Rooster Optimist Southern Travellers at Parkstone Yacht Club
by Gillian Schonrock 25 May 2016 12:12 BST
21-22 May 2016
Rooster Southern Optimist Travellers at Parkstone © Alex Irwin /
www.sportography.tv
It was perhaps the wettest start to an Open that we have had in years. The sailors didn't seem to mind, but some of the RIB drivers did make very make convincing drowned cat impressions. The strong winds provided exciting sailing on the first day.
Hadyn Sewell kicked off with 2 bullets to become the leader overnight, with James Foster close behind.
Sunday brought light to medium winds with spells of sunshine, providing a good balance to the event. The PRO, Ian Bullock put in another sterling performance. 8 very fair races were completed, with Race 8 starting just 15 minutes before the time limit. Haydn held on to his lead, and retained the Parkstone Optimist Open title for the second year. Oliver Dowson McGill 2nd, James Foster 3rd, Oliver Evans 4th and Kieran Young 5th.
The Regatta Fleet coped superbly with the strong winds on Saturday, and managed 9 races over the 2 days. Jake Stokes took the title, with Charlotte Beardsall in 2nd and Samuel Griffiths in 3rd.
The Parkstone YC Optimist Open was the third in the Southern Traveller Series, sponsored by Rooster Sailing®.
Sportography took some stunning photos and aerial shots of the event.