Phantom open meeting at Bartley Sailing Club

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This is in no way a vanity write-up. Well, maybe.

I had thought I ducked the write-up, but keeping an eye on the Y&Y page or clicking refresh like the early days for a notification on Facebook was starting to become a distraction more than a reason, so I thought I'd better step in so all you lovely lot could read about what went down at the Battle for Bartley on this day of the 4th June 2023.

11 boats arrived on Sunday morning greeted by what's best described as champagne sailing conditions, a clear blue sky and a nice breeze which covered the pond. Thinking about what else could make this event better local lad and Chief Measurer for the class (unless there is another of the same name in the fleet) Steve Ward was doing his meet and greet letting us know a Brew and Bacon Cob was included with the entrants free.

After which we had a briefing held but the officer of the day... Mr Bownes Snr (I believe) sorry I really should pay more attention to these details. well, to be honest, I should pay more attention to what is said at the briefings as well but that is a long standing issue I've had since school... anyway back to yachting...

For orientation Bartley can be best described as a reservoir for drinking water in Birmingham, England, operated by Severn Trent Water. It covers 460,000 square metres. The reservoir is about 1.05 kilometres long, over 450 metres wide, and about 18 metres deep at the dam. Its surface area is 0.45 square kilometres. with a dam at one end of it... Luckily for us, the wind was blowing from the Dam (have a Google) which means the wind was blowing down the middle-ish.

As I sit here now trying to recall what happened in race one I've realised that I've got no clue. I remember coming off the start line with Mr Richard Sims and hitting the left side getting a lift thinking this feels good keep.. and then I tacked to see the rest of the fleet miles away from me..so we will pick it up from the windward mark.

Adam Froggatt and Mike "Webbo" Webster rounded the mark in an order.. one of them in front of the other... then it must have been Josh "who should have done the report but I'm sailing a blaze this weekend" Hyland and then local Chris "first and last Phantom event" Hawley after.. as the race dragged on I am sure people crossed and positions were gained and lost.

All I know is going up the second to last beat I got into a monster lift, the kind of lift where you know you should look around to see if you are the only one but dare not just in case its not as good as it feels, So onward I went until the side was getting very close and the gap between myself and Webbo was getting shorter, it was at this moment I let myself look around and Oh lord if Carlsberg could make jammy beats that would have been it...

I'm not sure where I went from but I ended up just behind Webbo at the top mark, the look of shock and words of encouragement from him "where the F did you come from" said it all... So now it was just a case to go downhill, every fat lad's favourite leg in marginal planning winds. Webbo and I pull out a bit of breathing space and we exchange places a few times.

Fastforward to the end of the race we kept within a few boat's lengths of each other within the last four BL to the line I got a big header. Webbo could have gotten past me but at the last moment, the lift came back. Which meant first race win to me, Webbo second, third Chris H, fourth Josh, fifth Chris B.

Race two, I am sure you all know that if you take a bullet in race 1 and there are 3 races with one discard all you need to do is win race 2... quick maths... no pressure then! the course stayed the same which was nice..

So off we went... and well.. focusing on getting a good start. off the line clear wind... Easy right... Sadly it was not to be. you know that sinking feeling when you see yourself being rolled by the fleet and the chap in front in my case Adam F dishing dirty wind onto my sail like a gangster flicking money off his palm! So I was left with no choice tack off and find some of the good stuff.

So off I trotted banging right... there was a lift here last time right!! Not this time Dunc.. as my dreams of winning my first open in many years sailed away with the rest of the fleet I had a great view of Adam rounding the mark (note: now smiling after his 7th in race one) closely followed by well everyone.

I'll let you look at the results from race 2, just read them and you'll see, what I can say is at the back on a run you can get clear wind, have a better eye out for the gust etc which was nice. While I was convincing myself it was over I sailed past Webbo who like the all-knowing legend past on some wise words of encouragement... HERO TO ZERO ha ha...

By the end of the race Adam had pressed his go button and was well ahead of the fleet, which left Webbo in second, Josh in third, and I managed to pull back into fourth. Chris H in fifth.

In for lunch which if you have not been to Bartley before the food is always nice.

It was worked out at lunch that out of the three of us, Webbo, Adam and myself whoever won the last race won the event.. not only that it was also worked out that depending if we finished outside the top 3 and Josh or Chris H had won then they would win.. well that span my little head around a few times.. but we came to go sailing not worry about Maths...

I will apologise now. I've not won an open for many years so I kinda did not pay that much attention to what was going on...

Off we went, another clean start and the same course... I recall seeing Chris Hawley to leeward and giving him some words of encouragement as I had just started to hike and he was full-on overpowered. after that, I popped up around the windward mark first closely followed by Adam. now considering how daemon fast I am off the wind (jokes) I had to keep an eye on things behind. I was hoping I could get a few cheeky gusts and get away... ha ha, not today.

We nipped and tucked until going up the last beat where I managed to pull away taking first, Adam second, third Chris B who had a nice little tacking battle with Josh who got fourth.

Great racing all day, well done to all, thank you to Bartley and all. Always remember to buy the coach a pint!

Overall Results:

1st Duncan Adams
2nd Adam Frggart
3rd Mike Webster
4th Josh Hayland
5th Chris Bownes
6th Chris Hawley
7th Richard Sims
8th Steve Ward
9th Hohn Harrison
10th Paul Eoverton
11th Brian Webley