Marblehead Games 2 Open at Three Rivers Radio Yachting Club

A good start during the Marblehead GAMES event at Three Rivers RYC © Phil Elford

Race organiser, Peter Popham (seated) presenting the prize to the winner Roger Stollery during the Marblehead GAMES event at Three Rivers RYC © Martin Crysell

Never has a winter Marblehead interclub event at the Bury Lake Rickmansworth been so hot, with bright sunshine all day and in the morning at least enough wind to give a beat and run course to make the racing hot too.

11 skippers from 3 different clubs enjoyed 8 races in the light and fluky, basically easterly wind conditions. There were 5 different winners and every Datchet team member won a race. Austin Guerrier sailing a QUARK won the first and it looked as if Phil Holliday sailing a GRUNGE was going to take the 2nd, but was overtaken on the last run by Guildford's Roger Stollery sailing his UP. He repeated this on the next 2 races, before Phil finally hit the front in Race 5.

After a very pleasant lunch in the sunshine, Roger won again, but in the following race it was John Shorrock sailing a QUARK with a new and very smart Graham Bantock fin who took line honours in Race 7. By this time the wind had more or less died and veered to the south-east blowing from behind the competitors leaving the whole course in a total mirror condition. However this did not deter MYA Chairman Terry Rensch sailing Phil Holliday's NIOUTRAM, from picking up all the right gusts, staying on the rhumb line and just pipping Roger to the finishing line in the final Race 8. After this race and with only half an hour to run before the deadline, all skippers agreed not to race again as the conditions were so poor.

All in all, despite the frustratingly light wind everyone enjoyed the day, the pleasant sunshine and the great company. At the prize giving Roger thanked the five-man 3 Rivers race team, Tom Rodger, John Rance, John Keyworth, Oliver Bangham and as always John Male scoring, for putting on another great GAMES event under very difficult circumstances.

The next big Marblehead GAMES event is on 24th March, when Guildford Model Yacht Club will be running a special celebratory 40th MERMAID Trophy at Abbey Meads Lake, Chertsey.

Overall Results:

1st Roger Stollery (Guildford) UP 8pts
2nd Phil Holliday (Datchet) GRUNGE 13pts
3rd Austin Guerrier (Datchet) QUARK 18pts
4th John Shorrock (Datchet) QUARK 23pts
5th Martin Crysell (Guildford) PRIME NUMBER 25pts
6th Terry Rensch (Datchet) NIOUTRAM 27pts
7th John Male (3 Rivers) STARKERS 37pts
8th Dick Grainge (3 Rivers) STARKERS 37pts
9th Peter Popham (3 Rivers) UPROAR 43pts
10th John Carter (3 Rivers) STARKERS 44pts
11th Trevor Innes (3 Rivers) STARKERS 58pts