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K1 Open at Teign Corinthian Yacht Club

by Toby Sherwin 4 Nov 2016 14:38 GMT 23 October 2016
Jeff Vander Borght (right) and Mike Commander approaching the leeward mark © Garnett Showell

On October 23rd the Teign Corinthian Yacht Club hosted its annual K1 open at Coombe Cellars on the Teign Estuary. NE to E winds with gusts of up to 35 mph were forecast so it promised to be an exciting day. Despite (or perhaps attracted by) the forecast, seven K1s took part in challenging conditions that definitely favoured the heavy weather specialists.

A three lap course was laid with a decent beat and port and starboard reaches separated by a short run. The first race was won comfortably by Jeff Vander Borght, the K1 manufacturer from Lyme Regis Sailing Club, with local sailor Mike Commander second and Dave Guthrie (also Lyme Regis) third. This set the pattern for the day, except that Mike and Dave swapped places in the other two races.

With the wind strength increasing and the tide starting to set against it the race officer sensibly shortened the final race to 2 laps to allow tired competitors avoid the worst of the conditions when coming home to a lee shore. The overall result saw Jeff first, Dave second and Mike third.

The K1s (which are twin sail, 15 ft, single handed dinghies with a drop keel) revelled in the conditions. Accelerating onto a plane on the reaches felt like being in a Formula 1 racing car with loose steering - just cling on and enjoy the ride!

Everyone from first to last enjoyed an exhilarating day's sailing and had tremendous support from TCYC club members on the water, at the shore and in the galley. With no serious mishaps it was definitely a day to remember.

Overall Results: (top 3)

1st Jeff Vander-borght
2nd Dave Guthrie
3rd Mike Commander

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