Learning and Skills Solutions Pyefleet Week–Day 5–Competition tightens

by Fiona Brown on 11 Aug 2017 After the torrential downpours of and special all in handicap of Big Wednesday, it was back to the serious business of regatta series racing on day five of Learning and Skills Solutions Pyefleet Week in Brightlingsea.

Although skies were still initially grey, conditions were much improved with a decent northerly breeze throughout the day enabling all races to be started on time.

Pyefleet Week is very much a family week and combines great racing for a wide range of classes alongside special opportunities to encourage the youngsters to gain racing experience. In addition to the closely fought 21 strong Cadet Handicap, there is also the Parent and Child Class in which those not yet old/experienced enough to race on their own can get their first taste of racing with an adult family member or friend.

Special rules allow for crew changes in this fleet and several of the teams have alternating crews to ensure the kids don't get too tired. The Mirror Class is also focused on the cadets and again many of the youngest sail with an adult to gain experience, including this week's youngest competitor, three year old Josie Heppell who is sailing with Grandfather Steve Heppell.

The fourth race in the Parent and Child series was won by father and son Stuart and Tom Phillips who now lead the series by two points from Dave Youngs and grandson Finlay Appleton in a Topaz Race who were second in the race as well as now being second overall. Third in the race and now also third overall are father and daughter Stephen and Morgan Cross sailing a 2000.

The competition is cutthroat in the Cadet Handicap where Amelie Hiscocks race four win in her Optimist gives her a single point lead over Freya Gascoyne's Laser 4.7. Second in the race and now in third overall and three points behind Gascoyne lies Harry McTiernan sailing an RS Tera Sport. Ed Eeles sailed his RS Tera Sport into fourth place in the race and he and Elizabeth Hill sailing a Topper now count seven points apiece with Eeles sitting in fourth overall on countback. Third in race four and now in sixth overall is James Edwards, also sailing an RS Tera Sport.

The Mirror Class not only has more World and Olympic champions in it than you can shake the proverbial stick at, but it's also multi generational with three generations of several families racing. In race four Melissa Heppell and her son Louis Hiscocks took a narrow victory over husband Simon Hiscocks and daughter Amelie Hiscocks. Clive Goodwin crewed alternately this week by Anna and Zoe Goodwin, finished the race in second with brother Philip Goodwin crewed by Felix Goodwin third and Stephen and Josie Heppell fourth. In the overall standings Melissa and Louis now have a two point lead. Malcolm Goodwin, crewed by grand daughter Kaya Nawrot, is tied on points with son Philip and grandson Felix with Malcolm lying second overall on countback.

Just three points separates the leading trio in the Asymmetric Fast Handicap where the first to third in race four reflects the overall positions. Ben Clegg's Musto Skiff claims first place with a single point overall lead from Nick Barnes and Neil Baldry's F18 with the RS800 of Chris Bines and David Gibbons two further points back in third. Two further points back are Simon and Amelie in fourth.

The Brightlingsea One Design Class is equally tight with Clive Goodwin, Graham Sanderson and Mark Schofield's race four win giving them a single point overall lead from Jeremy and Ollie Newman and Sarah Bines, who took third place in race four. Chris Matthews David Conlon and Ed Gibbons/Rebecca Bines came second in the race and now hold third place with a two point delta.

Sixty one years young Pete Purkiss is showing the RS700 Class a clean pair of heels with a straight wins scorecard to lead the fleet by a point from Simon Redfearn who added another second place to his scorecard. David Bridle and Richard Goldklang are enjoying a great battle for third place with Bridle currently clinging to the third step of the podium by a single point with Goldklang fourth.

Father and daughter duo Andy and Sarah Bines took second place in the Fast Handicap race four but promptly discarded it as their worst score of the series so continue to lead the fleet overall from the RS300 of Ed Evans who won the race and is now just one point behind the leaders. Tom Taylor-Jones and Mimi Taylor sailing an RS400 took third in race four from the Hornet of Issy and Will Taylor-Jones, both crews are tied on six point with Issy taking third overall on countback.

Steve Williams has a straight firsts scoreline in the Laser fleet and Mark Schofield has straight second places ensuring them first and second overall respectively. Ben Powell, Richard Herbert are Tim Ashworth are battling it out for third place. Powell took third in the race putting him on equal points with Herbert but into third on countback while Ashworth is a single point behind them.

Alex Clarke's race win in his Laser Radial means he now leads the Laser Handicap fleet by one point from Joshua Davies' 4.7, with the Laser Radial of Alex Lightly in third.

Although race four in the Slow Handicap was won by brother and sister Jessica and Chris Rust, Cadets Rebecca Bines and Connie Hughes sailing an RS200 took second place and continue to lead the fleet by a single point from Brian Allen's RS Aero 7. Paul Aldridge ripped his Solo mainsail and was forced to retire but discards that results and continues to hold third place overall, one point behind Allen.

Blake and Brett Tudor sailing an RS Feva XL took their second win of the regatta in Slow Handicap A, where Charlotte Bate sailing a Topaz finished second and the Wivenhoe One Design of David Tourhay and Lionel Scutcher was third. In the overalls the Tudor brothers lead the class by one point from Tourhay and Scutcher with Harry McTiernan and Brooke Hastings both sailing RS Tera Sports, three points behind them but in third and fourth after countback.

After sailing the competitors came together for a laid back curry supper hosted by the Laser fleet.