Results / Open Meeting Roadford SC - 01/06/2013

Only four Vareos entered the open at Roadford Lake, but they enjoyed two days of sparkling sunshine and interesting racing. Saturday proved to be windy with quite slamming gusts which increased as the day progressed, which caused all competitors to have the occasional spill. The course was not a true Windward Leeward as the race officer was suffering with bronchitis and not able to man the committee boat, so a dogleg course was set with two Windward Leeward loops at the top end of the lake followed by a long broad reach/ run back to the finish. Despite it being his first time out this season, Julian Brooke Houghton won the first race having got the better of Richard Willows on the final downwind leg, who got caught by a big gust which took him to Leeward to let Andrew Davies through. Davies won the next two races with Willows second. Stephen Nelson from Swanage found in the second race that trying to sail with the spinnaker sheets inside the shrouds was not successful(!) and retired but completed the third race in good order.

Day two dawned with mist and no wind, but the wind filled as the Sun burnt off the mist and gradually strengthened and moved more northerly as the morning progressed. Willows won the first race from Davies, but let Davies get closer to the bank on the second to get a winning lift on the final beat, but got his revenge in the third race. Final results: 1st Andrew Davies, Tata steel sailing club, 2^nd Richard Willows Roadford Lake, 3^rd Julian Brooke Houghton, Plymouth Corinthian,4^th Stephen Nelson, Swanage. Many thanks to Alan Williams the OOD, and other club members for their help.