Marlow Ropes Tipsy Icicle Series at Leigh & Lowton Sailing Club - Day 3
by Paul Heath 21 Jan 21:22 GMT
20 January 2019
After two weeks of cancelled racing, due to either too much or too little wind, we eventually managed to get the series started but unfortunately due to the fickle wind we only managed one race.
At first it was not looking promising at all. As the midday start time loomed Pennington Flash resembled a millpond and so it was that the series race team of Peter and Judith Baldwin signalled an indefinite postponement and with it an early lunch for competitors.
At 1pm a 5 knot north westerly breeze appeared and the 43 boat fleet were sent afloat for back to back races. The breeze held so racing got away at 1.30pm with the Lasers off first. Neil Skellam (LLSC) took the lead but was then overtaken by Howard Green (LLSC) followed by Ian Webber-Rostan (Delph SC) As the race went on Skellam got back in front of Green and after 2 laps Skellam took the win from Green with Webber-Rostan third.
Next away was the 9 boat handicap fleet and 4 Solos. The handicap fleet were led home by the Streaker of Steve Blackburn (LLSC) followed by Mark Platt (Supernova - Bolton SC) and Dave Smith (Hollingworth Lake SC) in his Phantom.
Nik James (LLSC) took the bullet in the Solo fleet with Steve Ferrington (WKSC) second and Stuart Van-DenHoek (LLSC) third.
With the majority of the RS400 fleet away on a skiing holiday, and those present but not sailing due to lack of wind, the numbers were certainly down in the Asymmetric fleet as just two RS400s took to the water. First home was Mark Dingsdale/Vanessa Evans (LLSC) followed by Andy Dawson/Gary Coop (LLSC).
Over the weekend the club had been hosting a Northern Area RS Tera training event so there was no shortage of boats for this race. Twenty Teras and two Toppers started in the now dying breeze and only managed to complete one lap. The Teras dominated the fleet filling the first 13 positions before Ben Knott (Ogston) split the pack. The top four were Eilish Graham (South Shields SC) followed by James Armstrong (THYC) Ffion Bailey (Port Dinorwic SC) and Olivia Rawlins (Roa Island SC).
After a short delay due to a 20 deg. wind shift the fleets set of for race 2 in 5 knots of wind but shortly after the last fleet started the wind had all but disappeared and it became a drifter. With no sign of it coming back the race was abandoned.
Series results to date can be found at llsc.org.uk/LLSC/Results/2019/Tipsy.htm?v=1