16th July Summer Series 7
With quite a strong SW wind Richard S set the first beat to 4 then 2, 9, 5, 8, 6, 7 and back through the start.
Pursuit Race
There were 18 starters the same as last week, but not exactly the same set of sailors!
Early starters Chris H (Comet) and Dave P (Mirror) were 1st and 2nd at the end of the first lap with Hadey sailing a Radial next through in 3rd place. Then came the first of the chasing pack with Jon (Laser) already up to 4th having just caught and passed Steve S (Solo). Next through were the three Lasers of Mark, Rick and Ken being rapidly caught by Paul R (Aero) who had just passed James and Ralph (both in Lasers) and Nev (Comet). William (4.7) was next through followed by Ellen & Newton (RS200) who were lagging behind (for them at any rate!) and they were followed by Dean & Nick (Vago), Alistair S (Laser), Adrian (Rooster and last to start) and Jeremy(Laser).
At the finish gun it was Jon who had come to the fore with Paul behind him and Hadey still hanging on to 3rd place.
Final positions were –
1st Jon; 2nd Paul R; 3rd Hadey; 4th Steve S; 5th Ken; 6th Ellen & Newton.
Handicap Race
There were no drop outs, but Al E joined the fleet in a Buzz (first time out in a race this year for this combination)
First back through the line was Paul R with a good lead on Jon in 2nd place. The next pack crossed the line in close order led by Newton & Ellen just ahead of James, Adrian, Mark, Al, Steve S, Hadey, Ken and Rick (a bit of a nightmare for the OOD team to get the order and times sorted). Then there was a 30 second gap back to Chris H, who was clear of Alistair S, Dean & Nick, Nev, Jeremy and William who were all evenly spaced out, with Dave P bringing up the rear.
Ralph retired before the end of the lap, but reason unknown.
At the end of the second lap the three leaders were the same, but Adrian had moved up to 4th place and Al up to 5th. Mark was still 6th but Ken had Rick both gained three places to move to 7th and 8th. Further back Jeremy had moved up a place by passing Nev.
Again on the third lap the three leaders remained in the same positions, but they had stretched out a bit. Al had passed both Adrian and Mark to move up to 4th position. Hadey and Steve S both regained one place to move back up a bit to 9th and 10th places. Dean & Nick were the only other movers and they gained two places.
At the end of the fourth and last lap Paul crossed the line well ahead of Jon who in turn was well clear of Newton & Ellen in 3rd place. Al kept his 4th place and Mark gained a place to take 5th spot with Ken also moving up one place to 6th. Rick and Chris H both regained one place, but there were no other changes in an upward direction.
Final positions on the water were –
1st Paul; 2nd Jon; 3rd Newton & Ellen; 4th Al; 5th Mark; 6th Ken
On Handicap the first three should retain their positions, but Mark and Ken should move up one place to 4th and 5th with Al down to6th.
Thanks to Richard S and the OOD Team of Phil M, Ferdinando M, David P, Paula S and Chris S.