Comet Open Meeting at Severn Sailing Club
by Stephen Lemmon 6 Sep 2006 23:04 BST
2 September 2006
Severn Sailing Club hosted 22 boats and it proved to be the most exhilarating open meetings that Severn has hosted, winds building all day from force 5 to a steady 7, gusting 8!
Race 1's excitement started on the start line for flight 1, with people getting used to the heavy weather as they jockeyed for position. Several boats capsized on the line but Ian Coppenhall (Hunts) lead from start to finish, with Chris Robinson (Burghfield) not far behind and Roger Lemmon (Severn) in third.
The wind strengthened for race 2 and Steve Hawley briefly overtook Ian and Chris to lead for a while, but by the end of the race the positions were Ian Coppenhall (1), Chris Robinson (2), Steve Hawley (3), Tristan Cooper an excellent 4th, with 11 retirements.
Ian had secured first place, but second was up for grabs between Steve and Chris. The wind had built up to a force 7, gusting 8, and the race was close between Ian and Steve, with Steve taking the lead several times but Ian winning again in the end.
Overall results:
1. Ian Coppenhall
2. Chris Robinson
3. Steve Hawley
4. Tristan Cooper
5. Peter Sollars
6. John Coppenhall