Solo Open at Ardleigh Sailing Club

A strong fleet of 18 Solos gathered at Ardleigh Sailing Club for their open on 18th June. For the first time in ages there was actually some breeze and the fleet enjoyed from close, tactical racing in the shifty conditions.

In race one Tim Lewis from Island Barn made the early running, with a pack of boats contesting the places immediately behind. Local sailor Steve Ede eventually pulled through to the front of the chasing pack and closed in on Lewis before taking the lead. Lewis held on to second with Matthew Frary taking third. Jarvis Simpson flounced into fourth.

For race two Ede led round the windward mark followed closely by Alan Bishop, with these two moving well clear of the rest of the fleet. There was incredibly close racing behind, with Steve Bishop, Phil Sturmer and Fergus O'sullivan having a great tussle. As the wind dropped off slightly Alan Bishop edged into a lead he held to the finish, Ede was judged OCS giving Steve Bishop second ahead of Ian Ayres.

There was everything left to play for heading into the final race. Alan Bishop made the best of a congested first beat, closely followed by Godfrey Clarke, Lewis, O'Sullivan and Steve Bishop with Ede well down the field. There were place changes on every leg that followed, with Frary moving into a slim lead at the end of the third beat with Ede close behind. Frary and Ede held these positions to the finish but there were plenty of place changes behind. Lewis managed to sneak into third with Steve Bishop again beating his dad.

Overall Ede took the victory on 3 points, with Frary second (4 points) and Lewis third (5 points). Father and son Bishop were tied on 6 points with Alan beating his son on count back. Thanks go to Ardleigh for laying on some great racing and an incredible spread of food, both for lunch and tea.