Sailing Chandlery Laser Thames Valley Grand Prix at Fishers Green Sailing Club
by Nick Pighills 19 Jul 14:40 BST
13 July 2019
Fishers Green Laser Open © Kevin O'Brian
Fishers Green SC hosted 13 boats as part of the Laser Sailing Chandlery Thames Valley Grand Prix series on Saturday 13 July.
After bacon rolls and boat rigging, Commodore Kevin O'Brien welcomed the visitors and Race Officer Godfrey Clark set out the plan for the day: three, or four if we preferred, races with a break after two for lunch (a delicious curry - chicken or veggie). The Race Officer explained the lake's topography: in short, the club side was shallow and full of weed, but the deeper far side offered much better options.
Pleasantries out of the way, the boats - all bar one - headed off through the shrubbery. That left George Lane enterprisingly crossing the lake with his trolley on board having sailed down river from Broxbourne SC! He saved a few pounds on fuel, but I'm not sure how he did the return journey.
Out on the water, the wind was a light but sailable 8 knot north-easterly, and Race Officer Godfrey Clark did an admiral job setting a compact but competitive course while avoiding pretty much all the weed. The racing was close and friendly through the fleet - some sail numbers were even closer, making keep track of things a bit of a challenge!
In the end, Garry Bullock from Maidenhead SC took the honours with three firsts (discarding a second). Full results below. Many thanks from Fishers Green to the visitors. And to the race officer, safety team, galley crew, and others at the Green who make the club a friendly spot to visit.
Overall Results:
| Pos | Rig | Sail No | Helm | Club | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Pts |
|---|
| 1st | Standard | 209998 | Garry Bullock | Maidenhead | 1 | ‑2 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 2nd | Radial | 157710 | George Lane | Broxbourne SC | ‑4 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 |
| 3rd | Standard | 181358 | Adam Meekings | Maidenhead | 3 | ‑4 | 3 | 2 | 8 |
| 4th | Standard | 210357 | Robert Blois | Maidenhead | 2 | 3 | ‑8 | 6 | 11 |
| 5th | Standard | 210356 | Chris Nash | Maidenhead | ‑6 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 14 |
| 6th | Standard | 160347 | Andrew Hillsmith | | (DSQ) | 7 | 5 | 3 | 15 |
| 7th | Standard | 210139 | Peter Edel | King George SC | 5 | 6 | ‑9 | 7 | 18 |
| 8th | Radial | 206466 | Edward Brown | Broxbourne SC | ‑8 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 22 |
| 9th | Radial | 166388 | Matteo Mancini | Fishers Green | 7 | ‑9 | 7 | 9 | 23 |
| 10th | Standard | 177447 | David Hayden | Greenwich YC | 10 | 10 | ‑11 | 10 | 30 |
| 11th | Standard | 149316 | Jeremy Clayden | Fishers Green | 9 | ‑12 | 12 | 11 | 32 |
| 12th | Radial | 210220 | Claudia Mancini | Fishers Green | 11 | 13 | 10 | (DNS) | 34 |
| 13th | Standard | 164442 | Nick Pighills | Fishers Green | 12 | 11 | (DNC) | DNC | 37 |
Remaining events in the series:
31st August - Welsh Harp SC
14th September - Frensham Pond SC
21st September - Datchet Water SC
28th September - London Corinthian SC
12th October - Burghfield SC