IOM Unicorn Open & M&S District Championship Round 1 at Chipstead Sailing Club

Chipstead SC Radio Sailing IOM Unicorn Trophy © Stuart Ord-Hume

Thank you to all the participants for turning up at Chipstead on slightly damp and chilly Sunday morning. At 8am the lake was rippled with a good breeze from WSW which the Met Office was forecasting to build throughout the morning. The only down side was a slight drizzle which fortunately soon stopped.

Competitors after registration were faced with the tricky decision as to whether to begin with rig-1 or move straight to rig-2.

The wind was blowing virtually straight down the lake from the West and 09:30 the rescue boat had laid a one hundred and eighty metre windward leeward course. The breeze was now building towards the top end of rig-1. Of the twenty two sailors, only handful were brave enough to opt for rig-1.

A short briefing welcomed all the competitors and introduced the race team. After the usual briefing topics, a few racing rules which would clearly come into play were discussed and racing was ready to commence just after 10am.

Tony Guerrier (V11) was quick off the start line, sailing well in synch with the shifts to take a small lead at the windward mark which he held all the way to the finish. He was followed by Craig Richards sailing his new Alioth. Austin Guerrier (Venti) was in close attendance in third.

Craig took race two followed by Nigel Barrow also sailing a new Alioth. Jim La Roche with his Britpop sailed to a very creditable third place.

Craig also took races three and four with Tony and Austin taking a second place each. Dorian Crease (Britpop) took two third places. Nigel encountered sheeting issues in race three which caused him to retire and also miss race four whilst he fixed it.

By 11am the breeze had stiffen up well into the rig-2 range, so a brief break was taken so the brave rig-1 folks could change down to rig-2.

Race five saw David Lindsay (V11) find some form to take a good lead at the windward mark which was never challenged.

Races six and seven went to Nigel and Craig respectively, but with Peter Stollery (Isotonic) take second place both times. Jim showed his earlier form was still there with a third place. In the last race before lunch David was super quick off the start line, nailing the shifts on the first windward leg to hold a fifteen metre lead at the windward mark. A few gusts on the run saw this double by the leeward gate. By the finish he even further ahead. Peter Crisp (Britpop) found some form to climb through the fleet to fight for second place, just ahead of Nigel in third.

Lunch was taken at 12:30 with Peter Crisp serving a delicious piping hot chicken stew with a bread roll. This was so welcome after a long morning out in the breeze.

Race results were entered and reviewed whilst sailors enjoyed the warmth and comfort of the clubhouse.

The top ten positions at lunch were as follows:

Craig had sailed exceptionally well all morning to take a commanding lead, but the battle for places two through seven was very close.

At lunch Craig was busy changing his sail winch which was making some awful grinding noises. A few others were also in the clubhouse making changes or repairs to their rigs so they would last the day without any further breakage. Race nine commenced at 13:30 and Craig continued his good form by taking two of the next three races. Nigel won the other one and also scored two third places. Peter Stollery, David and Austin took second places in these races. Peter Stollery's jib bridle broke in the pre-start to race eleven causing him to miss two races whilst he replaced the line.

Nigel won race twelve from Craig with Oliver Stollery (Britpop) chasing him to the line. Race thirteen was a very close and only decided in the last ten metres when David came through to win closely followed by Nigel and Austin.

Oliver nailed the start of race fourteen, sailed perfectly in synch with the shifts to hold a five metre lead at the windward mark from Nigel and Craig. He maintained this down the run and back up the next windward leg opened up a few more metres. Behind him, things closed up a bit as Jeremy Collier (Britpop) had an excellent second windward leg to catch the group chasing Oliver. Down the final run Nigel, Craig and Peter Stollery and Jeremy all made gains. On the final windward leg, Oliver maintained his composure covering the chasing group to the finish. Jeremy continued his upwind speed to take second place just in front of Nigel. Craig and Peter were right behind him.

Nigel continuing his excellent afternoon form won races fifteen and sixteen. Jeremy had second and a third place with Peter and Craig also placing well.

The final race of the day saw Craig's replacement winch fail during the pre-start. David and Nigel battled from start to finish with David sneaking home in first place. Nigel was closely followed by Austin.

A great day's sailing came to a conclusion at 15:40. The race team packed up, sailors put their boats back into cars, race results were entered and calculated, hot drinks and cake was served in the warm cosy friendly environment of the clubhouse.

The prize for the first home club boat went to Peter Crisp in ninth place. Prizes were also awarded to the top eight boats with Oliver taking a box of chocolates. Kind words of thanks were given by Craig for the day's racing and the management of the day by the race team.

My thanks go to all those who helped, Peter Crisp for the perfect lunch on a chilly breezy day. Mike Lightwing and Colin Honour for their diligence with the starts, finishing results and observing, to Stuart Ord-Hume for his photographs, mark placing and boat recovery duties. Rob Owens, for his all-round assistance, observing all day and his rule discussion at the morning briefing.

PRO Dave Allinson thanked all the sailors for their attendance at the event and wished everyone a safe journey home. The next round of the Met & Southern IOM Championship will be at Hampton Court on Sunday 17th March. See you all there.

Chipstead SC Radio Sailing IOM Unicorn Trophy: Dave Allinson presenting winner Craig Richards with his prize - photo © Stuart Ord-Hume

Chipstead SC Radio Sailing IOM Unicorn Trophy: Dave Allinson presenting presenting 2nd placed Nigel Barrow with his prize - photo © Stuart Ord-Hume

Chipstead SC Radio Sailing IOM Unicorn Trophy: Dave Allinson presenting presenting 3rd placed David Lindsay with his prize - photo © Stuart Ord-Hume

Summary

A great day's racing with few incidents which were all resolved on the water. The main wind direction was so consistent that only the windward mark required a five metre move to the right. It was remarkable to see how good the 3D printed Alioth is in a stiff breeze and taking the top two positions. This design and production manner has certainly reduced the cost of a competitive IOM.

Overall Results: