Solo open meeting at Hunts Sailing Club

Solo open meeting at Hunts © Maria Sils

A chilly autumnal morning greeted the 19 Solo sailors for the Hunts open meeting on Saturday 17th September.

The NNW wind was F2-4, shifty and challenging to say the least. PRO Mike Beck and his team set a great course with two beats giving plenty of opportunity to either nail the shifts with a satisfying smirk or make a complete howler and spend the next downwind leg grumbling obscenities at oneself.

It was going to be a proper day of snakes and ladders. That said, race one and Mark Maskell decided it would be ladders all the way for him and somewhat selfishly nailed the start and off he went into the distance. The remaining competitors fought it out to be first loser with much place-changing ensuing. In the end Simon Maskell took second place with Alan Bishop coming home third.

After a break for lunch race two got under way, I'm not sure what was going on at the front of the fleet, stuck head to wind on the start line and going backwards at the gun doesn't give a good view of the leaders!

However, it did seem there were place changes aplenty and I did spot Simon Kerr in the lead for a while but I think many in the pack had a go at the front at some point. The race was won by the ever consistent Alan Bishop, Godfrey Clark second with Mark taking third.

Race three started with the same large shifts giving the fleet the usual headaches which they were now getting accustomed to. This time it was Alan Bishop who didn't want to sail with the rest of the fleet and disappeared into the distance.

Large gains and losses were there to be had and, unfortunately for Alan, the sight of a boat planing down from behind on the run in a nice gust is not what he wanted to see. Simon Maskell was the lucky helm and on the penultimate beat more fortune saw him hooking into a right hand shift just before the windward mark giving him a slight lead.

Simon just held the advantage to the leeward mark and a large shift on final beat to the line meant it was one tack to the finish giving Alan no chance to come back. At the line it was Simon first, Alan second with Mark in third.

With three boats tied scoring a first and second the result was decided on countback meaning the fortunate Simon Maskell took first place overall with Alan second and Mark third.

Special mention must go the only female helm, Hannah Hutchings, for completing all three races despite being overpowered much of the time!

At the prize-giving Alan Bishop thanked the race team, rescue crews, galley and all others who helped to put on a very efficient and great day of racing.

Overall Results: