Nationals survey

First of all thank you to everyone who helped make Looe so much fun and for those who couldn’t make it hopefully we will see you next year. On that note, Looe was fantastic but we want Tenby 2011 to be even better. We tried a few different things this year and have already learnt a lot from your feedback but we still need to hear more to ensure that we improve for next year.

We will shortly be sending out a brief questionnaire (10 multiple choice questions) but just to provide a bit of background to the questions, the reasons behind the decisions we made for Looe are listed below. I’m sure everyone will have their own opinions on whether the decisions were the correct ones but this is the logic that led to them:

Race programme
The W and L courses proved very popular in Lyme so we stuck with what had been a successful format and target lengths (leaders - 1 hr 15 on 2 race days and 1hr 45 on long race days).

Start time
General opinions before the event said the families wanted 11 o’clock starts. Those of us without families wanted longer lie ins after the socials and less time to kill before it became acceptable to go to the bar! Looe wanted 1 o’clock starts as the wind was meant to be better in the afternoon. Multiple start times were suggested so 1pm starts after the bigger socials and 11am starts on the other days but we thought that might get confusing and in the end we compromised on midday starts.

Start type
We discussed this with Looe when we met in the winter and we debated the numbers that the fleet might attract this year. Use of a gate start reduces the chances of recalls however there is less chance for people to gain advantage through starting well. As such we agreed to do a mix. As gate starts have not been used for a couple of years we decided that the practice race should be a gate start and it then made sense to roll straight into another for race 1. With the light winds at the beginning of the week we decided that the chances of getting 80 boats off a line were low and so stuck with the gate. As the wind picked up towards the middle of the week line starts presented less of a risk of damage and the extra breeze reduced the risk of recalls so we switched. The last race was going to be a line start regardless as this offered the fairest way for the 4 boats in contention for the title to fight it out.

Discards
The one or two debate has been around for a few years now and has been critical to deciding who wins the championship in recent years. The original idea behind 2 discards was to compensate for breakage on the 2 race days. We weren’t aware of many cases where this had happened and so figured only one discard would reward consistency. We also thought that the new scoring system might compensate if breakages did happen further down the fleet. The decision came down to 2 discards after 9 races or 1 discard and in all honesty I gambled on not getting a full series in and it not mattering.

Scoring
This seems to have been the contentious one. The idea came from the Cadet fleet who introduced the rule to help reduce the pressure on people to go out when it was very windy. This reduces the pressure on the safety boats and allows those who do enjoy the windy conditions to do so more safely and with less chance of the races being abandoned (some of us really enjoy 25 knots +). We were also conscious of several teams thinking of coming to the champs who knew they couldn’t cope with winds over 20 knots and who felt it safer to stay onshore if it did get that windy. Obviously the people most disadvantaged from this rule are the people further down the fleet who can cope with the windy conditions as their advantage over those who don’t finish is reduced. However, we felt this was justified as the final nationals table should be a reflection of everyone’s performance across the week. There is always an advantage to finishing and if you beat someone more often than not you should beat them overall. In the old system, if boat A beat boat B in 7 out of 9 races but retires from the other 2 then should they finish behind boat B overall courtesy of having to count a DNF? Obviously this is a hypothetical situation but was a consideration and we tried to find a balance between all these factors when introducing the points system. The other comment that came up was differentiating between did not start and retired. We didn’t differentiate as we were worried that would have defeated the initial object of the change, we felt people who couldn’t cope might have felt under pressure to come and start before going in just to get the points advantage.

Pro-am
We felt the previous system wasn’t as effective as it could be. We also often had a case where 2 people had a bad first race, got paired together and won by a mile. By creating pairings in advance we could pair those who we felt could learn most with those likely to be able to help the most. The scoring system was changed to try and reward improvement of the am and remove the effect of the pro’s performance.

Judge
The presence of a judge removes any debate over whether people are pumping or not, we felt racing would be fairer and there could be no accusations that some people were pushing the rules too far. David Battye had previously judged at Abersoch and so we invited him back.

Socials
For the 50th celebrations we wanted a full social programme. We did try and alternate what we thought would be the more boisterous nights (karaoke / fancy dress) with the calmer ones (quiz / night off). The night off was there for those people who wanted to go out for a meal or do something with the families.

Are you thinking of coming to Tenby?
Looe was great but Tenby can be better. For those who haven’t been to Tenby before, think Looe but bigger town, bigger beach (slipway avoids the soft stuff so no tough drag up the beach though) and more sunshine! If you are thinking of coming let us know – it makes a big difference planning things with the club, attracting sponsors and generally promoting the event to the undecided. Who knows, we may even see 100 scorpions on a start line again!

Would you be willing to help in a small role at Tenby?
We are trying to spread the tasks out so it is a case of a lot of people, each doing a little bit rather than everything falling to one or two people. Roles can be as small or as large as you want and there is plenty of choice in regards to what you take on.

Scorpion Nationals overall

Dave Wade & Steve Hall have won the 2010 Scorpion Nationals. After a shaky start to the week they finished strongly with a string of top 3 results to claim the title ahead of John Mursell & Nick Keast. Chris Turner & Ben Rayner won 3 out of the last 4 races but inconsistency meant they had to settle for 3rd.

Race 9

With the wind swinging to the South West the breeze was steadier and the waves built up enough to get some good surfing in. Up the first beat Barry Wolfenden & Melanie Titmus picked their lanes the best and led to the windward mark ahead of Tom Jeffcoate & Mark Hogan. Chris & Ben rounded in the top 5 while Dave & Steve and John & Nick were a couple further back. Allan & Chris Tyler were further back and later retired when they realised they couldn’t affect the outcome of the race.

Tom & Mark took the lead briefly until Chris & Ben took over on lap 2. Dave & Steve and John & Nick moved through to 3rd and 4th. The gaps were close throughout and on the final beat Dave had let John get out into the left corner. With port tack lifted Dave had a nervous last 100 yards to the line but a final right hand shift brought him through comfortably in the end and John had to fight off Barry on the line.

Gold fleet results

1st – Dave Wade & Steve Hall
2nd – John Mursell & Nick Keast
3rd – Chris Turner & Ben Rayner


Silver fleet results

1st – Alex Hayman & James Mursell (32nd)
2nd – Graham Watts & Mark Harden (34th)
3rd – Martin Moore & Neil Moore (36th)


Bronze fleet results

1st – Nicki Theokritoff & Alison Goodall (54th)
2nd – Simon Holden & Maddie Martin (55th)
3rd – Ron & Michelle Barrett (56th)


Special Awards

1st lady helm – Catherine Putt (10th)
1st lady crew – Chris Tyler (4th)
1st non-raking rig – Debbie Bowers & Richard Bowers (67th)
1st U18 helm – Andrew Rose (19th)
1st U18 crew – Thomas Rose (11th)
1st Over 45 helm – John Mursell (2nd)
1st Over 45 crew – Chris Tyler (4th)
1st youth combo (combined U40) – Andrew & John Rose (19th)
1st First Scorpion Nationals – Mark & Fiona Cam (40th)
1st Over 90 combo – John Mursell & Nick Keast (2nd)
1st Over 110 combo – Roger & Claire Wood (17th)
1st Classic boat (20 – 25 years) – Kevin Gosling & Max Hayman (16th)
1st Over 25 boat – Alex Hayman & James Mursell (32nd)
Flyer of the week – Mike Holme & Jayne Clancy (76th)
Biggest improvement – Alex Knight & Mike Robbins (9th)
Top guns (top 4 from one club) – Lyme Regis SC
Club turnout – Notts County SC / Sidmouth SC – 10 boats


Full results are available at the class website.

Thanks to all the class sponsors – Sailracer, Maguire Boats, Harken, Musto, Noble Marine, Allen Brothers, Fotoboat, Yachts & Yachting and Rooster for their support.

Nationals day 5 - sponsored by Harken & Allen Brothers

It’s going to be a tense final day after 2 more races left us still with a tie at the top of the leader board. The wind had abated slightly although there were still a few vicious gusts to catch out the unwary. It was also off the land creating a few big shifts to keep everyone on their toes.

Race 7 – sponsored by Harken

Allan & Chris Tyler were keen to maintain their place at the top and led to the windward mark followed by Tom Jeffcoate & Mark Hogan and three of their rivals for the championship. They played the shifts well for 3 laps but on the final reach to the finish the wind increased and they were unable to hold their spinnaker. Chris Turner & Ben Raynor had moved up to 2nd and managed to sneak past in the final 20 yards to the line. Dave Wade & Steve Hall tried to do the same but Allan & Chris managed to hold them off. John Mursell & Nick Keast finished 4th ahead of Tom & Mark. With Tim & Sarah Parsons losing ground it was now looking like a 4 way fight and just 3 points separating them in the overall standings.

Race 8 – sponsored by Allen Brothers

Andy Mckee & Tarren Jones became the 6th different race winner of the week as they led from start to finish. Janet & Alan Ritchie were 2nd to the windward mark closely followed by Dave & Steve and John & Nick. These two moved into 2nd and 3rd on the 2nd lap and set about their own personal match race. After numerous place changes Dave & Steve managed to get a tight cover on John & Nick up the final beat as they looked to bring the chasing boats into the mix as well. John & Nick held on for 3rd ahead of Alex Knight & Mike Robbins and Tom & Mark again in 5th. Chris & Ben finished 7th while Allan & Chris were 10th.

With one race left Dave & Steve are tied with John & Nick and edging it on number of 2nds. Allan & Chris are 5 points behind with Chris & Ben a point further behind them but some big discards mean that any of them can still win.

Full results are available in the nationals results database or by clicking on the link on the homepage.

Nationals day 4 - sponsored by Allen Brothers

Race 6 – sponsored by Allen Brothers

Sunshine, wind and pasties. The local forecast proved right with their prediction of force 5 / 6, the wind was a steady 20 – 23 knots gusting up to 29 at times. Just what was needed to clear a few heads after last night’s karaoke which saw 160 litres of punch disappear, crowd surfing and the floor shaking. It also led to some pretty exciting sailing and even the top guys were not adverse to a quick dip – take a bow Messrs Wade and Mursell (from 1st and 3rd positions respectively).

First out the blocks were Chris Turner & Ben Raynor who led to the windward mark followed by Pete Gray & Rich Pepperdine. Chris & Ben pulled away while the battle for 2nd developed between Pete, Dave Wade and John Mursell. Dave got past Pete and set about chasing down Chris – he managed it only for the aforementioned swim to slow him down and he had to settle for 2nd. Swims for Pete and John allowed Tom Jeffcoate & Mark Hogan and Tim & Sarah Parsons into the fight for 3rd with Tim & Sarah getting the last beat right to take the final podium place.

Also enjoying the conditions were James Salter and Hope Brodie who, after finishing 68th yesterday, were 5th to the windward mark. Hope confessed she screamed the whole way downwind but they still held on to finish 25th in the race.

With the wind up none of the crews fancied having a go and the fleet returned to shore to enjoy pasties on the beach, content after a great sail. Overall 6 points separate the top 5 places with 3 races left. A slight more moderate breeze is forecast for tomorrow and all is left to play for.

Full results are available at http://scorpion.paladin-systems.co.uk/php/natsquery.php

Nationals day 3 - sponsored by Yachts & Yachting and Harken

The promised Northerly never materialised and instead the 80 strong fleet were greeted by 6 – 10 knot south westerly winds. They even created some waves for a bit of surfing practice although the presence of the on the water jury had several people playing statues whenever they came near!

Race 4 – sponsored by Yachts and Yachting

Allan & Chris Tyler had a return to winning ways today and dominated race 4 from start to finish. Behind them a close battle ensued with Dave Wade & Steve Hall emerging in 2nd. After a moderate first beat Chris Turner & Ben Raynor pulled through to take 3rd ahead of Tim & Sarah Parsons. The biggest improvers of the fleet were Kevin Gosling and Max Hayman who improved 30 places to 5th, just ahead of championship contenders John Mursell & Nick Keast.

Race 5 – sponsored by Harken

A couple of slight incidents with people being a bit too keen to get past the gate boat led to a couple of recalls but the delays just meant there was time for the rain to pass. When the race finally began Dave Wade & Steve Hall, obviously keen to make up for yesterday’s performance, hit the front and kept it to the finish. They were chased hard by Tim & Sarah Parsons who took 2nd while Allan & Chris kept up their bid for glory with a 3rd. They now lead by 5 points from John Mursell & Nick Keast and 10 points from Dave Wade & Steve Hall.

Full results are available at http://scorpion.paladin-systems.co.uk/php/natsquery.php

Nationals day 2

Sunshine had replaced rain but the wind was still light so the fleet enjoyed an extra hour eating pasties and ice cream (usually not together) before launching at midday. The wind hadn’t finished playing games and the first start was aborted by a 90 degree shift but after that it settled down and 2 races were completed in 8 - 14 knots.

Race 2 – sponsored by Musto

The northerly wind led to some shifty conditions and several of the pre event favourites rounded in the 40s. Showing them all how it was done were Tim Holden & Jon Grandage, Andrew & John Rose and Roger & Claire Wood. These three pulled away from the fleet and were joined by Dave Woodhead & Jerry Hannabuss and Tim & Sarah Parsons. As the five teams battled out it was the youngest helm in the fleet, Andrew Rose, sailing with his brother John who played the shifts best and pulled through for their first ever nationals race win. Dave & Jerry pulled through to 2nd ahead of Tim & Jon. Yesterday’s top 3 recovered to 6th, 7th and 10th to keep hold of the overall top positions.

Race 3 – sponsored by Allen Brothers

The breeze was up to 14 knots at times by the start of race 3. John Mursell & Nick Keast kept up their charge for overall glory by leading to the windward mark ahead of Chris Turner & Ben Raynor. Tom Jeffcoate & Mark Hogan took the lead on lap 2 but as the wind faded John & Chris both pulled back through along with Andy Mckee & Tarren Jones to finish in that order. Overnight John & Nick lead from Allan & Chris Tyler and Peter & Thomas Rose.

Full results are in the nationals results database.

Nationals day 1 - sponsored by Maguire Boats

81 Scorpions launched into a light westerly breeze which unfortunately soon died and was replaced by drizzle. After a delay waiting for the rain to go and the wind to settle again the practice race began in 5 knots of wind. First out the blocks were Pete Gray & Rich Pepperdine who lead to the windward mark and held off the challenges of Allan & Chris Tyler and Janet & Alan Ritchie to finish in that order.

The first proper championship race began in a steady 6 – 8 knots and even the first glimpses of sunshine. Allan & Chris again showed some good boat speed up the first beat to establish a lead that they kept to the finish. 2nd to the windward mark were pathfinders Pete & Thomas Rose chased hard by John Mursell & Nick Keast. John & Nick eventually got through to take 2nd while Pete Gray held off Chris Turner & Ben Rayner for 4th and 5th respectively.

Latest results are in the Nationals results database.

Scorpion junior open

A fleet of 8 local boats including one visiting team assembled at NCSC on 25th July for the Scorpion Junior Open. The lake resembled the proverbial mill pool with the odd ripple here and there.

Race Officers John and Joyce Henderson fortunately brought a box of wind with them in their campervan and by the time the ancient Coble had been positioned for the Noon start it was a steady 8 mph, just perfect for juniors, amongst which were some complete novices and first time helms.

Claire Coupeland crewing for Nadina Lincoln in 1902 reached windward first in race 1 but were quickly overtaken on the first reach by junior helm Rebecca Ogden with Penny Jeffcoate in Nadinas own boat 1985. They were to hold this lead until the end of the race.

A big wind shift in lap 2 saw a number of position changes and some very close racing towards the end. Isobel Reynolds crewing for the “shiftmaster” John Marshall in 1989 sailed a steady race to move through and take second place. Amy Clay sailing the beautifully restored 1919 with the six foot plus frame of Nicki Theokritoff crunched up in the front took 3rd. Visitors Luke and Peter Hardy from Wanlip SC in 2000, sailing a Scorpion for only the second time made good progress throughout only to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory by having one of those “sheets under the boat, round the back of the board, then up the centreboard case” moments.

Performance of the race was young Matt Reynolds who despite relative novicity (if that’s a word!) was allowed by Paul Barnes to helm 2011 and made a fine job of a) keeping upright and b) completing the course.

After a break for lunch races 2 and 3 were sailed back to back. In race 2 Rebecca and Penny were first to the windward mark and held a tight spinnaker reach to open up a commanding lead which they again held until the end. The wind had freshened to a maximum of 15 mph and experienced adult helm Paul Barnes had taken over the stick in 2011 only to be caught out by the squall resulting in a capsize which filled the tanks with water – should have done the hatches up Paul! Junior crew Grace Fielding with Tony Dunsworth in 1929 also retired but commendably they had earlier been “having a go” with the kite and to good effect. The Hardys sailed the reaches well to move into second place but unfamiliarity with the NCSC marks led to a 2 place slip as they lost their bearings. John and Isobel again took 2nd and Amy and Nickki made it a duplicate 1, 2, 3.

In race 3 1989 decided to sit it out with kicker problems but 2011 and 1929 returned after repairs. In an exciting start sequence 2000 decided to capsize for good measure but righted with little drama. 1985 again took windward honours but the rest of the fleet was all very close. First time helm Alex Hughes with Graham Sheard in 1835 was well in the mix. After a sluggish first lap, probably due to being swamped from the capsize 2000 started to pick up and in an excellent second beat recovered 4 places into 2nd place. It all got very close again at the leeward rounding with some great boat handling skills on display.

1985 led through to the gun, 2000 nervously held second after a strong challenge from 1902 but a problem at the penultimate mark saw them lose a couple of places. Amy and Nik took a swim at the gybe mark to bring up the rear in an uncharacteristic 7th

Full results all NCSC unless stated

1st 1985 Rebecca Ogden (J) – Penny Jeffcoate
2nd 1989 John Marshall – Isobel Reynolds (J)
3rd 2000 Luke Hardy (J) – Peter Hardy (J) Wanlip SC
4th 1919 Amy Clay (J) – Nicki Theokritoff
5th 1929 Tony Dunsworth – Grace Fielding (J)
6th 1902 Nadina Lincoln – Claire Coupeland (J)
7th 1835 Alex Hughes (J) – Graham Sheard
8th 2011 Matt Reynolds (J) – Paul Barnes

Nationals notice # 5 - social programme

This has now been posted on the nationals website under the documents section. If anyone has trouble downloading then simply click on the "more" button to view and copies will be available at the event.

Scorpion Mobile

Avoid queues for the Looe noticeboards, - get your daily Nationals results by phone ! There is now a mobile version of the website for those with web-enabled phones. Functions are limited to things useful when away from home, such as contact Email Addresses, Phone Numbers, News, and those all-important Nationals Results.

Nationals notice #4 - NOR and SIs now online

The final NOR and SIs are now online under documents on the Nationals homepage. There will be a copy of the sailing instructions in your entry pack as will be the car park tickets for those that have bought them.

We are still waiting for a few to pay. It is possible to pay on the day by cheque if necessary but it is a lot simpler for us if you can do it online before the event starts.

Final social programme will be published soon along with extra ticket prices etc. 2 things quickly though: don't make plans to leave on Friday after sailing as there will be food and live music with the prizegiving up at the Hannafore Point hotel and fancy dress theme is still L...

Nationals notice #3 - Friday arrivals

Anyone wanting to drop their boats off at the sea front on the Friday please see a copy of the message from Roger Hocking at Looe on the subject:

"...they must phone Brian Carvey (07742942402) with their approx arrival time and he will meet them and advise where to berth on the sea front. The only time restriction is DON’T BE TOO LATE"

On the berthing front it seems that now we have 80+ entries space is going to be at too much of a premium to organise the boat park into pro-am pairings but the beachmaster will still direct you where to put your boats.

ISAF Class Rules: Approved !

The Scorpion class rules have been converted into the standard ISAF format. This has required some changes which needed to be approved before the AGM at the Scorpion Nationals in Looe. Therefore an e-mail/ postal ballot was carried out to obtain members’ votes.

The votes received were 58 for the adoption of the ISAF format rules, none against and 6 abstentions. The new rules have been approved by the RYA and are therefore now official. These new rules will be in force with effect from 12 July 2010 and will apply at the Scorpion Nationals. They are on the RYA website and (this) Class Association web site.

Please note that we will be weighing boats, checking measurement certificates and doing spot checks on measurements throughout the Nationals. Please therefore ensure all your paperwork is up to date and you have it with you. There have been concerns that Scorpion sailors are not adhering to the class rules by having a valid certificate and we plan to put this right. Better to take action now than have problem when you get to Looe!

Looking forward to seeing everyone there for a good week of sailing.

Weymouth open

No one could argue that dinghy racing was not thriving if they appeared in Weymouth last weekend. In amongst the Contenders, OKs, Fireballs, foiling Moths (notably won by ex-Scorp champion – Mike Lennon), and various others were 18 Scorpions making up the total 160 dinghies for the regatta weekend.

I’m sure everyone will hope that the bay serves up similar conditions in 2012 that met the fleet as it left Portland Harbour – i.e sun, force 3 to 4+ and some lumps!. This obviously suited Dave Wade and Steve Hall who celebrated first outing of new machine 2019 with a return to winning ways. John Mursell & Nick Keast kept up their recent new boat form with a second, chased hard by Tom Jeffcoate and Mark Hogan in third.

Just to prove the point, the order was identical in race 2 (these champs & ex-champs – annoyingly consistent!). In close attendance were Alan and Chrissie Tyler, Janet & Alan Ritchie and Catherine Putt & Simon Maguire.

Race 3 saw Mursell & Keast take the bullet to keep right in the overnight hunt, and they were followed in this time by Dave & Mike Hannan enjoying the increased breeze, Tom stuck in another 3rd.

Sunday gave more of the same with top end scoring a 30knot max later in day, this gave a few DNC’s and a few swims – but generally lots of happily sore legs. Mursell & Keast came out guns blazing to take first blood in race 4, with Jeffcoate staying in touch with a 2nd and Wade 3rd.

Wade swapped places with Mursell in race 5 to ensure a close finish, Tom split them, and the Hannans were racking up consistent high places with a couple of 4th’s followed by Tim & Sarah Parsons owning the 5/6 slot throughout.

Although Bazza had his moment in the last race with a 4th, Wade & Hall secured a maiden voyage win with another bullet, with Jeffcoate taking 2nd in the race but Mursell safe in 2nd for the weekend.

Overall Results:

Pos Sail No Boat Name Helm Crew Club R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 Pts
1 2019 David Wade Steve Hall Northampton 1 1 -4 3 1 1 7
2 2020 John Mursell Nick Keast Castle Cove Sailing Club 2 2 1 1 3 (DNC) 9
3 2017 Tom Jeffcoate Mark Hogan Notts County -3 3 3 2 2 2 12
4 1994 Mike Hannan Dave Netley Sailing Club -10 9 2 4 4 3 22
5 2014 Tim Parsons Sarah Parsons Lyme Regis Sailing Club 5 6 5 5 6 (DNC) 27
6 2001 Catherine Putt Simon Maguire Lymington/Lyme 7 4 9 (DNC) 8 5 33
7 193 Bazza Wolfenden Mel Titmus Shitstead Sc 9 7 6 9 -10 4 35
8 2005 Janet Ritchie Alan Ritchie Chipstead Sc 6 5 8 8 9 (DNC) 36
9 2015 Alex Knight Mikey 'waynetta' Robbins Castle Cove Sc 11 10 (DNC) 7 7 6 41
10 1980 Jock Fellows Andrea Fellows Castle Cove Sc 8 (DNC) 10 6 5 DNC 51
11 1985 Penny Jeffcoate Simon Hibbert Notts County Sc 15 11 11 10 11 (DNC) 58
12 2008 Allan Tyler Chrissie Tyler Lyme Regis Sailing Club 4 8 7 (DNC) DNC DNC 63
13 1963 Chris Swinchatt Nicky Marsh Chipstead Sc 13 13 12 13 12 (DNC) 63
14 1916 Robin Jamieson Jo Mahy Sutton Bingham Sc 17 16 13 11 (DNC) DNC 79
15 1939 Rob Smith Castle Cove Sailing Club 12 15 DNF 12 (DNC) DNC 82
16 2011 Paul Barnes Sue Barnes Notts County 16 14 14 (DNC) DNC DNC 88
17 1852 Sandra Smith Kate Gurner Castle Cove Sc 14 12 DNF (DNC) DNC DNC 91
18 1892 Alison Stephens Tim Jones Castle Cove Sc 18 17 (DNC) DNC DNC DNC 101

Staunton Harold open report

Staunton Harold held the first event of the Scorpion calendar on 24th/25th April. After a days race training on the Saturday, run by Jerry Hannabus, 20 boats from as far as Cornwall took to the water in sunshine and wind on Sunday.

Race 1 saw a battle on lap 1 between 1951 Andy Mckee/Tarren Jones and 1947 Dave Woodhead/Jerry Hannabus. By lap 2 Andy had pulled out a lead to take line honours with Dave second and 2017 Tom and William Jeffcote in his brand new boat working though the fleet to finish third.

Race 2 saw a similar battle at the front with 2013 Peter Gray/Rich Pepperdine joining the other two and all three took the lead at some time. At the line less than 10 seconds split the three boats with Dave/Jerry winning Peter/Rich second Andy/Tarren third.

After lunch Race 3 took place with the wind strengthening with a new leader 1970 Steve Walker/Chris Moxworthy holding the lead for two laps. On the final round Peter/Rich and Dave/Jerry worked the shifts better to catch and pass Steve/Chris to finish in that order.

Just before Race 4 the wind dropped and the heavens opened, with 5 boats heading for shore as things got delayed. Peter/Rich just seemed to have their own wind to sail off into the distance and leave everyone else behind to win the race and the event. Andy/Tarren finished second with 2005 Janet & Alan Ritchie having their best result to finish third.

RESULTS
1st 2013 Peter Gray & Rich Pepperdine Staunton Harold S C
2nd 1947 Dave Woodhead & Jerry Hannabus Elton S C
3rd 1951 Andy Mckee & Tarren Jones Dovestone S C
4th 2017 Tom & William Jeffcoate Notts County S C
5th 2005 Janet & Alan Ritchie Chipstead S C