40th Snipe Open Meeting at Blue Circle Sailing Club
by RIchard Lambert 20 May 2003 11:35 BST
Twelve competitors gathered for the 40th annual Snipe Open at Blue
Circle Sailing Club, raced over 10-11 May 2003. Winds were generally
WSW all weekend which made course setting difficult for principal race
officer Derrick Crouch - a virtual ever present at the event for 40
years - and a previous winner back in the 1960's. Cliffe Lake is is
quite narrow from south west to north east.
The first race was won by Iain Marshall and Guy Welsh who led from the
gun, followed by reigning champions Sue Antonelli and David Cummins;
Peter Wolstenholme and Chris Redman were third.
After lunch, the second race was won again by Marshall, closely followed
by Alan Williams and Liz Crouch who posted their best finish. Sue
Antonelli was third. The third race, sailed back to back was was won by
Peter Wolstenholme and Chris Redman a junior sailing Snipes for the
first time.
On Sunday there were two back-to-back races sailed either side of lunch.
In the morning, Mark Antonelli and Chloe Ward marched away in the light
airs to win easily from Wolstenholme. Then Mark's sister Sue got her
act together with three straight bullets, winning the fifth race in
front of Mark Antonelli, and Iain Marshall's third signalled a loosening
of the overnight favourite's grip on the Cup.
The sixth race was won by Sue Antonelli, followed by home sailors
Richard Lambert and Robin Desmond; Marshall slipping to third. The
final race confirmed Sue Antonelli as champion with another win in front
of Wolstenholme and then Marshall. With four different winners and
plenty of close racing, the event was enjoyed by all who took part.
Overall Results:
1st S Antonelli/D Cummins Littleton SC 7.25pts
2nd I Marshall/G Welch Maldon YC 9.50
3rd P Wolstenholme/C Redman Wilsonian SC 12.75
4th A Williams/L Crouch Budworth SC 19.00
5th R Lambert/S Pocock/R Desmond Blue Circle SC 23.00
6th M Antonelli/C Ward Budworth SC 23.75
7th J Love/C Surridge Budworth SC 27.00
8th A Hoy/J Hoy Maldon YC 31.00
9th B Gregory/M Lett Blue Circle SC 37.00
10th R Barnes/H Sadzik Budworth SC 42.00
11th I Knight/B Knight Maldon YC 49.00
12th H Passingham/J Williams Blue Circle SC 51.00