Tasar Open at Whitstable Yacht Club

by Ali Nicolson 2 Jul 2019 17:27 BST 22-23 June 2019

Following the success of the Tasar Nationals at the end of May, a fleet of 14 boats assembled for an Open Meeting at Whitstable Yacht Club over the weekend of 22nd/23rd June on what turned out to be a glorious, and rare, weekend combining both sun and Force 3-4 winds. Near perfect.

Three races were sailed on the Saturday with the breeze building through the day. Chris Sallis and Matt Frary showed excellent upwind pace to win the first two races but they had a real battle holding back David & Fiona Sayce, Willem & Luna Schutte and Rick & Sarah Perkins and the top 4 all battled for position. Places were frequently changing but Chris and Matt ended the day on top taking the first two and Willem and Luna Schutte finishing 1st in the final race of Day one.

After a long day on the water, many of the fleet headed to sample one of Whitstable's many fine eateries and then, for those that could still keep their eyes open, it was back the Club for a couple of sociable drinks to enjoy entertainment from house band - Merlin and the Rockets (headed up by Jon Bloice who many of you may know from the Tasar circuit but who now splits his sailing between Merlins and Tasars).

Sunday morning saw similar conditions but with slightly less wind and a bit more cloud! The wind in the first race was less than Saturday which suited Rick & Sarah Perkins more and they took an early lead which the held until the final lap when David & Fiona Sayce slipped past and with them Chris and Matt in a photo finish. Chris and Matt now had the event sewn up but stayed out to get some more pre-worlds practice. Again it was a tough battle but they again took the win by a very narrow margin.

Chris and Matt sailed a strong series leaving them overall winners of the meeting pushed hard by the rest of the fleet.

Many thanks to all at Whitstable Yacht Club for organising such a great weekend of weather and racing. Thanks also to Race Officer Tom Bruton and all other support staff and safety support teams.

Good luck to everyone at the World Championship at the end of July.

Overall Results:

Pos	Sail No	Helm	Crew	Club	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	Pts
1	2921	Chris Sallis	Matt Frary	GYGSC	1	1	‑3	2	1	5
2	2815	David Sayce	Fiona Sayce	WSX	‑4	2	2	1	2	7
3	2876	Willem Schutte	Luna Schutte	ZV Brassem	2	3	1	4	(RET)	10
4	2629	Rick Perkins	Sarah Perkins	WYC	3	‑4	4	3	3	13
5	2154	Jim Taylor	Jan Taylor	Hastings & St Leonards	5	‑6	5	5	4	19
6	2935	Elizabeth Pescod	Roger Pescod	Queen Mary	6	5	6	‑9	7	24
7	274	Tessa Lancaster	Nick Lancaster	Hayling Island SC	‑7	7	7	7	6	27
8	2908	Stephen Nation	Julie Puckett	WYC	8	8	(DNC)	6	8	30
9	611	Andy Jackson	Yvonne Meredith	WYC	9	11	(DNC)	8	5	33
10	2633	Zanna Gooch	Liz North	WYC	‑10	9	8	10	9	36
11	638	Kevin Hall	Ravi Singh	WYC	11	‑12	9	11	10	41
12	2649	Chris Jarret	Rob Spaughton	WYC	12	10	(DNC)	12	11	45
13	2627	Paul McNally	Jo Phillips	WYC	13	13	10	‑14	13	49
14	2308	Veronica Moore	John Moore	WYC	14	(DNC)	DNC	13	12	54