Border Counties Midweek Sailing at Nantwich & Border Counties Sailing Club
by John Harrison & Dave Turtle 29 Jul 2021 10:07 BST
27 July 2021
Border Counties Midweek Sailing at Nantwich & Border Counties SC © John Harrison
Despite the forecast for almost no wind and a warning that the lake was not completely free of a recent weed invasion, 15 visiting boats from 6 different clubs arrived on Tuesday morning alongside 7 home boats.
The forecast was bang on - very little wind, up and down and veering through 90 degrees. We decided to attempt a start rather than waiting for more wind. Once at the start line the first beat looked to be a tight reach but we got off and the windward mark was made with one tack by most boats. The wind remained light with patches of almost zero and the fleet became split as the wind favoured different boats. The Supernovas were going well but chased by Solos, Streakers, Lasers and a Lightning. As the fleet was so spread out the first boat, Peter Coop in a Supernova, was finished after about 25 minutes with the last boat clocking in at around 50 minutes. Peter just did enough to win on corrected times with Phil Proctor (Solo) and Dave Turtle (Streaker) equal second.
After lunch, with no change in conditions, we attempted the second start. As the boats arrived at the line there was a big shift in direction and a course change considered, however the direction settled and the race got under way. With similar conditions the second race followed the pattern set by the first race with Peter in the Supernova taking line and handicap honours with Jeremy Cooper (Lightning) second and Phil Snewin (Solo) third.
We came ashore for a brew, the sky darkened and the wind finally started to blow but unfortunately the rain came with it. We were having major problems with the engines on the start boat and the safety boat, competitors were notified and agreed to sail at their own risk.
With a change of course the start was strongly contested with 3 boats being OCS at the start. With three decent beats this race was the best of the three despite the rain, although the wind did drop considerably half way through. Peter took his third win with Dave second and Ted Garner (Solo) in third place.
Back on shore Dave and Dave calculated the corrected times and the final positions were:
First: Peter Coop, Supernova, Windsford Flash
Second: Dave Turtle, Streaker, Shotwick Lake
Third: Jeremy Cooper, Lightning, Shotwick Lake
First Double-hander: Dave Thomas and Shan Stapley, Enterprise, Shotwick Lake
Prizes were awarded for the first 4 places and for the first double-hander.
Despite the weather conditions, weed and engine problems the day seemed to be enjoyed by all.
Overall Results:
| Pos | Class | Sail No | Helm | CrewName | Club | R1 | R2 | R3 | Pts |
|---|
| 1st | SUPERNOVA | 1168 | Pete Coop | | Winsford Flash SC | ‑1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2nd | STREAKER | 1926 | Dave Turtle | | Shotwick Lake SC | 2.5 | ‑5 | 2 | 4.5 |
| 3rd | LIGHTNING 368 | 410 | Jeremy Cooper | | Shotwick Lake SC | ‑11 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| 4th | SOLO | 5016 | Ted Garner | | Budworth SC | ‑12 | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| 5th | SOLO | 5963 | Phil Snewin | | Chester SC | 6 | 3 | ‑7 | 9 |
| 6th | SOLO | 5286 | Phil Proctor | | Chester SC | 2.5 | 8 | (DNC) | 10.5 |
| 7th | LASER/ ILCA 7 | 167543 | R Goodwin | | Nantwich | 4 | 7 | ‑8 | 11 |
| 8th | STREAKER | 1621 | Paul Newman | | Shotwick Lake SC | ‑17 | 6 | 5 | 11 |
| 9th | SUPERNOVA | 1120 | Eric Haselden | | Winsford Flash SC | 7 | ‑9 | 6 | 13 |
| 10th | ENTERPRISE | 22688 | Dave Thomas | Shan Stapley | Shotwick Lake SC | 5 | ‑11 | 11 | 16 |
| 11th | COMET | 311 | Steve Bellamy | | Winsford Flash | 9 | ‑10 | 9 | 18 |
| 12th | LASER/ ILCA 7 | 198833 | Ros Benson | | Winsford Flash SC | ‑13 | 12 | 10 | 22 |
| 13th | LASER/ ILCA 7 | 198548 | Maggie Harrison | | Nantwich | 8 | 18 | (DNC) | 26 |
| 14th | COMET | 705 | Martin Loud | | Winsford Flash SC | 10 | 16 | (DNC) | 26 |
| 15th | GP14 | 14040 | Peter Thoms | Dawn Frost | Nantwich | 14 | ‑17 | 12 | 26 |
| 16th | LASER/ ILCA 7 | 211145 | Frank Lafferty | | Winsford Flash | ‑16 | 13 | 13 | 26 |
| 17th | MIRACLE | 4116 | Ellen Dinelow | Pete Williams | Bala | ‑15 | 15 | 14 | 29 |
| 18th | National 12 | 2345 | Brian Herring | Ros Stevenson | Winsford Flash | 20 | 14 | (DNC) | 34 |
| 19th | SOLO | 4965 | Nigel Wright | | Nantwich | 18 | 20 | (DNC) | 38 |
| 20th | GP14 | 13554 | Dave Edwards | Sky Rogers | Nantwich | 22 | 19 | (DNC) | 41 |
| 21st | Solo | 1587 | Pete Thomas | | Nantwich | 19 | (DNC) | DNC | 42 |
| 22nd | LASER/ ILCA 7 | 195040 | David Lloyd | | Nantwich | 21 | 21 | (DNC) | 42 |
Halfway through our first season, the Border Counties Midweek Series is proving popular with both the competitors and the host clubs. Racing has been friendly and enjoyable making for a great day out with everyone bringing their own refreshments. The next event in the series is at Bala on Tuesday 17th August.
Please look at our website for more information or send us an email.