Solo Western Series at Sutton Bingham Sailing Club

(L-R) Howard Frear, Richard Frost and Vernon Perkins at the Solo open meeting at Sutton Bingham © Wendy Jackson

Richard Frost, winner at Sutton Bingham Solo open meeting © Wendy Jackson

An overcast and practically windless morning greeted the seven sailors who visited Sutton Bingham SC for the Solo Open and round 5 of the Solo Western Travellers Series.

By 11.30am however, there was just enough NNE zephyrs for Principal Race Officer (PRO), Chris Bottomley to start Race 1. After a clean start on a remarkably unbiased line (considering the conditions), the patchy and shifty wind resulted in plenty of place changes up the first beat with Paul Teague, Howard Frear and Charles Davidson being the top three at the windward mark.

Steady, but slow, progress was made downwind before another shifty and tactical beat was undertaken.

This time Paul and Howard rounded first and second with Richard Frost in third. After a short reach to a "spreader mark", Richard split gybes with the leading pair just as a faint NW puff arrived. This was enough to give him the inside track and the lead at the next gybe mark which he then just managed to hold to the leeward mark.

Meanwhile, the wind gradually filled in from behind and the chasing boats all arrived at the leeward mark together, but with differing speeds, resulting in the inevitable 'complications'. Having sorted the "leeward hairpin melee" and with a light but now steadier breeze for lap 3, place changing was difficult and Richard, Howard and Paul went on to finish in first, second and third respectively.

A quick lunch in the hazy sunshine and then it was out again for Races 2 and 3 to be sailed back to back.

Race 2 saw Richard get the best of the fickle shifts up the first beat and lead round the top mark just ahead of Howard. These two kept ahead of the fleet for the next lap, but the wind was fading fast. By the time the fleet had rounded the windward mark for the second time the wind had all but gone and Paul and Charles decided it was time to throw in the towel and head back to Cheddar reservoir.

The remainder gritted their teeth, suffered the bruised shins of very light wind Solo sailing and finished the shortened course with Richard and Howard coming in first and second respectively followed by John Banks grinding out a painful third.

A short 'on the water' discussion, timed with some weak thermal wind resulted in the PRO setting a very short windward-leeward course for Race 3. It was a clean start by all with Howard taking advantage of a windshift on the left to quickly and establish a healthy lead, which he never relinquished. Julian Doggrell rounded the top mark in second and a nifty move by Vernon Perkins allowed him to round third forcing, Richard back into fourth; a position he consolidated by touching the mark with his boom.

Julian and Vernon chased Howard hard all the way to the finish but Howard remained calm under the pressure to take the win, whilst Vernon just pipped Julian on the line to take second. John Banks overtook an increasingly frustrated Richard on the last beat to the finish to round out the top four.

Sutton Bingham Commodore, Andy Roxburgh, thanked for the visitors for making the effort to visit the club and presented the trophies and liquid prizes to the top 3 helms.

Overall Results: