RS Vareo Open at Great Yarmouth & Gorleston Sailing Club

The GYGSC Vareo Open was held in conjunction with the club's annual beach regatta, and the promenade and beach were busy with boats and locals enjoying the lovely weather.

Early arrivals enjoyed a fish and chip supper on Friday night (which seems to have become a tradition).

Saturday - Warm and windy

Rigging correctly and staying upright played a major part in the days results. Dave's day didn't start well - having been bitten by a dog just before launching, his main halyard snapped just before race 1, requiring a quick return to shore.

On the first downwind leg, Nick and Chris were having the first of many battles when Chris realised he had rigged one of his spinnaker sheets inside the shroud. Nick gained a thirty second lead by the finish, followed by Chris, with Richard - using his storm sail - thirty seconds behind.

In the second race, Dave's day was still not going to plan as his spinnaker pole was reluctant to self-launch. Nick was the first to enjoy a swim, leaving Chris and Dave at the front. Dave's mainsheet then caught on his tiller in a gybe, causing a capsize, which left Chris with a comfortable lead. Nick recovered quickly and managed to hold off Richard for 2nd place.

The shifty, gusty conditions were taking its toll in race 3. Chris was suffering from cramp and his fingers were locking up, leading to frequent use of the mainsheet cleat (a risky strategy given the conditions). Dave and Chris were close all three laps, with Dave just in the lead. On the final run, Dave caught a big gust and was unceremoniously 'dumped', leaving a grateful Chris to take the win. Dave made a quick recovery to take 2nd ahead of Richard who proved a storm sail could hold its own in big breeze.

Thoughts of the day - regular boat maintenance is essential, as is checking your rigging, and staying upright is the fastest option!

After sailing and with boats packed away for the night, we soaked up the sun sitting outside the club, sampling a few beers and sharing stories of what might have been if only....... It's fair to say the Phantom fleet, who were also competing over the weekend, easily out gunned us on the drinking front. Full marks to the GYGSC 'Catering Team' who along with working tirelessly all day, also prepared a splendid evening meal for all the competitors.

Sunday - Cooler and calmer

With all boat and rigging issues resolved and a steady F2-3 from the NE, there were no dramas on day two. With HW at midday, the tide was still flooding as racing started. This encouraged everyone (well almost everyone) to stay inshore up the beat and attempt to correctly time the tack out to the windward mark. Offshore the tide was in full force!

In race 4, after starting at the committee boat end, Dave managed to find a clear channel up the beat to lead round lap one. Nick and Chris were a few seconds apart, followed by Keith sporting his dazzling new pink spinnaker, then Richard and Adrian. Lap two, Nick headed offshore up the beat which proved costly as Chris edged ahead. Dave took line honours, followed by Chris and Nick, whilst Keith held off a charging Richard (now with full size sail).

Nick and Chris had a race-long tussle throughout race 5, with only a few seconds between them at the finish. After lap one, Nick had a 10 second lead over Dave, followed by Keith. Lap two, positions remained the same but Nick slightly extended his lead. Chris closed the gap in lap three but Nick managed to hold onto his lead by a few seconds. Dave took 3rd with Keith in 4th.

Dave and Richard worked the first beat well to take an early lead at the windward mark in race 6. Positions remained the same after lap two with just over 10 seconds separating Nick, Chris and Keith. Dave crossed the line first, with Richard holding off Nick and Chris.

Thought of the day - stay out of the tide!

After 6 races in winds from F2-F5, Chris, Nick and Dave had two wins each. Chris proved the more consistent, with a top two finish in five races and taking overall honours with Nick 2nd.

Thanks to all of the visitors, who hopefully felt it was worth the trip to Costa del Gorleston.

Next stop is Royal Lymington YC for the Lymington Dinghy Regatta and RSVareo Nationals on July 19 & 20.

Overall Results: