RS Aero Open at Leigh & Lowton Sailing Club
by Cathy Partington 7 Sep 2021 09:42 BST
4 September 2021
Leigh & Lowton RS Aero Open 2021 © Leigh & Lowton Sailing Club
After a slow take up following the Class' large UK Nationals, nine RS Aeros took part in the Leigh and Lowton RS Aero Open, part of the RS Aero Northern Tour 2021 that should have been but for Covid, on Saturday 4th September, alongside Streakers and Solos (total fleet of 40+ boats).
A light ESE wind greeted the competitors and with a loaned rig for William Bailey (Yorkshire Dales) all set off with 7 rigs for some close fleet racing. Keith Escritt, (Yorkshire Dales) was quick of the blocks surviving the snakes and ladders of the variable wind to take the win in race 1. John Blundell (Staunton Harold) battled through to 2nd, closely followed by local Laser sailor Paul Heath making his debut in a borrowed RS Aero for the day! Race 2 saw John Blundell come through to take the win and despite Keith Escritt pushing hard it was Andrew Molyneux (Huddersfield) who finished 2nd with Phil Whitehead (Yorkshire Dales) 3rd.
After a break for lunch served up by the Leigh & Lowton SC galley race 3 started in less breeze of 5-6 mph, Kent Martin (Ogston) led until an error saw him loose out and John Blundell power through with another race win. Keith Escritt, after dropping to 8th at one point came back strong on the right hand side of the final beat to take 2nd with William Bailey in 3rd. The 4th and final race of the day saw the wind shift more to the SE and the course was adjusted accordingly. Unfortunately after a strong start Cathy Partington (Leigh & Lowton) and several fellow competitors found a large patch of weed on the starboard lay line putting pay to any hopes of race glory! For some that made the decision for an early return to shore whilst Andrew Molyneux went on to take a commanding lead from Keith and John.
Thanks to all at Leigh and Lowton SC for hosting and to Rooster for their support with the prizes.
Next up for the UK's Northern and Midlands based RS Aeros is the Burton RS Aero Open on 25th September.
The RS Aero UK events list can be found here.
Overall Results:
| Pos | Sail No | Helm | Club | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Pts |
|---|
| 1st | 3687 | John Blundell | Staunton Harold SC | 2 | 1 | 1 | ‑3 | 4 |
| 2nd | 3477 | Keith Escritt | Yorkshire Dales SC | 1 | ‑4 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| 3rd | 2298 | Andrew Molyneux | Huddersfield SC | ‑7 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 8 |
| 4th | 3448 | Phil Whitehead | Yorkshire Dales SC | 5 | 3 | ‑7 | 4 | 12 |
| 5th | 1415 | William Bailey | Yorkshire Dales SC | ‑8 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 14 |
| 6th | 1118 | Paul Heath | Leigh & Lowton SC | 3 | 5 | 8 | (DNF) | 16 |
| 7th | 2870 | Cathy Partington | Leigh & Lowton SC | 4 | 8 | 4 | (DNF) | 16 |
| 8th | 3676 | Kent Martin | Ogston SC | 6 | 7 | 6 | (DNF) | 19 |
| 9th | 2726 | Dominic Smith | Ripon SC | 9 | 9 | 9 | (DNF) | 27 |