Graduate open meeting at Swarkestone Sailing Club
by Joanne Hill 14 Sep 2021 18:40 BST
12 September 2021
Graduate open meeting at Swarkstone © Stephen Wigley
After cancelling our 2020 open we finally managed to welcome the Graduates to Swarkestone Sailing Club on Sunday 12th September.
The day began with such promise, a steady westerly coming down the lake, but as the last boat arrived the wind decided to drop, but hey, Graduates can sail on anything, so it was not going to stop them.
First race began at 11, after bacon butties, with a good start on the port end from Graham, but things soon changed as they all made their way up to the first mark, negotiating wind shadows, islands and swans. There may have only been four boats, but there were quite a few position changes to be had, despite the steady decline in wind.
After lunch, and a change of crew for Adam, everyone set out for the second race. There was much excitement from the Swarkestone crowd as the home boys had a great start and made it round the top mark in first place, but after some place swapping all boats made it home in exactly the same order as the 1st race.
During tea break the wind made a complete switch to a north easterly; at least the wind shadows had changed.
Another change of crew for Adam and it was game on for the final race of the day. With yet another great start from the Swarkestone boys, it took a little longer for Graham and Adam to catch them up, but they did eventually and shared some position swapping, before the end of the race Simon and Patrick were hot on their tails for the closest finish of the day.
Congratulations to all the sailors and thanks to the Swarkestone race team, safety crew and tea bar for all their hard work and making the day run smoothly.
It's safe to say a great day was had by all, fantastic to have juniors in all four boats making it a truly family fun day.
Overall Results:
| Pos | Sail No | Helm Name | Crew | Club | R1 | R2 | R3 | Pts |
|---|
| 1 | 2955 | Adam Fragatt | Josh Rhys Jack | Chase | ‑1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2 | 2950 | Graham Flynn | Darcie Flynn | Chase | ‑2 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 3 | 2531 | Patrick Hill | Jonathan Hill | Swarkestone | ‑3 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 4 | 2896 | Simon Forward | Moses Forward | Toddbrook | ‑4 | 4 | 4 | 8 |