Laser 5000 Nationals at Mayflower Sailing Club - Day 3
by Lasersailing.com 29 Aug 2001 12:29 BST
The GUL and AUDI sponsored Laser 5000 Nationals got underway at the Mayflower and Royal Corinthian Yacht Clubs in Plymouth has so far seen a wide variety of conditions.
Monday, the race officer attempted a race in a dying gradient breeze which had to be abandoned as the sea breeeze started to kick in. By the time this hand settled at a gentle 5 knots, the fleet was so eager to get started that it took two general recalls, one under the black flag that resulted in 4 boats disqualified , before the fleet was off. Andy and Dave Richards (mStation) immediately showed their intentions by posting a convincing win over Andrew and Elizabeth Fairley and Mark Dicker and Malcolm Reed.
Race two was started in a dying sea breeze, a large shift favouring the right hand side of the course saw Andy and Dave Richards and Nick Jones and Spencer Schlachter escape the rest of the fleet to finish 1st and 2nd before the breeze totally died and left the rest of the fleet to drift in.
Day two saw near perfect conditions with bright sunshine and a fresh force 4-5 to with a big rolling swell from the channel to test the fleet. Three races were raced with mStation posting a 1-2-1. Mark Emmet and Anthony Esse (Hermes/ Ronstan/Juice Plus) had a superb day to record a 2-1-3 to recover from an indifferent first day and bring some pressure to bear on the Richards Brothers. Another of the usual suspects at the front, Jamie Shelton and Graeme White (West Country Watersport/ Mylor Rigging) also had a good day with to post a 3-3-2.
This leaves the top five places after 5 races (potentially 9 to go) as follows
Results after Day 2:
| Pos | Sponsor | Helm | Crew |
|---|
| 1st | mStation | Andy Richards | Dave Richards |
| 2nd | Hermes/Ronstan/Juice Plus | Mark Emmet | Anthony Esse |
| 3rd | | Andrew Fairley | Elizabeth Fairley |
| 4th | West Country Watersport/Mylor Rigging | Jamie Shelton | Graeme White |
| 5th | | Nick Jones | Spencer Schlachter |
And for the prize for the best newcomer to the Nationals the competition is equally close with Nick Jones and Spencer Schlachter (5th), Mark Dicker and Malcolm Reed (6th) Jake Jeffries and Tom Porter (8th), Mark and Olly Ponsford (9th) and David Evans and Ben Deacon (11th) all showing a mix of results in the varying conditions to date. With conditions forecast to be a little lighter today there is the potential for some great competition throughout the fleet.
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