Rooster Super Series Radial Masters at Oxford Sailing Club

The final Rooster Super Series Radial Masters event of the year took place at Oxford on the 24/25 of October. The fleet was greeted with warm sunshine, friendly hospitality and gusty conditions.

Race one started with a strong pin-end bias. Rob Cage was to dominate the race but unfortunately was black-flagged, Ian Gregory picking up the win instead. Short, powerful gusts were to be the dominant feature throughout the day and large wind shifts as we approached the weather mark.

Race two went to Cage who again demonstrated excellent speed. The final race started in a more moderate breeze but remained very shifty. Steve Smith sailed very well to take the win.

The overnight lead was held by Richard Mason who had sailed extremely consistently with a 2, 3, 3 scoreline. After day one, we had three different race winners and a different overnight leader!

Sunday dawned with sunshine but a cooler breeze. The conditions were moderate compared to Saturday but connecting the pressure and managing the gusts would be the key to the day.

Race 4 opened with a seemingly strong pin-end based but a large right shift saw guys from the right scream across the top of the course. Cage again managed to connect the shifts early on and took the lead from Smith followed by local ace Pete Allsop.

The start to race 5 start was similar to race 4 with a pin-end bias and a large shift to come from the right side of the course. Gregory would sail an excellent first lap to take a large lead only to be informed he was black-flagged. David Binding pulled through to take the lead from Smith followed by Andrew Byrne.

Whilst the end of race 5 saw sunshine and a lightening breeze, race 6 would start with a strong cold breeze and heavy rain. Again, the right side of the course provided large shifts and those at the front connected it well. Smith, Cage and Gregory were to dominate and pulled away from the fleet. Garth Edwards finished ahead of the chasing pack in 4th.

Overall Results:

1st Overall (1st Apprentice) – Steve Smith
2nd Overall (1st Grandmaster) – Rob Cage
3rd Overall (1st Great-Grandmaster) – David Binding