Flying 15s at the Datchet Water Sailing Club Winter Warm-up

Open Competition for the Andersen Trophy held on the four Sundays in February

Sunday February 3rd

Eleven boats entered the Series which began in overcast conditions with a shifty force 4 breeze. Olympic type courses were set with three laps in each race.

Current World Champion Charles Apthorp crewed by brother David set the pace off the line and maintained their lead throughout. Second to the windward mark was Gerry Sheard and Howard Shawyer but Ann Lane helming Tim Hammick, gradually pulled ahead of the following fleet to overhaul Sheard/Shawyer on the second lap and maintained second position by a boat length on the finishing line.

The wind abated somewhat for the second race, but again the Apthorps lead the way round with Sheard/Shawyer in second spot. There was close racing in the main fleet but again Ann Lane and Tim Hammick pulled ahead to finish third.

Sunday February 10th

A blustery Force 4 prevailed increasing to a gusty 5. Brett Dingwall crewed by son Ben mastered the conditions in the first race to take the honours followed by Charles Apthorp crewed by Dave Ricards, with Ann Lane and Tim Hammick in third spot. In the second race, the same result appeared to be on the cards, but somewhere Brett went wrong and the Lane/Hammick duo stormed through to finish first with Apthorp/Ricards in second place. Other visitors and the home fleet had a boisterous time battling it out in testing conditions some way behind the leaders.

Sunday February 17th

Mist and light airs greeted the fleet which got off the line to a nerve-wracking first beat; Datchet fleet members Richard Hughes and crew Allen Atterbury were first to the windward mark and they maintained their lead to the last leg of a shortened two-lap race. The Dingwalls had been threatening and eventually pulled through to take the lead on the final run. Charles Apthorp and Dave Ricards had been well behind after the first lap but found the right way down the last spinnaker leg to finish second, with Hughes/Atterbury in third position. The remaining fleet had a fretful run in fickle breezes, and all were relieved that further racing was abandoned.

Sunday February 24th

Overcast and a shifty Force 4 breeze set in for the first race. The Apthorp/Ricards team got into the lead on the first beat and maintained their position with the Dingwalls in second followed by Ann Lane in third. The Dingwalls gained a huge lead in the second race only to lose their position due to an error at the finish, and so the same result was recorded as in the first race. There was intense jockeying for position and great fun had by all in the following fleet.

Overall Results: and award of the Andersen Trophy