Challengers at the Ogston Sailing Club General Handicap Open

Challengers at Ogston © Richard Johnson

Challengers at Ogston © Richard Johnson

Ogston, near Matlock, was alive with colour as the warm sunshine picked out the masses of trees on the surrounding slopes in their Autumn colours and reflected them in the mirror-still water. There was not a breath of wind!

Club members prepared an excellent curry for 50 guests on Friday night, which was the high spot of an otherwise lifeless weekend. On Saturday afternoon a mixed fleet of 20 boats gamely assembled and started a "race" at the appointed time.

Jack Alderdice was the only one in the 8-boat Challenger Class to anticipate a 90 degree thermal zephyr and made a great port end reaching start, crawling up what should have been a beat, following the K1, a couple of good Solos and an Enterprise to lead the Challengers home.

A wind sprang up at lunchtime from the West, giving us hope for the afternoon but died just as the fleet left the beach. The Committee doggedly persevered so, 100 yards after the start, the fleet stopped for five minutes to admire the view then continued at funeral pace as a Northerly thermal filled in on the right bank and Dave Driffill made the most of it to build a good Challenger fleet lead.

After an hour the Committee could stand it no longer and finished the race, giving Dave a win to equal Jack. Spectators then searched for drying paint to watch as an exciting alternative to Race 3.

Sunday was slightly better, with more patches of wind but 360 degree shifts. At one point the leaders were beating towards the back markers, who were also beating towards them. The Solos were exceptional in the light conditions and M. Honnor was best, winning overall.

First Challenger on handicap was Jack Alderdice but, due to the quirk of handicapping, Ogston's David Driffill won the Challenger shield, with Jack second and Mick brown third.

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