K6 Eurocup at Circolo Velico AVAL-CDV, Lake Como - Overall

by Peter Kirkby 1 Jul 2019 14:33 BST

"The best weeks racing the class has probably had" seemed to be the consensus amongst the 20 boats who made the trip to Gravedona on Lake Como.

The sun shone, the breeze blew, the race management was spot on, the club super welcoming and there was a Laser cockpit full of cold beer thanks to legend Philip Waterfall when you came ashore each day. If you weren't sailing, the club even provided wine tasting and pasta making lessons. Life doesn't get much better!

Brothers Steve and Ross Birbeck won the week with a couple of races to spare. They had an uncanny ability to dig themselves out of trouble when not at the front of the pack, and almost always seemed to be able to pick the right side of the course for each leg. And the right side of the course never seemed to be what it was on the previous lap! This goes some way to explaining why nine of the 20 boats had first or second places in at least one of the races.

Special mention goes to John Adcroft and Steve Dewbury from Aldeburgh who we think became the first Aldeburgh boat to win a race in the Europeans, and led for the the whole of race six, going right up the first beat when everyone else went left. Steve didn't loose the grin for the rest of the week.

Those mentioned in despatches included:

• Fraser Elms for being caught with a racing rules book at evening dinner;
• Steve Drewbury and Hugh Duncan for both managing to end-up in the water;
• Austrian brothers George and Gunter Blatnig as best dressed crew, not only on the water but also off with matching crew gear for every occasion;
• Martin Wedge for managing to mistake the finishing marks as the leeward gate twice in the same day and causing Steve Drewbury's swim at the same time - should have gone to SpecSavers;
• Dylan Wells and Harry Clarke for showing even young blokes can multitask, helping pull every boat out of the water and up the ramp, beer in hand!

Overall Results:

Pos	Sail No	Helm	Crew	Club	Boat Name	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8	R9	R10	Pts
1	GBR 165	Stephen Birbeck	Ross Birbeck	Royal Torbay YC	Mildly Moist	1	1	2	1	1	‑3	1	3	1	(DNC)	11
2	GBR 142	Dave Hall	Graham Hoy	Blackwater SC		6	‑7	1	5	3	‑8	2	5	3	1	26
3	GBR 164	Julian Cook	Caroline Aisher Hugo Fitzjohn	Royal Torbay YC	Ping the Peas	3	3	6	‑7	6	4	5	2	5	‑9	34
4	GBR 222	Neil Fulcher	Dylan Wells Harry Clarke	Stone SC	all the Gear	5	4	4	3	5	7	3	4	‑11	‑11	35
5	GBR 166	Fraser Elms	Georgie Smith Heather Chipperfield	Hayling Island SC	Tonic	7	‑12	7	9	2	2	‑11	1	4	5	37
6	GBR 195	Steve Bales	Jon Rigby Ued Web	Ruthland SC / RAFSA	Malarky	‑9	5	‑14	8	4	5	4	6	8	6	46
7	GBR 172	Mike Trueman	Stewart Pegam James Bennett	Oxford SC	Red Shark	4	10	8	4	11	‑14	6	‑15	2	3	48
8	GBR 216	Peter Kirkby	Richard Barker	Queen Mary SC	Pippi	‑16	‑11	5	2	9	6	9	7	6	7	51
9	GBR 159	Giles Chipperfield	Fiachra Etchingham	Lymington Town SC / Greystones SC	Backstop	8	6	3	6	‑13	‑10	10	8	7	4	52
10	AUT 146	George Blatnig	Günter Blatnig	Union YC Woerthersee	Superfly	2	2	‑15	‑12	8	9	8	10	10	8	57
11	GBR 1159	David Gorringe	Andy Heissig	Lymington Town SC	Les fromage mangeant singes	10	8	11	10	7	‑15	7	11	15	(RET)	79
12	GBR 208	Martin Wedge	Maurice Cousin	Royal Torbay YC	Eric	(RET)	(RET)	9	14	15	12	12	9	12	2	85
13	GBR 109	John Adcroft	Steve Dewberry	Aldeburgh YC	Overdraft	‑17	16	13	11	14	1	13	‑17	9	12	89
14	GBR 124	Paul Owen	Amy Owen Oliver Owen	Oxford SC	Happy Feeet	11	9	‑18	13	10	11	‑16	16	14	10	94
15	GBR 213	Nick Jones	Alex Cooper	Aldeburgh YC	galloper	14	13	12	‑17	12	13	‑18	12	13	13	102
16	GBR 122	John Tabor	Martin Gibson	Oxford SC		12	14	10	16	17	16	15	13	(DNC)	(DNC)	113
17	GBR 161	Jeff van der Borght	David Guthrie Hugh Duncan	Lyme Regis SC	Dark & Stormy	13	17	17	‑18	16	17	17	(DNF)	16	14	127
18	GBR 08	Phil Waterfall	Chris Gomer	St Mawes SC	Vegetables don't scream	15	15	16	15	(RET)	18	14	14	(DNC)	DNC	127
19	GBR 104	Richard Addison	Ricky Buro	Aldeburgh YC	Courageous	18	18	(RET)	19	18	19	(DNF)	18	17	15	142