Stokes Bay Open - 26 & 27th May 2007

We were greeted with about 7 different forecasts for the weekend so I don’t think any one knew exactly whether we were getting 5 or 50kts the weather soon became sunny and we launched in 8kts of northerly breeze.

Race 1 started off in a nice amount of breeze but with a big shift just before the start the group that started on the committee boat end of the line ended up being able to make the mark without tacking. It looked like Rick Perkins was going to come up top trumps of the pin but a wind hole seemed to swallow half the fleet that were further to leeward allowing Richard Stenhouse, Andy Peake and Ant Chapman to round in the top bunch. That hole seemed to express how shifty and unpredictable the wind was going to be for the rest of the day and by the finish Richard had retained his lead but with Kit Stenhouse and Rick Perkins to clame 2nd and 3rd respectively.

Race 2 saw even more shifts that the first race and with Dan Henderson clearly getting the best start it saw him swallowed into the pack by the first mark. The second beat saw the fleet turned upside down with the likes of Sten and Perkins swallowed by the pack and Chapman and Mike Palfreman taking full advantage of a huge right-Hander coming through to propel them clearly into 1st and second, the gust was so obscure from the regular wind it almost capsized the both of them. Dan Dixon sailed a brilliant race taking advantage of the big shifts on the course to come in 3rd with mike taking the bullet and Ant close behind.

The beginning of Race 3 and a massive drag race for the pin saw Kit Stenhouse and Ant Chapman over and going back to start an epic battle to get back to the front, a fully possible feat with such shifty winds, at the first mark and Albrecht did a good job and rounded first but with the fleet hot on his heels he was hard pushed to keep it and with an almost capsize at the windward mark in a huge hole and backer that took out about 4 boats he let Sten catch him. Down the final run Kit and Ant managed to gibe in a gust and hold it all the way down to the bottom mark through the middle of the course blitzing everyone but it wasn’t quite enough with Sten and Alberchet brining the fleet home claming first and second. Dan Dixon sailing really well to hold the charging Ant and Kit taking 3rd with Ant 4th and Kit 5th

Sunday started wet with a building wind coming from the east. The first race saw a rather more timid start by the fleet but there was only one way to go, to the beach and beyond. At the windward mark Sten rounded 1st but with a big set of waves held his hoist until just before the gybe. Behind him was carnage with Dan Vincent doing a spectacular dive of the back of his rack but unfortunately leaving his boat in the perfect bear away trajectory. Sten and Andy got clear away with Neil Upton-Brown hot on there heels. In the bunch Ant Chapman was the only one to hoist strait round the mark and make the gybe, and reaping the rewards made 5 places down the run chasing Rick Perkins to the leeward mark. Unfortunately a problem dropping the kite allowed the 5 boats back in the inside at the leeward mark and the race officer shortened the course at 1 lap allowing no room for a come back. The race finished Sten 1st Andy 2nd and Neil sailing a very good race to come 3rd.

With the next races being abandoned due to a storm force warning it finished Sten 1st but with Mike Ant and Rick on equal points that problem in the last race gave second to mike, 3rd to Ant and 4th to Rick with Kit rounding of the top 5. It was a successful event for all especially Rutland sc taking 3 of the top 5 spots and also one of the closest ever with 2nd to 9th only separated by 5 points.

Check out the GPS Replay recorded on Rick and Sten's boats using Velocitek S10's. It covers all 3 races and shows how wacky thye shifts were on Saturday ... it takes a while to load as it's all 3 races ...

helm club R1 R2 R3 R4 pts

1 Stenhouse Rutland 1 -8 1 1 3
2 Palfreman Starcross 6 1 -13 6 13
3 Chapman Rutland 7 2 4 -10 13
4 Perkins Whistable 3 6 -14 4 13
5 Stenhouse Rutland 2 7 5 -23 14
6 Dixon Stone -12 3 3 8 14
7 Upton -brown Hayling island 8 -10 6 3 17
8 Vincent Stokes bay 4 5 8 -14 17
9 Davis Stone 5 4 -11 9 18
10 Peake Eastbourne 9 9 -12 2 20
11 Lovering Hayling island 12 -16 7 5 22
12 Alberchet Queenmary 13 -18 2 12 27
13 Smalley CVLSV -16 12 9 11 32
14 Stevenson RTYC 14 13 -15 7 34
15 Henderson Thorpbay 11 -15 10 13 34
16 Poston Datchet 15 11 17 -23 43
17 Chapman Rutland -19 19 16 15 50
18 Keen Stokes bay 17 17 18 -23 52
19 Wright Rutland 18 14 -23 23 55
20 Cameron Queenmary 30 21 19 -23 60
21 pilkinton Stokes bay 21 20 -23 23 64
22 Read Stokes bay 22 22 -23 23 67