M&S District Marblehead Championship and GAMES 4

A fantastic day’s racing with 17 races was enjoyed by all 16 competitors from 10 clubs at Guildford’s Abbey Meads lake, despite tricky wind conditions. 8 races were sailed in the sunny morning with variable west south-westerly winds. There were five different winners and some of the finishes were very close indeed, but Colin Goodman dominated the racing with three wins to head the lunchtime leaderboard, five points clear of Peter Stollery, who was seven points clear of Vinnie Zammit.

The wind, which was forecast to become more southerly during mid-morning changed during Race 9, which was won by Austin Guerrier sailing New Zealander’s Ian Vickers V1M design. All competitors and their cars moved to the western control area, where the southerly wind was steadier and stronger, but still within the A rig strength. There were plenty of fast planing runs down to the leeward gate in the strongest gust zones.  However it was still variable in direction requiring great skill to pick the right shifts both up and down wind. Colin, who had been starting well in every race won Races 10 and 11, but let Peter win Race 12 and then came back to win Race 13 and to stamp his authority on the event with another win in Race 16. John Shorrock sailing his QUARK won both Races 14 and 15, but left Peter to win the final Race 17. This event win extends Colin’s lead at the top of the GAMES table by 20 points, from Hugh McAdoo and John Shorrock.

The furthest travelled competitor, Vinnie Zammit, from Norwich was sailing his ‘Think Pink’ STARKERS very consistently and finished with a string of fourth places to take the final podium slot from Hugh McAdoo, who was six points behind. It was good to see three new competitors to this year’s GAMES events, Keith Evans sailing a PRIME NUMBER, Peter Dunne sailing a STARKERS and Peter North sailing a JIVE showing good support from club sailors for the Marblehead class at district level.

It was also good to see Les Thorn doing really well with his PARADOX, showing that you don’t have to have the latest designs to be competitive in this class.

At the prize-giving Colin thanked the Guildford team running another good event. This was truly a district effort with Keith Parrott and Graham Whitehead from Frensham Pond MYG providing essential RO support. The next GAMES interclub/open events are the 23^rd July, again at Abbey Meads and then at Datchet on 24 September, as noted on the GMYC website, www.guildfordmyc.co.uk.

Results:

1^st Colin Goodman Coalhouse Fort QUARK 25

2^nd Peter Stollery Guildford UPROAR 39

3^rd Vinnie Zammit Norwich STARKERS CUBED 53

4^th Hugh McAdoo Datchet PRIME NUMBER 59

5^th Trevor Binks Eastbourne PRIME NUMBER 62

6^th John Shorrock Datchet QUARK 63

7^th Martin Crysell Guildford PRIME NUMBER 94

8^th Austin Guerrier Datchet V1 RM 97

9^th Dick Jobbins Solent CONSTERNATION 2 99

10^th Les Thorn Datchet PARADOX 106

11^th Nick Royse Frensham CRAZY TUBE FREE 130

12^th John Bennett Eastleigh STARKERS CUBED 148

13^th Keith Evans Woking PRIME NUMBER 164

14^th John Townsend Guildford UPROAR 169

15^th Peter Dunne Woking STARKERS CUBED 192

16^th Peter North Woking JIVE 193