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Sailing Programme 2010
Results and Reports |
Lovely venue, shame about the
weather. It was so windy on Sunday of the August Bank Holiday that a
couple of waterspouts were seen scudding across Bridlington Bay, and
racing had to be cancelled both that day and on the Monday, too.
So it is just as well that the very accommodating
team at the Royal Yorkshire Yacht Club had been prepared to run a couple
of races on the Saturday afternoon, despite many of them having only
just arrived back from the Dart 18 Worlds at Weymouth in the early hours
of the morning.

Above: the wide beach at Bridlington, with
launching at any tide
For Race 1, Alastair picked the
port bias and then stalled to blow the advantage and Gareth Ede and
Cliff Antill got the best of a rather ragged start, as the
seven-strong fleet struggled with high winds and heavy gusts. Gareth,
followed by Cliff, steadily stretched his lead over the
triangle/windward-leeward/triangle course. Gareth’s father, Stuart,
initially led the chasing pack, but was overhauled on the next beat by
George Evans.
This order (Gareth, Cliff, George and Stuart)
then held until the last beat when Neal Graneau, who was closing the gap
on Stuart, again decided to head alone up the left side, staying longer
out to sea hoping to keep the fresh breeze and gain from the tide .
Stuart was about to tack to cover Neal, when he picked up some pressure
and decided to stick with it up the right side, and was to rue his
decision when Neal crossed the line just ahead to snatch fourth.
For Race 2 the adjusted and
shortened line still had a small port bias. Cliff going for a port start
was caught by the starboard pack, but was content to finally cross last
and take a long port board to the right side towards the shore, his
original plan.
The remaining fleet in close contention was
seized with a mass competitiveness, overstanding the turn to the mark
more and more, until some mistook the wing mark for the windward mark.
Neal realised the mistake, appealing for room to tack but was trapped by
boats on his shoulder. By the time reality had dawned, Cliff was a
distant figure up at the windward mark, and he sailed the race alone
with an unassailable lead.
Neal led the chastened pack back to the correct
mark, and the rest came round in quick succession. Neal was overtaken on
the next beat by first Gareth and then Stuart. These two progressively
pulled away from the pack, but could only marginally close the gap on
Cliff as everyone battled through some hairy squalls
Although places stayed in order, there was plenty
of action, with the wind and sea building; Chris, trying trapezing on
the reaches, dived and turned turtle.
The arrival of a dark cloud front brought sudden
fierce hail and then driving rain (the beach on return pock-marked from
the impacts) Neal just made it to the windward mark as visibility closed
down, and reached across the gusts emerging out of the front of the
rain, only to be caught again. Alastair emerged from the easing rain to
find the shadowy boat he had been beating towards was a fishing boat,
taking him well beyond the mark and to the far back of the race.
Sunday morning
brought increased wind, with dark gusts across the water, with a
forecast for more through the day (the best forecast offering 17 mph
basic but 50 mph gusts, a forecast proving only half right.) and a clear
consensus that racing was not on.
That afternoon, while Chris and Barbara walked in
woods with mounting alarm as branches began to break off and fall, and
Neal and Majella watched 10’ rollers coming through Whitby Harbour
entrance, they received calls that their tents had been demolished back
at the club, rescued by the offer to camp in the club buildings.
Monday
gave the last chance to race, and the wind was less extreme, but still
whipping the tops off the surf coming in. Forecast relief would come
only late afternoon, and the series was readily wound up at two races.

Above: Boats tied down, and the surf rolls in
Monday morning
Cliff and Gareth were left on equal points with a
first and second each. Behind these two George, Stuart and Neal each had
eight points.
Count back left George and Stuart vying for the
last podium place with a third and a fifth each, but the tie was then
broken in Stuart’s favour on the result of the last race. (Neal’s two
fourths still left him behind Stuart and George, at fifth, with
consistency penalised, as it had been for him at Pagham.)
Count back could not break the tie between Gareth
and Cliff, so it came down to the result of the last race, which gave
Cliff first place overall. (Rumours that everyone let Cliff win because
it was his birthday were strongly denied, especially after he plied all
those present with bubbly and cakes.)
Overall results
1st Cliff Antill
(CCA)
3 points
2nd Gareth Ede
(Filey SC)
3
3rd Stuart Ede
(Filey SC)
8
4th George Evans
(Bala Cat Club) 8
5th Neal Graneau
(CCA)
8
6th Alastair Forrest (CCA)
12
7th Chris Phillips
( CCA)
16
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