Hot Racing at 3 Rivers!
Never has a winter Marblehead interclub event at the Bury Lake Rickmansworth been so hot, with bright sunshine all day and in the morning at least enough wind to give a beat and run course to make the racing hot too.
11 skippers from 3 different clubs enjoyed 8 races in the light and fluky, basically easterly wind conditions. There were 5 different winners and every Datchet team member won a race. Austin Guerrier sailing a QUARK won the first and it looked as if Phil Holliday sailing a GRUNGE was going to take the 2nd, but was overtaken on the last run by Guildford’s Roger Stollery sailing his UP. He repeated this on the next 2 races, before Phil finally hit the front in Race 5.
After a very pleasant lunch in the sunshine, Roger won again, but in the following race it was John Shorrock sailing a QUARK with a new and very smart Graham Bantock fin who took line honours in Race 7. By this time the wind had more or less died and veered to the south-east blowing from behind the competitors leaving the whole course in a total mirror condition. However this did not deter MYA Chairman Terry Rensch sailing Phil Holliday’s NIOUTRAM, from picking up all the right gusts, staying on the rhumb line and just pipping Roger to the finishing line in the final Race 8. After this race and with only half an hour to run before the deadline, all skippers agreed not to race again as the conditions were so poor.
All in all, despite the frustratingly light wind everyone enjoyed the day, the pleasant sunshine and the great company. At the prize giving Roger thanked the five-man 3 Rivers race team, Tom Rodger, John Rance, John Keyworth, Oliver Bangham and as always John Male scoring, for putting on another great GAMES event under very difficult circumstances.
The next big Marblehead GAMES event is on 24th March, when Guildford Model Yacht Club will be running a special celebratory 40th MERMAID Trophy at Abbey Meads Lake, Chertsey.
Go to Gallery for photos of the event
Results:
1st Roger Stollery Guildford UP 8
2nd Phil Holliday Datchet GRUNGE 13
3rd Austin Guerrier Datchet QUARK 18
4th John Shorrock Datchet QUARK 23
5th Martin Crysell Guildford PRIME NUMBER 25
6th Terry Rensch Datchet NIOUTRAM 27
7th John Male 3 Rivers STARKERS 37
8th Dick Grainge 3 Rivers STARKERS 37
9th Peter Popham 3 Rivers UPROAR 43
10th John Carter 3 Rivers STARKERS 44
11th Trevor Innes 3 Rivers STARKERS 58