Vintage and Classic Marblehead Vane racing at Fleetwood Model Yacht Club
by Tony Wilson 3 Jun 2025 14:19 BST
17-18 May 2025
Vintage and Classic Marblehead Vane racing at Fleetwood © Sharon Johnson
Normally we would have a fairly even split fleet from the two class of boats, sometimes favouring the Classic. This time we had a reversal with Vintage taking up the bulk. Maybe the age of the Skippers is catching up and sprinting is not the preferred option as more modern boats do usually travel faster.
Again as in the previous week from the smaller 36R's, we had a lousy forecast. Wind from the pumphouse by the bridge was forecast and to swing around the lake, somewhat. 10 boats were ready to sail, but the wind was hesitating to pick up, so we waited a short while. Even so the first round was a little drawn out with an early break straight after.
Anyone caught out last week along the far bank, did their utmost to undercook their settings this week to keep to the roadside path. The odd boat made a good headway along the centre line and then veered to the forbidden bank.
As lunchtime approached the wind picked up good and flowed nicely from the west along the lake to invite spinnakers. One or two struggled with the good increase and downsized sail area over the lunch break.
Some enjoyed the challenging conditions and adapted to suit. Five races were sailed on this first day, leaving just four to complete for the Sunday.
The points were showing who the front runners were and a few were pretty close. Tot's had also been drawn out of the hat and these were to be totted up at the end. The weather for Sunday was virtually mirrored from Saturday and the same procedure was set about.
After just 2 races and only 11:30, it was decided to delay lunch break and complete the full schedule for an early finish and getaway, if that was desired. With just 3 needed re-sails and no major incidents or breakdowns, we were off the water by 13:30.
We had a great weekend and it remained dry and not too hot.
Vintage ruled the day.
Vintage winners:
1. Wayne Stobbs - 33 pts
2. Alan/Dave Bell - 30 pts
Classic winners:
1. Dave Mathers - 29 pts
2. Peter Isles - 14.5 pts
Team of Two (TOTs):
Derek Morland & Wayne Stobbs - 53 pts