Erith Yacht Club open weekend

by Sarah Mees 13 Sep 2006 23:15 BST 9 - 10 September 2006

On Saturday and Sunday 9th and 10th September 2006 Erith Yacht Club hosted it's annual Open weekend on the tidal Thames. Entry is free to any visiting yachts or dinghies and a total of 24 boats took part with visits to the club ship from the local RNLI crew. One yacht race and one dinghy race took place each day, with a good F3 starting the dinghies. Later gusts of 3-4 meant taxing considitions for some and Peter Reeves' (EYC, Snipe, junior) capsize meant he could not hold onto a place near to the much-chased Bosun 1011 helmed by current Bosun National Champion Derrick Page (Gloucestershire).

Sundays race used the same windward/leeward course in less wind, which dropped to cause a shortening of course, but proved fickle enough to increase as the fastest boat (Osprey, Stubbers Young Mariners) came to the finish. Reeves hung onto to his cracking start until the second lap and was only beaten on hanidcap by 28 seconds. There was some very close racing between the 4 Wayfarers and GP14. A guest handicap was arranged for the Tinker Tramp (John Edmonds, EYC) which gained him 5th place.

The prize giving took place on the sun deck of the club ship Folgefonn.