Vane A National Championships – Thursday Update

Lots more images from Sue HERE (Thanks Sue)

From Mervyn

Thursday is the day when the whole fleet comes together in a full day’s racing.  With a forecast for 16 to 18 mph and building, with gusts in the afternoon to nearly 30 mph, skippers were somewhat surprised to find benign weather, decidedly warm, with apparently another moderate whole-sail breeze.  The promised wind-chill didn’t happen, and sunshine did, so there were some red faces sprinting up and down the lake-side.  In the lighter winds in the morning, some of the lighter boats enjoyed their moments of glory, although the heavier, more round hulled traditional boats continued to make places, particularly as the gusty sea-breeze appeared at about mid-day, bringing squally winds from everywhere between south-south westerly, to shifts with a bit of north in them.  The gusts became quite vicious, and all but the heavy-weights changed down.

Spinnakers were invariably used down-wind, and again these changed from full kites in the morning, to tiny sails in the afternoon.  Trim decisions were made the more difficult because the shifts by the club-house almost always saw boats bearing away in to the bank, only to be hit by a freeing lift.   Broaches were the order of the day, and often the boat which won the down-winds was the one who risked a relatively largish spinnaker and reached the freeing shift without banking.  There were numerous re-sails on the runs, with the last board finishing at about 5.30.

Thursday’s results make interesting reading.  Despite the strong winds, top boat at close of play is David and Margaret Bells lightweight John Simpson ‘Lightening’.  In second, just one point behind, is Nigel Sharpe’s traditional VC2.  Third and three points behind them is Shaun and Graham Wyeth’s beautiful planked mid-weight Hollom, followed in fourth and only four points behind by Dave Geldard and C.J.Vice’s VC2.  In fifth, and only one point behind them is Jacque Cook and Eric Meighen’s ‘Lightening’, and very close behind them indeed is Lewis Wyeth and Ray Baker’s recent, mid-weight Hollom ‘Sea the Stars’ design.

Tomorrow is the final day, with time for perhaps five more heats, so with the scoring so close it’s all to play for.  It’s going to be a very tense time at the Cockle Pond, Gosport!