Report of the GAMES 2 Marblehead Interclub event at 3 Rivers RYC

GAMES 2 Marblehead Interclub event at 3 Rivers Radio Yacht Club

Despite the wind blowing across the lake at 90° to the control area, the 3 Rivers Race Team gave competitors 11 races, which were both frustrating and exciting at the same time. Half the lake nearest the control area was a mirror finish with the wind only showing on the other half of the lake.

RO John Male set a zigzag course in order to introduce some beating and running with a long close reach to the first mark. With the wind blowing through the trees both its direction and strength was very variable with very little wind nearest to the competitors. Luck played its part and allowed all but one of the competitors to win a race. Trevor Judd started the scoring by winning Race 1, followed by wins by David Cole, Tom Rodger, Austin Guerrier, Tim Townsend and Tony Guerrier in Race 6. This was the last race before lunch and was welcomed to break the tension of searching out every slightest bit of wind that there was.

The lunchtime leaderboard had Roger Stollery at the top, although he had not won a race, but finished 2nd in every race that counted, scoring 10 points, followed by Austin Guerrier & Tim Townsend with an equal score of 17.

Austin was the unluckiest skipper sailing and in one race he was 1st to arrive at the final windward mark, but in no wind and frustratingly he started drifting backwards, whilst several boats following, with more way on, sailed past him. Luckier in the afternoon was Roger whose technique was to bear away into the stronger wind for the long reach and overtake boats closer to the bank in less wind. He counted two 1st and a 2nd place in the final races.

This was an event more to do with sailing skill than boat speed. Wayfarer sailor Tim Townsend, soon due to sail in the Wayfarer World Championships in Florida, who borrowed his brother’s 20 year old conventionally rigged ROK and sailed it really well to finish 3rd overall, beating all but 2 swing rigged boats. Likewise Roger’s DIY UP proved that there are lots of designs that can compete with the best.

At the prize-giving Roger thanked the Race Team organising another successful interclub event in the GAMES series.

Results:

1^st Roger Stollery Guildford UP                  15 points

2^nd Tony Guerrier 3 Rivers GRUNGE         24

3^rd Tim Townsend Medway YC ROK         29

4^th Austin Guerrier Datchet GRUNGE         31

5^th Tom Rodger 3 Rivers PRIME NUMBER 41

6^th David Cole 3 Rivers GRUNGE              50

7^th Trevor Judd 3 Rivers STARKERS 3        50

8^th John Carter 3 Rivers ROK                    57

9^th Dick Grainge 3 Rivers STARKERS 2       62

The full results are available HERE