This event was also round two of the DF 95 Southern District Championship. Report by Martin Crysell.
Eleven skippers arrived to find a complete calm with not a single ripple on Guildford’s Abbey Meads lake. Eventually at 10.30 Race Officer Martin Crysell went out and laid 7 marks in hopeful positions should the breeze come in as forecast. Well some of the time it did and other times it didn’t. Anyway we started a race in a very light north easterly and David Cole from Hampton Court found the right shifts and won from Emsworth sailor Richard Calas.
In the next three races the course was changed every time to accommodate the ever changing light fluctuating breeze. These races were won by Dave Adams from East Kent and again by David Cole. In the next two races Dave was showing more of his light wind skills by picking up a first and a second. However it was local skipper Alan Viney who beat Dave in Race 5 after a tight downwind tussle and the short beat to the finish line. We then broke for lunch hoping that by the 1.15 restart that the wind settle in, but of course it didn’t.
Anyway we sailed again with Alan starting from where he left off before lunch as he had a convincing win in Race 6 with Richard in second place. Race 7 was another win for Dave from Richard, but this was in complete drifting conditions.
The skippers were then given three options either to attempt to sail till 3.30 as the NOR, or do one more race to get to two discards or finish where we were. The vote was to stop at the last race number 7.
A disappointing day wind wise, but every body was in good form and had a good day.
Results:
1st Dave Adam, East Kent 11 points
2nd David Cole, Hampton Court 20
3rd Richard Calas, Emsworth 23
4th Adrian Tomlinson, East Kent 27
5th Alan Viney, Guildford 30
6th Mike Brand, East Kent 32
7th Ian Hounsell, East Kent 33
8th Jim La Roche, Coalhouse Fort 40
9th David Coode, Guildford 43
10th Mike Wilkie, Hampton Court 49
11th Colin Honour, Chipstead 49
