Crouch Yacht Club Autumn Series - Race 6

Gorgeous blue skies and blustery westerly winds greeted the 10 strong fleet on Sunday, racing in the sixth race of eight in the Crouch Yacht Club Autumn Series.

With three hours of spring flood left, and the beat on the up river leg, the course took the yachts right up to Short Pole Reach at Fambridge, giving a long fair tide beat and equally challenging foul tide spinnaker legs.

In the Local Handicap fleet, two boats were OCS, with the SJ27 Grace and Danger just over, and Vanessa Bell's Corribee 21 Elvis further up river. Mark Lyons in the Dehler 34 Martinique got an excellent start on the North Shore, with John Saunders in Jeannie also right up there. Ant Law was back out in his Folkboat Tifarno, and Paul Trueman in the highest rated boat, Exile. The long waterline length of the X37 Exile soon became apparent as she stretched her lead out on the water, with Martinique and Jeannie chasing.

Grace and Danger didn't take long to get back in the mix after their premature start and were soon hustling John Saunders' Elan 31 who in the breezy conditions found themselves quite overpowered at times. Vanessa Bell racing for the first time, in Elvis, retired. As the fleet headed down river towards the club, the PRO shortened the course, which led to a tactical decision of whether to stay on the North Shore out of the tide but in flukier wind, or cross anyway to the South shore as if rounding Number 9, but crossing the flood tide.

Exile, leading the fleet stayed on the North Shore, as did Martinique who were powering down river under kite. Jeannie and Grace and Danger were very close, with Jeannie in white sails, and the SJ27 under kite. Grace and Danger gybed abruptly and headed sharply over to the South Shore, suffering from a lot of rolling, finishing fast. Tifarno, ran down the South shore under kite, but finished bare headed having dropped ready for rounding.

On corrected time, Mark Lyons in the Dehler 34 Martinique took their first win of the series, with Grace and Danger owned by Stephen Gosling second, and Tifarno, Ant Laws Folkboat third. Overall Grace and Danger are leading, with Jeannie second, and Martinique just a point behind in third.

In IRC all four entrants were out. Glorious Fools and Mantra, Phillip Harbott's Aphrodite 101, both got an excellent start with Double Trouble further towards the South Shore in the stronger tide. Duncan Haley in the Corby 29 quickly got away from the fleet enjoying clean air and stayed in the lead throughout. Sapphire, Martin and Kirsty Brooks' Dehler 33 were up with the J80, Glorious Fools, with Mantra in fourth on the water.

Digger Harden and Pete Jackson's Glorious Fools were saving their time on Double Trouble and Sapphire and Mantra were both sailing hard to look to save their time. Mantra suffered a couple of spectacular broaches, which cost them dearly. Coming in to finish after sailing the full course, Double Trouble took line honours, with Doug Duce helming Glorious Fools very close in second. Sapphire crossed over the river to make the most of her reaching speed to look to close the gap. At times on this leg, Mantra looked in contention to take second place on corrected time, but the second of her broaches put pay to this.

On corrected time, Glorious Fools won, putting them ahead in the series, with Double Trouble less than a minute behind. Mantra were a further 36 seconds behind the Corby, with Sapphire 54 seconds off the Aphrodite. Mantra are second in the series two points adrift of the J80, with Double Trouble chasing them.

Next week, in keeping with tradition, the fleet will moor off Burnham War Memorial to remember the fallen, with racing then starting at 11.30. All boats will race together for the Peter Cashel Memorial Trophy.