The Woodhouse Trophy for Vane 36R model boats at Fleetwood
by Tony Wilson 8 Jul 2023 10:40 BST
24 June 2023
BVoats contesting the Woodhouse Trophy for Vane 36R model boats at Fleetwood © Tony Wilson
Peter, Alan and Tony were the 3 Skippers that turned up for the day with the 36R Vane boats. Eddie had also popped by and offered to help along with whoever would sit out on a bye, to help pole on the opposite bank.
A good breeze meant a slightly smaller sail would be best suited for these short keel boats and it was all coming from the West. Alan was trying out another new boat to him and as he had a selection of six sail suits, could go somewhere in between.
It was decided just to try the running leg initially, as anything more than a canter for ageing legs is not really recommended and it was blowing a little.
Once under way, Peter was again sailing steady against Alan and Tony and seemed to be winning most of the points. Alan had good boat speed down wind, with his slightly bigger sails and lighter glass hull, but seemed to be struggling a little on the windward leg.
Tony managed to sort out his floppy jib that was letting him down and was soon into the points. Some of the races were again pretty close and not a true reflection from the scores.
For the second round when Tony was on a flyer leaving Peter in his wake, he suddenly turned around at the halfway point to nearly sink, having forgotten to replace the drain plug.
Again silly niggles hampered the newbies to this class and let our experienced Peter steal the day. Alan and Tony had tied for points and were happy to just sort out some trimming issues at the end for Alan's misaligned rudder problem.
We managed to sail all the runs, because if we can't handle the little boats, then
the larger vessels become an even bigger hurdle.
No major issues were to be had and a well spent, enjoyable dry day.
Results:
1st - Peter Whiteside 16pts
Joint 2nd - Alan Crawford 6pts and Tony Wilson 6pts