Tasar Open at Whitstable Yacht Club
by Ali Nicolson 2 Jul 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 |