Flying Fifteen open meeting at Bewl Sailing Association

by Christopher Evans 31 Mar 2019 15:47 BST 23-24 March 2019

After several weeks of unsuitable weather Bewl Water provided near ideal conditions over the weekend of 23rd and 24th for the Flying 15 open meeting incorporating the first round of the Southern Travellers Trophy. Sixteen boats entered, five of which where visitors including Mark Weston and Andy Weatherspoon who had journeyed down from Yorkshire.

The three races scheduled for Saturday saw overcast conditions with the wind blowing a steady 10 to 12 knots from the North, A slight drop in wind speed to around 8 knots and some tricky wind shifts obligingly waited until nearly the end of the third race. Although Pip Hudson and his daughter Alice (3889) from Broxbourne with two wins and a second place under their belts were clear leaders at the end of day one there was a very competitive gaggle close astern led by Colin Nutt and Chris Hough (3898), Mark Weston and Andy Weatherspoon (4061), John Wardrop and Mark Munday (3911) and Robert Hogben and Glyn Morgan (3953). No matter how you worked the permutations it would have needed a very poor result by the Hudson family on day two for anyone else to stand a chance of overall victory.

Sunday dawned with unseasonably bright sunshine and a distinct lack of wind. A light breeze filled in from the North East and after a short delay race 4 was sailed in a 10 knot breeze which began to die and produce the odd hole for the unwary. Pip and Alice with their third victory ensured their name would be on the winner's trophy. The final race was a test of patience for both race officers and crews but eventually produced a well-deserved victory for Mark and Andy.

Overall Results:

Pos	Sail no	Helm	Crew	Club	Pts
1	3889	Pip Hudson	Alice Hudson	Broxbourne	5
2	3898	Colin Nutt	Chris Hough	BSA	11
3	4061	Mark Weston	Andy Weatherspoon		13
4	3911	John Wardrop	Mark Munday	BSA	14
5	3953	Robeert Hogben	Glynn Morgan	BSA	16
6	4051	Bob Tait	Peter Comber	Broxbourne	21
7	3094	Mervyn Wright	Angus Scott	Datchet	29
8	3831	David Geal	Anna Geal	BSA	31
9	3563	Alastair Stevenson	Jeremy Valentine	Datchet	33
10	4041	Simon Cooper	Al Cooper	BSA	38
11	3503	Keith Bromhead	Jennie Humm	BSA	40
12	3674	Jo Mayes	Amanda Conrad	BSA	43
13	3750	Geoff Ball	Andy Coulter	BSA	47
14	3570	Jim Wood	Mark Whitman	BSA	56
15	3746	Paddy Macfarlan	Amanda Conrad	BSA	59
16	3548	John Mansell	Martin Stallard	BSA	64