Annual Mayor of Bournemouth Pier race at Highcliffe Sailing Club
by Sarah Desjonqueres 19 May 2016 10:47 BST
14 May 2016
Race you to the pier and back!
Highcliffe Sailing Club ran their annual Mayor of Bournemouth Pier race Saturday afternoon bathed in glorious May sunshine. Not put off by the complications of negotiating their way down the Run with a 4 knot tide flowing against them, a joyous bunch of sailors left Christchurch harbour to race out to sea, around Hengistbury Head and on to Boscombe Pier for a race back to the finish line at Clarendon rocks.
The wind gods were kind enough to proffer a constant F3 Southwesterly, calling for a close hauled trip across the bay and a kite up, hike out, don't get too wet with the spray, reach all the way back.
K.Fowler (Laser) got off to a cracking start and was lead boat around the first mark, but once team Bates and Mussell (RS400) had their big black spinnaker up and flying the rest of the fleet just had to watch their transom disappear into the distance.
Wells (RS600) made herself comfortable out on the trapeze and pointed straight for the polar bear on the Isle of Wight, hot on the heels of the RS400 ahead, with Gibson/Gibson (RS200) hiked and happy just behind.
The first of the sun kissed sailors to pass the finish line were Bates/Mussell, crossing some 5 minutes ahead of K.Fowler and Wells. But in 50 minute race, a 5 minute gap is just not enough sometimes and so after correction, it was the lasers that had reached their way into the top 3, K.Fowler taking the trophy from last years victor and fellow sailor Bell who managed to post a 4th.
Next big meet is for races 5 & 6 of the Highcliffe SC vs Christchurch SC Interclub series on 22nd May at 10.30am. Highcliffe SC go into the final stages sitting pretty at the top of the leader board with the top 5 places currently taken by Highcliffe sailors.
Overall Results: (top ten)
| Pos | Boat Type | Helm | Crew | Elapsed | Corrected |
|---|
| 1st | LASER | Ken Fowler | | 50:50:00 | 00:46:25 |
| 2nd | LASER RADIAL | Christine Jackson | | 53:59:00 | 00:47:31 |
| 3rd | LASER | David Burrows | | 52:20:00 | 00:47:48 |
| 4th | EUROPE | Pete Bell | | 54:47:00 | 00:47:51 |
| 5th | LASER RADIAL | Charles Fowler | | 54:38:00 | 00:48:06 |
| 6th | RS 400 | Matt Bates | Simon Mussell | 45:28:00 | 00:48:13 |
| 7th | LASER 2000 | Ian Pike | Sally Perry | 53:58:00 | 00:49:01 |
| 8th | RS 200 | Alex Gibson | Jane Gibson | 51:25:00 | 00:49:07 |
| 9th | LASER RADIAL | Doug Croucher | | 58:26:00 | 00:51:26 |
| 10th | RS 600 | Lorrian Wells | | 50:55:00 | 00:55:21 |