Alton Water 2018 Fox's Chandlery Frostbite Series - Day 4

A gusty moment on day 4 of the Alton Water Frostbite Series © Tim Bees

For once the weather was kind to us and, although a little breezy for some, conditions on the fourth week of this popular series couldn't have been better; 12 degrees, some sun and a 15+ knot breeze with reservoir-typical gusty patches tempted sixty boats onto the water.

Three races were planned to fit in the final catch-up race from previous weeks and racing started promptly. With a north-westerly wind, the challenge for the Race Officer was to fit in a two long-enough beats to give separation and a lap length to allow for the now customary general recall start. The course was set, with the first beat re-laid, which included run and reach past the club house, giving good spectator viewing in the gusts. There were several spectacular capsizes and although the water is still chilly, at least the air temperature encouraged most swimmers to carry on.

Close racing for the asymmetrics on day 4 of the Alton Water Frostbite Series - photo © Tim Bees

All the fleets behaved themselves on the slightly starboard-biased start line, apart from the Lasers who had a general recall in the second race and with quick turnarounds three races were completed in two and a half hours. Numbers dwindled slightly by the third race as sailors began to tire or get cold from one too many capsizes.

In the fast fleet, it was good to see a Merlin Rocket from Burghfield join the racing and the results for the whole fleet depended largely on their ability to stay upright. The RS200s had close racing as always but Stephen Videlo and Maddie Harris dominated with three firsts in their RS200. In the Laser fleet, it was a day for the Radials and 4.7, with Rheanna Pavey taking three firsts. The Medium fleet saw the 420 of Cara Bland and Faye Chattenton revelling in the breeze. The Toppers had close racing in the Slow fleet but Richard Townley managed two wins out of three.

420 crew having a hair wash on day 4 of the Alton Water Frostbite Series - photo © Tim Bees

Two foiling windsurfers took to the water to test the breezy conditions and provide entertainment for the Committee Boat crew. Whatever happened to the Dragon boat of previous years?

The series is back on schedule so there will be two races this Sunday (4th).

Day 4 Results:

Series Leaders:

Full results can be found here and photos can be seen on the Alton Water Sailing Facebook page and Tim Bees' photos on flickr here.