Flying Fifteen and Laser Open Meeting at Bassenthwaite Sailing Club

Lakeland & Border Laser Grand Prix - July Open Meeting at Bassenthwaite © William Carruthers

Waples Wine Flying Fifteen Northern Travellers
Lakeland & Border Laser Grand Prix

Due to National Park restrictions, Open Meetings on Bassenthwaite Lake often need to be combined - albeit with separate fleet starts and with individual Notices of Race to suit a specific class. On this occasion it was the Flying Fifteen and Laser fleets who look to the water with the Lasers sailing a three race series on Saturday only and the keelboats sailing five races over both days.

The weather was superb with sunshine and an adequate supply of shifty wind on both days.

In the twenty boat Laser fleet wins were taken by Dave Lawson from the home club in race 1 and by Tim Keighley from West Riding SC in race 2 so the series result was decided in the final race where Lawson was again the victor. Bass' Sailing Secretary Joe Roberts recovered from average starts to pull through the fleet with results improving by the race and he took third place overall ahead of John Leach of Hollowell SC and Ethan Dawson from the home club.

The Fifteens produced an excellent fleet of nineteen boats including ten visiting crews from as far afield as Rutland and Invergordon. The new World Champions Steve Goacher / Tim Harper (RWYC) took race 1, but race 2 saw the home club's boats in the lead positions.

Graham Kirkpatrick / Alan Smith in one of the oldest boats in the fleet led at the windward mark but they dropped back and were overtaken by Simon Longstaff / Jon Denwood and Neil Currie / Rory Yardley who went on to finish first and second.

Six competitors received DNFs in race 3 for failing to round a mark on one of the near runs.

At the end of Saturday's racing Goacher / Harper led Longstaff / Denwood by one point. David & Sally McKee from Dovestone were next up. During the evening Steve Goacher and Tim Harper invited competitors and organisers to join them with drinks and a BBQ to celebrate their World Championship success.

The wind on Sunday had picked up a notch, making conditions interesting, even for champions. The organisers limited sailing to two early races to allow for an early prizegiving and departure for visitors. Goacher/Harper took the first and the McKees the second, the leaderboard remaining as it had been overnight.

[Please see the great photo gallery at the top of this report.]

Laser Results:

Flying Fifteen Results: