International 14 Firecracker at Itchenor Sailing Club

International 14 Autumn Pint at Itchenor © Robin Nott

A weekend dominated by variable, mostly light winds and Easterlies in generally warm, gloomy conditions.

Ed FitzGerald and Glen Truswell were not really challenged for 4 strong first places. The race was on for the lesser metals. It was marginal 2 wire conditions throughout the weekend. Yeoman/Hillary and FitzGerald/ Kennedy continued there fleet position swapping from the Autumn Pint with Yeoman/Hillary dropping out on the Sunday.

It was a busy bit of water with us sharing the course with the Musto fleet which was challenging for the 14s downwind in observing and avoiding the Skiffs

Saturday

Race 1 - A tidal line with a beat with the tide to Rookwood area before running back to Dunes. Distance between the boats varied remarkably as the race progressed. Yeoman/Hillary raced to a comfortable lead, with the win looking assured when Truswell/FitzGerald had a cooling swim down the second run. However, this ended up being the turning point of the race with Yeoman/Hillary picking up a proverbial jungle on their foils and Truswell/FitzGerald putting the bit between their teeth. Yeoman/Hillary were briefly in third, but came back strong to take second. All in all, it was a tricky course to execute with a strong wind bend coming into Dunes on Port.

Race 2 - Later in the day the wind began to become more unstable with large shifts and gusts/lulls coming across the course. Yeoman /Harvey who rounded 2nd at the first windward mark went left on the run to keep in the tide. FitzGerald/Kennedy went right and picked up a massive 30 degree veer to their advantage coupled with a gybe capsize by Yeoman saw FitzGerald/Kennedy through to a unassailable second. The final leg into the finish at the Gallon line was a typically challenging way to end the day with no gap safe until the end!

Sunday

Race 3 - Breeze again very up and down, FitzGerald Snr had changed crew to Freddie Carvell. A poor start and wrong side of the beat had them at the back of the fleet at the first windward mark leaving it all to do to hunt down Truswell/FitzGerald with FitzGerald/Carvell just beating Robin and Martin Pascal on a photo finish having capsized at John Davis to claim second. Truswell/FitzGerald continued their dominant form and sailed away from the pack to take a commanding lead and the series with a race to spare.

Race 4 - The ebb was now in full flow with a breeze strengthening and then failing on the way back to the Gallon line.

The wind had sufficient holes in it for a windward capsize by FitzGerald/Carvell around the windward mark before the last leg. At this point they had been catching up Truswell/FitzGerald. The Pascal team kept the pack at bay and whilst at one point a kilometre behind they came racing back on the way home to the Gallon finish line.

Thanks to Itchenor for an excellent event with its normal high standard of race officering by Roger Ewart Smith.

Overall Results: