Shearwater Open at Seasalter Sailing Club

16 Shearwaters attended the third Travellers Trophy event at Seasalter S.C in Kent. Always a popular venue for the Fleet, the later date of this years event brought some concerns about a lack of wind, all of which proved unfounded. The first race was held in variable force 2, with Greg and Alex Wilcox on Foreigner completing a classic Port Flyer, closely followed by Shaun and Dion Allen on Take5, and Jack and Amy Tindale on Think Pink. By the windward mark Take5 had taken a narrow lead, which was extended in the subsequent laps. At the beginning of the final lap Take5 sailed into a hole, and was overtaken by Malcolm and Murray Greenhill sailing the new "Andy Web Shearwater" - Sheer Gold. A lead they maintained to the final Gun.

Race two began with an increasingly variable breeze, and a brace of Andy Web built Shearwaters occupying the major places. By the second lap Think Pink had secured the lead, followed by Alan Howland on Alley cat, and Take5. This order remained until the final gun, with Sheer Gold defending fourth position from the rest of the Fleet.

Sunday brought a strong southerly, and some spectacular gusts, with a high of 37 mph. Take5 and Foreigner were quickly on the water, revelling in the opportunity for some heavy weather sailing. After Take5 had executed a near perfect cartwheel, both boats returned to the relative safety of the shore.

Although racing was postponed, Kent and Eliot Mathews on Water Lotus, and Claire Robinson and Derek Clark on Frantic, provided an exciting demonstration of heavy weather sailing, travelling as fast as some nearby Windsurfers! The wind continued to build, negating any further races for understandable safety reasons.

Overall Results: