OK Open at Brightlingsea Sailing Club

The Brightlingsea Sailing Club OK Open Meeting on the weekend of 16 and 17 September was a small but perfectly formed affair with half a dozen boats competing. Sadly, the unexpected proximity to the rescheduled Nationals at Herne Bay meant the turnout was lower than usual for this normally very popular event.

0verall the conditions over the two days were very light and the race committee, headed by Race Officer Alan Hicks, did a good job of achieving all five scheduled races in extremely shifty and variable offshore winds.

Day one featured three races. The constant shifts turned the races into a game of snakes and ladders with no one able to achieve a consistent score line. Luke Glover got the best of the day though with two race wins, sandwiched around a fifth in the second race, to put him in the overall lead, ahead of Dave Bourne who took a fifth, third and second. Rodney Tidd sailed consistently for a third, third and fifth which put him into third place overnight.

Day two dawned misty and worryingly light, but fortunately by the appointed 10.30am first start time visibility had lifted and there was sufficient wind from the north to get the boats underway. Unfortunately, Luke Glover was unable to race on the Sunday, leaving the field wide open with two more races to sail. In race four victory went to Dave Bourne by a narrow margin from Keith Byers with Rodney Tidd third and Paul Aldridge fourth.

Coming to the line for the final race Dave Bourne was leading the regatta by a single point from Keith Byers on seven points. Behind them Rodney Tidd was counting nine points and Paul Aldridge ten so it was all to play for. The wind was varying between 4 and 10 constantly and shifting with it, as a result of which everyone found themselves visiting both ends of the fleet at some point during the day. As they approached the finish line for the final time Keith Byers had managed to eke out an eight to ten boat lead over Dave Bourne and they were followed home by Paul Aldridge and Rodney Tidd.

With the final results calculated, overall victory on count back alone went to Keith Byers with Dave Bourne second. Also tied on points and only separated on count back were Paul Aldridge for third and Rodney Tidd in fourth.

Overall Results: