Optimum Time Watches Phantom Southern Travellers at Downs Sailing Club

Saturday 5th August, some dozen Phantoms arrived at Downs SC, Deal for a Southern region Open; unfortunately one sailor discovered a defect severe enough for him to need to depart home again without even completing his rigging.

For those who have never experienced it before, trans-shipping from personal trolley onto a borrowed club sledge across shingle which no wheels could manage was an interesting prospect but worked extremely efficiently with a team of club helpers and winches for the post-sailing heave back up the steep foreshore to the "Inspired Facility" renovated clubhouse.

Race-team went afloat, but sailors were held ashore to watch numerous very black clouds and to compare a plethora of smartphone 'zeroid' forecasts; the eventual drift out to start area was fitful in 0-to-8kts and there was a single aborted start for Contenders. General water frolics were curtailed just before numerous lightning strikes to North, East and South, deluge of rain and hail with F6 gustiness.

Sunday again saw fleets held ashore waiting for wind which when it came was similarly fitful across the intended race-area; the race team moved to the limits of depth for their ground-tackle and found useful wind around the corner of the great white headland. Four back-to-back races were intended, but in this new Force-4, gusting Force-6 only three were eventually sailed.

Nick Orman laid down the gauntlet with a cracking start to Race-1 by 'owning' the start-boat, but Gordon Kingston was earliest to tack, took some sterns and headed inshore tide-cheating to lead at mark-1; these two ding-donged around the course with Gordon showing tremendous upwind speed, though by overtaking downwind, James Dawson held onto second on the short beat to the finish.

Race-2 saw Nick, James, Ben Falat, Sam Taylor-Nobbs and Gordon track around the course in that order. While Gordon again showed off his amazing windward speed and Sam eventually tired, Ben managed to get his mainsheet trapped during a tack, capsized and let both Gordon and Chris Shelton through; he couldn't catch Gordon, but then Ben and Chris had probably the most exciting finish of the day, separated by millimetres and within handshaking distance of the finish-boat gunwhale the only way out for Ben after finishing was to drift backwards on the tidal current. After racing one of the front runners admitted, "Yes I know !", to wholly wiping out Mark-1 and not taking a penalty; however in the greater scheme and otherwise consistent placings this wouldn't have affected overall results, just some hurt pride and honesty.

Race-3 saw very tired bodies and retirements; not many of us saw what was going on again at the front, but oh yes, Nick completed his faultless hat trick !

Huge thanks to Downs Sailing Club for doing their very best in the most trying conditions; free tea and butty on arrival, inclusive evening meal and musical entertainment by club members. Most excellently, the prize-giving was piped-in by junior members with bagpipe and side-drum.

Overall Results: