National Hansa Class TT Series Round 3 at Northampton Sailability

National Hansa Class TT Series at Northampton © Robert McIntyre

The Hansa sailors were welcomed by summer sunshine and a building breeze at Pitsford reservoir on June 3nd that allowed Northampton Sailability to run the full programme of four races on a trapezoidal course.

The morning's light winds weren't to everyone's taste, but 2.3 winner Lindsay Burns made the most of the conditions. "It was very shifty and a really excellent challenge. The place to make up time was at the top of the beat as you got close to the dam as it swung around a lot. Coming from Frensham we learn to read that sort of wind, so I was able to make a lot of ground."

National Hansa Class TT Series at Northampton - photo © Robert McIntyre

Tim Scarisbrick and Janet White took the double-hander honours despite have a "lousy" first two races, according to crew Janet White. "In the first race we got clouted on the line, then caught someone ourselves which meant we had to do a 360 at one of the marks. In the second race we misheard the hooter as a general recall and lost a minute or more. So we had it all to do after lunch."

But the windier conditions after the fine repast laid on my Elaine and her team, suited them and as helm Tim Scarisbrick said: "We were going like a train in the afternoon."

National Hansa Class TT Series at Northampton - photo © Robert McIntyre

303 2-person helm Phillip Hall came in third and commented. It was a good day's racing. Apart from the last race where I came last. Thank goodness for the discard. As we were in the wake of some boats we thought we would tack off. Then when we tacked back they were miles away." Liberty class winner Paul Phillips said: It was a fantastic day, with perfect conditions in my opinion as it was shifty enough to keep it interesting and there was good, close racing. I was lucky enough to benefit from other sailors' mistakes by keeping out of the tacking duels that developed and it seemed that the left side was better with the gusts lifting you."

Overall Results:

Hansa 2.3 Class
1st Lindsay Burns (Frensham Pond)
2nd Alastair Carr (Rutland)

Hansa 303 Two-Person Class
1st Tim Scarisbrick & Jane Whyte (Chesil Sailability)
2nd Roy Child & Priscilla Davies (Northampton Sailability)
3rd Philip Hall & Dave Ankers (Chesil Sailability)

Hansa 303 One-Person Class
1st Margaret Foreman (Frensham Pond)
2nd Leslie Philip (Tideway)
3rd Alison Grant (Frensham Pond)

Hansa Liberty Class
1st Paul Phillips (Frensham Pond)
2nd Pat Crowley (Rutland Sailability)
3rd Chris Emmet (Rutland Sailability)