Keith was helping Jo Mayes with the Comet Nationals yesterday so he asked me to do a few notes on the FF racing. It was good to see a fleet of over 30 Comets on the water for what was a three day championship. Bewl hasn’t looked that busy for ages.
Jo and Keith ran the Open from the Committee Boat in the centre of the lake so club racing was run from the race box with courses around the perimeter. The system worked well in terms of keeping the racing fleets apart, although it did make it difficult to lay a good beat which would have been diagonally across the water into the prevailing north westerly.
In the morning seven Fifteens ventured out. With the start line in the lee of the clubhouse shore it was always going to be about getting away from the start and Mike and Jamie and Dan and Neil did the best job and set up a lead that was never broken by the rest of us. Dan held off Mike for a while but eventually he got round and that’s how it stayed. Jim and I took third, having had been overtaken by both Simon and Alistair and Robin and Gio at various times. Fortunately, the Race Officer got us into the clubhouse before the Comets as the queue thereafter was huge. That’s the downside of a busy day at the club.
The afternoon turnout was even worse than usual. Just Robin and Gio and ourselves from the Fifteens, two RS400s and that was it. On a beautiful sailing day in August! What do we have to do? Jim bought the teas but didn’t need much money or a very large tray.
Next week is the Open Regatta, inspired by Jo Mayes I beleive, so it certainly deserves our support. Jo
Hopefully see lots of you next week.
Toodle pip.
Geoff
