West Country Boat Repairs 2000 class Millennium Series round 5 at Stone Sailing Club

Pete Vincent and Victoria Upton, first overall - West Country Boat Repairs 2000 class Millennium Series round 5 at Stone © Pete Vincent

What a treasure of a club. Your reporter in a 50 year career has taken part in open meetings at over 200 clubs and somehow had never been to Stone SC. What a treasure I discovered, fab location, lovely people, excellent race management, tip top catering and I was able to pitch my tent 30m from the club bar: heaven.

Eight visitors joined nine home boats for round 5 of the West Country Boat Repairs 2000 Millennium Series, the event being sponsored by Allthread and Rico Plastics Ltd.

Saturday saw glorious sunshine and 5-9 knots WSW that really did not want to settle so there were very uneven bands of wind and some real holes across the course area all day. Local sailors Roy and Jo Harris flew up the first beat of race 1 to lead but were passed on lap 2 by Matt Sargent/Ross Southwell who won from the Harris's with Pete Vincent/Victoria Upton third.

Race 2 opening beat against the tide was really light but the Vincent/Upton team used the zephyrs well to lead at mark 1 - a lead they never lost. West Riding's Oliver and Elliot Thompson showed good speed to claim second ahead of Snettisham Beach's finest Mark Foley/Ellie Parle in third.

The breeze was a little firmer in race 3 but it was still tricky to get your way up the beat unless you were Dickie Parr/Dylon Wells who lead early on but Adrian Stell crewed by 6 year old daughter Juliet had the pace downwind to win the race with Foley/Parle third.

After a mentally taxing day the sailors were refreshed by a tip top meal Saturday night and the odd beer. Sunday dawned with equally glorious sunshine and a welcome slightly firmer westerly filled in across the whole estuary.

In race 4 the Harris's really hit left and were a dot in the left hand corner but had lovely pressure on the lay line to have a convincing lead and were never seriously challenged. Behind Vincent/Upton and Foley/Parle had a very close tussle down the final run with Vincent/Upton getting second by the length of a pole. A result that was to prove very important.

Race 5 and ringing the left hand bell worked again this time with Stone's Adrian/Sally Miles leading the Harris's. Foley/Parle were on fire down the runs to win with Vincent/Upton second and the Miles's third.

Race 6 and this time left proved very wrong and middle/right was the place to be but that made no difference to the leading boats with the same order as in race 5 with Foley/Parle taking a second race win, Vincent/Upton their third second of the day and the Miles's third.

Overall Vincent/Upton won by a point and the length of a pole from the Foley/Parle team.

Many thanks to the excellent Stone SC race team and mark layers. It was the PRO's and ARO's first ever open meetings and they did a mighty fine job.

The 2000 fun continues with the final round of the West Country Boat Repairs 2000 Millennium Series is at Cardiff Bay YC on Sept 28/29 and the Inland National Championships at Carsington on Oct19/20.

Mark Foley and Ellie Parle, second overall - West Country Boat Repairs 2000 class Millennium Series round 5 at Stone - photo © Pete Vincent

Overall Results:

Matt Sargent and Ross Southwell, third overall - West Country Boat Repairs 2000 class Millennium Series round 5 at Stone - photo © Pete Vincent