Staunton sailors win East Midlands Mini-Series
by Ann Nugent 12 Mar 14:11 GMT
Staunton Blaster 2019 © Chris Green
The East Midlands Mini-Series provided another great start to the sailing season. Kicking off with the Notts County Cooler, moving on to the Ogston Woolley Jumper and wrapping up with the Staunton Blaster, 82 boats, from more than 25 different fleets and nine different clubs took part.
The series overall winner was Staunton Harold SC's Grahame Newton and Rachael Rhodes (Scorpion). First placed finishes overall at both the Notts County Cooler and the Staunton Blaster cemented their top spot. This is the second win in a row for Rachael Rhodes who won the 2018 series with helm Peter Gray (Scorpion) whilst for Grahame Newton it's a win in a single hander (Laser) in 2017 and now a win in a double hander!
Seven different clubs were represented in the top 10 overall finish for this three part series. Staunton in first overall followed by Ogston SC's Martin Honnor (Solo) in second and Northampton SC's Andy McKee with alternating crews Charlotte Grahame/ Steve Graham (Scorpion) in third. Fourth, fifth and sixth went to Girton SC's Alan Bishop (Solo), Notts County's, Richard Mason (Laser) and Staunton's, Corey Newton (Supernova) respectively.
Blaster lives up to its name
Strong winds and the dinghy show didn't deter the 36 boats that took part in the Staunton Blaster. Staunton sailors dominated the sailing with first, second and third places all going to club boats. The wind built steadily over day one with capsizes abounding across the course. Grahame Newton/ Rachael Rhodes (Scorpion) took a bullet, a second and two thirds to give them a first place overall.
Action on the finish line
Corey Newton won the award for most spectacular finish, hit by a gust he enjoyed a total wipe out as he crossed the finish line of the second race. Overall Newton secured a second place in the Blaster. Staunton's Daren Fasey/ Colin Davies (Fireball) took third and Ogston SC's Martin Honnor (Solo) came fourth.
Thank you to the teams on and off the water
A big thank you to all the race teams and onshore teams at all of the events for an excellent well run series!
For the full race results please go to: