Results / Weirwood Open Weirwood SC - 12/07/2009
Weir Wood Sailing Club RS200 Open Sunday 12th 2009.
For the third year running Weir wood laid on fabulous sailing weather for its RS 200 open meeting. A 12kt.
Seven home club RS200’s were joined by 11 visiting boats for the six short race contest, three back to back in the morning and three back to back in the afternoon. Race Officer’s Ernie Hatton and Peter Clifton set windward/leeward courses with a leeward gate. With the wind almost straight down the lake the upwind/downwind buoys could be set a long distance apart and two laps took the lead boat about 40 minutes to get to the finish.
Race one got promptly away with Steve Janering and Lottie Wakeling establishing a comfortable lead over Nick and Juliet Charles. Janering extended his lead downwind but missed the windward gate out on the next upwind leg loosing several places correcting the error. Charles took the lead followed by David Giles and Fiona Clark who were passed by Rob Janering and Olivia James and this order remained to the finish.
Race two saw Charles again take an early lead but he lost out on the right side of the lake downwind being passed by James Boyce and Sam Tozer as well as Giles. At the final leeward gate Giles rounded the left hand buoy while Boyce choose the right. The left prooved the better choice and Giles squeezed passed Tozer on the upwind leg to the finish line.
Race three saw Andrew and Geraldine Peters establish an early lead from Giles and Charles. The race order was turned on its head when a strong gust filled in from the left hand side downwind leaving those on the right relatively becalmed. Steve Janering was best placed when the gust hit and took the lead which he held to the end. Charles pulled through to second with Boyce third. Giles witnessed life at the other end of the fleet limping over the finish line in 12th spot.
A short lunch break was taken before battle recommenced. Giles got the best start in race 4 and established a narrow lead at the first windward buoy. Gybing straight around the windward buoy and heading to the left hand bank downwind paid handsomely as again a strong gust filled in on that side of the lake. Giles extended his lead considerably followed by Mike Chapman and Lynne Ratcliffe. These two had a big enough lead on the rest not to be troubled again. Charles worked his way up to third.
Race five saw Peters take the early lead and was then first into an enormous gust downwind which took him over the horizon. Boyce was next into the gust and established a comfortable second place while the rest scrapped it out with Charles again managing to sneak through into third.
And so to the last race. Charles was very much in the driving seat with only Giles able to overtake him by finishing ahead of Charles and in at least first or second place. Charles rounded the windward buoy first followed by Peters, Boyce, Janering and Giles. Downwind the wind was relatively even but Giles managed to squeeze through to third behind Charles and Peters. Although Giles passed Peters upwind Charles held a comfortable lead around the last windward buoy. Downwind Charles having gybed immediately around the windward buoy gybed back about mid lake while Giles carried on as far left as the depth would allow. Shortly after gybing the strongest gust of the day arrived, mostly missing Charles but engulfing Giles. Charles could only watch helplessly as Giles was able to sail faster and lower and went from 100 metres behind Charles to 100 metres ahead in the last half of the last downwind leg. Giles crossed the finish first with Charles second giving Giles the overall victory on count back.
And so to the prise giving. First up was the Duckhams award, the prise given to competitor who committed the biggest howler of the day. Easy winner of this was Steve Janering from Wembley who decided he did not need to go to the briefing and so missed the bit about having to go through the start/finish line on every upwind leg. He therefore missed the “gate” out on the first race while comfortably leading to limp home eventually in 10th place. Prises were awarded to the first five overall with spot prises for the first Master (Mike Chapman), Lady (Janine Blundell) and Junior (Matthew Giles). The full results are published below.
Thanks were given to race officers Ernie Hatton and Peter Clifton for the very professional way they ran the racing, to Barbara Hatton for doing the results and taking the entries and John Thompson who volunteered to move the marks around despite turning up only to watch and having no wet weather gear with him.