Chew Valley Open
By admin. Filed in Race reports |
Chew Valley Flying Fifteen Open Meeting: 16-17 May 2009.
Thirteen boats, six from the home club and seven visitors arrived at Chew Valley Lake for the annual open meeting despite a dreadful weather forecast. (For those who think weather forecasts are useless, read on). Their arrival was greeted with a persistent force 5 to 6 wind gusting to force 8. Two elected not to remove the covers but ten started the first race with eight finishing.
Simon Patterson and Simon Thompson used their weight advantage to good effect by establishing an early lead which was not challenged. David and Sally McKee were second. Behind them a close struggle between David and Catherine Brockbank and Mike Thompson and Simon Millington resulted in the Brockbanks winning by one second, close enough that Simon and Catherine could almost hold hands.
The second race was sailed in the windier conditions of the two with gusts of 49mph recorded. Patterson-Thompson and the McKees fought out the lead again but not so far ahead. A slight collision in the difficult conditions made Patterson and Thompson do two turns, giving the McKees the win. The planned third race was abandoned for the day as the conditions worsened and the competitors retired to the club to enjoy some Butcombe bitter from the local sponsoring brewery.
Sunday looked to be perfect first thing in the morning but the meteorologists were soon proved correct when the wind and the rain arrived. Race three fairly quickly assumed the previous pattern and was won by the McKees with the two Simons second. The tussle for third was enlivened by the parting of the gooseneck fitting on the mast of Mike Thompson and Simon Millington’s boat resulting in third place for Peter Hogg and Alex Dobson. A failure of the main halyard in race four on Simon Patterson and Simon Thompson’s boat meant that Peter Hogg finished second behind David McKee. As the wind gusted once again to 48mph race 5 was abandoned leaving the McKees the overall winners.