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Musto 2023 Hikers LEADERBOARD

Hadron H2 Open at Christchurch Sailing Club

by Chris Brown 3 Jun 13:15 BST 31 May 2025
Rounding the top mark during the Hadron H2 Open at Christchurch © Russell New

An open meeting no competitor will ever forget! Christchurch Sailing Club excelled themselves, hosting the Hadron H2 fleet alongside the prestigious Finn Southern Area Championship.

The warm sunny weather was accompanied by a south westerly breeze, forecast to be building in strength over the weekend. Following a picturesque sail out from CSC on the rivers Stour/Avon and through Christchurch harbour, racing commenced around midday on Saturday.

Peter Bennett during the Hadron H2 Open at Christchurch - photo © Russell New
Peter Bennett during the Hadron H2 Open at Christchurch - photo © Russell New

Race 1 featured good tight racing upwind through a sloppy sea and around 10/12kn SW wind. Gavin Fleming took line honours with Chris Brown 9 seconds in 2nd place, following a close tussle on the final run.

The breeze increased for race 2 but after some place changing Gavin again took first place with Chris further behind this time. Stephen Oliver unfortunately snapped his tiller but managed to sail home safely!

By race 3 the ebb had set in, adding to the apparent wind and the seas became bigger. The "heavies" dominated this race, with Gavin taking another win and Ian Brooks of CYC taking 2nd place.

Gavin Fleming wins the Hadron H2 Open at Christchurch - photo © Russell New
Gavin Fleming wins the Hadron H2 Open at Christchurch - photo © Russell New

Wind and sea state remained similar for race 4 (ugh) and the thighs were well and truly aching by this time. Bearing away and gybing became somewhat less certain and Gavin executed a neat pirouette capsize allowing Chris to take 1st place with Gavin managing to recover for 2nd place.

Impeccable shoreside logistics, gourmet catering and superb on water race management combined with sunshine, strong breezes and free beer made this an unforgettable weekend. We are invited back for next year and I would urge everyone to consider attending this glorious and exceptionally friendly venue.

Overall Results:

PosSail NoHelmR1R2R3R4Pts
1st135Gavin Fleming111‑23
2nd177Chris Brown22‑315
3rd122Ian Brooks‑43238
4th149Peter Bennett‑544412
5th150Stephen Oliver3(DNC)DNCDNC15

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