Merlin Rockets at the Chichester Yacht Club Snowflake Series
by Merlin Rocket media 30 Jan 2006 15:14 GMT
29 January 2006
The final Race of the Snowflake Series at Chichester Yacht Club went off with a bang yesterday - a little too quick for some though. Five Merlin Rockets started on time and went charging upwind in a strong NE breeze, whilst Judith Massey, Dave Dobrijevic and others took up to 3 minutes to make the start! Rounding the windward mark first was the series winning duo of William Warren and Chris Robinson in 'Moist' who resisted the kite as it was a blast just two-sailing it, next round was John Bell aptly crewed by GGGG Williamson in 'Time and Tide', and not far behind them Mark Fuller and Alan Fuller sailing 'Chamballs' followed by the rest of the pack.
William and Chris in 'Moist' headed off on a deep run not spotting the third mark off to the right hand side of the course till the last moment! They threw in a quick gybe and had an exciting reach to the mark - a little too exciting perhaps as whilst gybeing round the mark their tiller extension got stuck in the mainsheet and forced an unplanned capsize for us all to see! A good test for Chris's new Buoyancy Aid though!
After that it was a drag race to the front - short, sharp legs of the course put everyone's boat handling to the test, especially with it being a lengthy race of nearly 2 hrs, a tight tacking duel ensued between John and GGGG and Dave and Rach in 'Batto' where for three laps in the later part of the race each crew was giving it their utmost, assuming the finish was immanent! When it did come round eventually it was very close and a great race and series was had by everyone - that's the real magic of Merlins!
Top Five Overall Results in the Fast Handicap, Snowflake Series 2005/2006:
1st - MR - William Warren and Chris Robinson, 4643 'Moist' 9pts
2nd - MR - Dave Dobrijevic and Rachel Cooper, 3658 ' Batto' 11pts
3rd - MR - Judith Massey and Ellie Bremmer, 3653 'Artemis' 16pts
4th - RS200 - Colin Smith and Mary Fenton Jones, 1133 32pts
5th - MR - Mark Fuller and Alan Fuller, 3580, 'Chambulls' 39pts
Full results at www.cyc.co.uk/dinghy_section/dinghy_programme.htm