90 degree shifts.

With races lasting 15-18 minutes, and a 3 minute start sequence, the mornings 5 races passed quickly. The racing was tight throughout the fleet with places regularly trading. A tussle for first on the leader board was quickly established between Dave Bourne and Dick Burton with the customary accompanying "dialogue".

Race 3 saw the retirement of our chairman with a broken kicker (and muddy headboard) who was otherwise nipping at the heels of Gavin Waldron's duo of 3rd places.

Race 4 saw Burton take the lead with Gheury on his tail followed buy Waldron. Bourne jumped the gun and having to return around the ends, established a deficit he couldn't address in such a short race. On the final run, Gheury made a successful bid for the inside overlap and led Burton on to the final reach. Burton executed a better gybe and made it over Gheury to take another win, with Gheury 2nd, Waldron 3rd and Jeremy Deacon a well sailed 4th.

Race 5 was a familiar sight with Bourne and Burton leading the charge with Gheury and Waldron leading the chasing pack. The racing was tight throughout the day and small mistakes meant lost places that were difficult to recover in the "sprint" format. Gheury, having had a sniff of the lead in race 4 made a bid down the inside on the final run, but got a bit greedy following a strong puff by the lee and took a swim, leaving Waldron to pick up the chase.

With the race for first and third hotting up it was time for a lunch break. The fleet descended upon the club house for a hearty dose of carbohydrates, saturated fats and banter. Burnham was indoors extolling the virtues of being warm, dry and packing up. The rest of us knew it was a thinly disguised admission of softness and headed back out for round 2.

It was all becoming a bit of a blur, but race 6 saw Burghfield local, Deryck Lovegrove chasing the leading duo, for well earned 3rd, while Gheury reenacted his capsize from race 5.

Race 7 & 8, took a similar tone, with Burton taking 2 wins and tightening his grip on the series lead.

Race 9, saw Deryck Lovegrove sail a cracking beat to round in first place with Waldon hard on his heals, Burton and Bourne soon followed with Gheury and Deacon a little further a drift, but in contact with the lead bunch. On the first run the fleet compressed, but Lovegrove maintained the lead at the turn. As the fleet reached the final gybe mark it was Lovegrove, Burton, Bourne, Waldon and Gheury with less than 1/2 a length between each. The breeze built quickly and Burton & Bourne made a bid to windward of Lovegrove, Waldon stuck to the rhumb line, while Gheury when deep with the gust. Lovegrove managed to contain Bourne but not Burton who had now made an appearance at the front, albeit a cameo appearance. The breeze lightened and Gheury emerged from the depths of the M4 corridor on a hot angle and popped out 4 or 5 lengths clear ahead. Gheury was later heard saying "I wish I was close enough to see the look on his [Burton's] face". The race ended with Lovegrove in a well sailed 3rd, Burton 2nd, while Gheury provided further proof that even a blind squirrel finds an acorn from time to time.

The race officer commented that while the other fleets starts got worse throughout the day, the OKs got better and better as Race 10 was to prove. Everyone got out of the blocks quickly and as the fleet existed the channel Waldron had a tiny lead over Burton, but it was so close the lead changed with each shift and it was anybody's race. As the fleet spread out on the upper 1/2 of the course the breeze dropped a little to around 12-15 knots and the fleet converged on the top mark from all angles, Lovegrove and Bourne to the right, Waldron just inside, Gheury to the left of the pack, with Burton in the middle. It was so close the last shift would determine the rounding order. The penultimate shift was left hander that favoured Gheury who rounded 1 1/2 lengths clear of Waldon, with Bourne, Burton and Lovegrove following stem to stern. Gheury extended a length or 2 on the first run and Bourne moved in to Second at the next turn. Gheury managed to, stay upright at the gybe mark and elude the chasing pack, taking the win followed by Bourne and Burton.

7 wary but content sailors made the beat back to the beach, a warm shower and cold beer amid speculation that the squirrel may infact be partially sighted.

More event photos care of Jeremy Carey can be found here.

Overall Results: