GP14 Southern Travellers event at Frensham Pond Sailing Club

GP14 Southern Travellers event at Frensham Pond © Brendan Chaplin

With a good forecast of 10-17 knots and promise of blue skies the GP14 Southern Travellers travelled to Frensham to join a strong local fleet. This was the first time that Frensham have held a GP14 Open during the summer months and the turnout, and the racing, was encouraging that the change may be made permanent.

With westerlies giving a good long beat race officer Bruce Hill set a pin biased line which led to a spread of boats along the line for the first start. Sarah and Lucy Street (Welsh Harp) shot away from the line picking up the first of many shifts to get to the windward mark first and remaining in the lead until the gun. With a course consisting of three beats, three reaches and a run each lap there were multiple opportunities for boat on boat action with the chasing pack fighting each other with Maurice and Romek (Welsh Harp) coming through ahead of David and John (Frensham)who just stayed ahead of Bryan and Lisa (Frensham) and Keith and Hannah (Welsh Harp/Hastings and St.Leonards SC.

Race 2 followed back to back with the same course and the wind getting gustier. The leading group got away from the fleet with Maurice/ Romek leading from Tony Perkins/ Brian Draper (Frensham), Keith and Hannah and James Ward/Richard Whitehill(Papercourt). On the second lap a vicious gust hit the fleet on the reach leading to Tony Perkins leaving the boat and Bryan vainly trying to control the inevitable broach and capsize. Maurice and Romek took the win from Keith and Lucy followed by Bryan and Lisa.

After lunch gusts were again strengthening leading to a difficult start for the third race with many boats struggling to control approach speed.

The fleet went left with Maurice and Romek leading with Tris and Richard Harding (Frensham) challenging Sarah and Lucy and Sue Tomkins and Roger Jeffs (Welsh Harp). As they all fell in a hole David and John came through to get to the windward mark first having been the only boat going right off the line. The leading group sorted it all out at the gybe mark with Maurice/Romek coming through to the lead ahead of Sarah/ Lucy and Sue/ Roger. With people getting tired resulting in a number of non-starters and a capsize or two Maurice and Romek sealed the win with their third race win of the day.

At the prize-giving the GP14 fleet let the Race Officer know that he had been flying the class flag upside down (how hard can it be!) and prizes were duly awarded with thanks to Bruce and Frensham's Vice Commodore Kate Hedley for the efficient scoring.

The next GP14 Southern Traveller Events are at Leigh On Sea on the 28th June with the Poole YC weekend on the 19th/20th July.

GP14 Southern Travellers event at Frensham Pond - photo © Brendan Chaplin

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