CraftInsure Supernova Open Meeting at Cotswold Sailing Club

CraftInsure Supernova Open Meeting at Cotswold SC © Robert Hills

The CraftInsure Supernova Open at Cotswold SC was held on the 15th March. 25 entries including 11 visitors were greeted with sunny spells but a cold easterly wind which at Cotswold means big wind shifts, so the race officer Steve Crocker did a great job of setting a nice course with two beats and a variety of runs and reaches to get around the lake.

With the wind strength ranging from 5 -15 knots within the space of a few boat lengths and 40 degree shifts it was an 'eyes out of the boat' sort of day and with lots of opportunity to make big gains or even bigger losses.

In the first race Mat Thursfield lead of the line but it was Cliff Milliner and Alex Reave who made the best of the beat to lead at the windward mark closely followed by Gifford, Young, and Hanson. Milliner started to pull away but the chasing pack pull up on a lovely big gust down the reach and he then proceeded to capsize whist tacking up the next beat, letting the chasers through.

I was a tight battle with most of the leading bunch taking a turn at the front, but in the end Hugo Hansen pulled through from the back of the bunch to take the win with Horlock pipping Milliner right on the line for second and third.

After the traditional chilli lunch, they ventured out for races 2 and 3, with the wind shifting left the course was reset, but it was just as shifty and gusty.

For race 2 a very port biased line saw Higo nail the pin and tack while everyone else struggled to get away giving him a big lead and he was never challenged all race. Returning National champion from 2016 Ian Horlock locked in a solid second place. Behind him a tangle at the bottom mark saw Fisher pull through to third, followed by the same chasing pack. Hansen took the win from Ian with Milliner in third.

Race 3 was much like the other 2 but this time Hansen was well down after a bad start, and Thursfield led the way around. The pack behind was always close, with a beat that sometimes paid to go hard left, then every now and then the right-hand corner came good.

Milliner again capsizing while tacking dropped back and Hansen doing a fantastic last lap charge through the fleet picking the best of the shifts upwind and gusts downwind, showing everyone how it should be done, caught right up to Thursfield at the last mark but couldn't quite get past. Thursfield took the win from Hansen then Horlock in a solid third.

During prize-giving all the sailors feasted on tea and cakes. Overall, Hansen's two race wins gave him the trophy, with Horlock in second and Thursfield in third.

Overall Results: