Cumbley is Solo End of Season Champion

by Claire Clark on 10 Nov 2008 Sixty-six entrants made their way to Draycote Water SC on Saturday 8 November for the last event in the Solo Class Championship Calendar, the End of Season Championships.

Competitors were greeted by Force 4-5 South Westerly and Race 1 got away cleanly – however the windward mark set adrift after the first lap and the race had to be re-started. This was rather fortunate for the early leaders in that race who had missed the spreader mark and sailed the wrong course. As one competitor put it 'it was like a mini practice race'.

The restart got away with the windward mark now securely anchored, and rounding it the leading group were Charlie Cumbley, Rob Gardner and Cliff Crawshaw all of who maintained their positions for the first lap, on the second beat Dave McGregor had caught the leaders. Rob Gardner who had tacked away early after the leeward mark was overtaken by those who had held their port tack position, including Steve Cockerill, Dave Mitchell and Jon Clarke.

Richard Pye used his lightweight status to fly across the reach to join the chasing pack behind the leaders.

At the finish it was Charlie Cumbley who had pulled away on the run from Dave McGregor in 2nd, with Cliff Crawshaw 3rd and Richard Pye 4th.

For the start of Race 2, the wind had abated slightly and at the first mark Cliff Crawshaw and Chris Brown had established a healthy lead over Jon Clarke, Jonathan Lewis and Steve Cockerill. The leading 4 held their positions to the finish with Greg Irish pulling up ground on the last lap to pass Steve Cockerill by the finish.

The wind was back for the start of the last race, those that had made a port tack start off the committee boat appeared to have chosen the favoured side, but by the windward mark it was those that had gone out to the left side of the course early on that had chosen the best route to the windward mark, with Chris Brown rounding ahead of Charlie Cumbley, Dave McGregor and Richard Pye. As the leaders reached across to the wing mark, the chasing pack were tightly bunched.

As the leading pair started the second beat they split tacks and Chris Brown had extended his lead by the windward mark, but this was short lived as Charlie Cumbley caught and overtook on the run to start the last lap in the lead.

At the end of the beat, Cumbley had maintained his lead with Dave McGregor now in second, however Chris Brown fought back on the reach to round back in 2nd place. The finish order was Charlie Cumbley, Chris Brown, Dave McGregor and Steve Cockerill.

Solo End of Season Championship - Overall Results

1 1 Charlie Cumbley Teign Corinthian 1 (7) 1 2
2 4861 Chris Brown RYA (5) 1 2 3
3 4832 David McGregor Hayling Island S.C. 2 (23) 3 5
4 4951 Cliff Crawshaw Corus S.C. 3 2 (9) 5
5 4712 Jon Clarke Draycote Water S.C. (15) 3 6 9
6 4357 Richard Pye Draycote Water S.C. 4 (19) 5 9
7 483 Steve Cockerill Stokes Bay S.C. (6) 6 4 10
8 4935 David Mitchell Winsford Flash SC 7 (13) 8 15
9 4557 Greg Irish Draycote Water S.C. (24) 5 11 16
10 4669 Nick Rawlings Hayling Island S.C. 8 9 (12) 17
11 4809 Jonathan Lewis Burghfield S.C. 14 4 (15) 18
12 4844 Stuart Hydon Shustoke S.C. 11 (12) 7 18
13 4921 Stephen Broom Spinnaker 10 (20) 10 20
14 4920 Rob Gardner Notts County 9 (26) 14 23
15 4835 Littleton S.C. 17 8 (DNF) 25
16 4913 Andy Couch Blithfield S.C. 16 10 (48) 26
17 4884 Stephen Denison Hollingworth Lake (27) 11 17 28
18 4960 Vincent Horey King Gerorge S.C. 13 15 (DNC) 28
19 4833 Ian Harridge Chelmarsh S.C. (20) 14 16 30
20 4578 Neil Wilkinson Shustoke S.C. (DNF) 22 13 35
21 4718 Paul Rayson Fishers Green S.C. 19 16 (22) 35
22 4923 Tony Cooper King George (23) 18 20 38
23 4859 Gareth Griffiths Island Barn RSC (22) 21 18 39
24 4735 Daniel Goodman Kingsmead S.C. (28) 17 23 40
25 4687 Nigel Davies Draycote Water S.C. 21 (29) 19 40
26 4388 N Snedker Chew Valley Lake S.C. 18 25 (DNC) 43
27 4606 Mark Lee Spinnaker 25 (27) 21 46
28 4662 Chris Gillard Sheff Viking 26 24 (DNC) 50
29 4867 Chris Gaswell Buryfield S.C. 29 (37) 24 53
30 4748 Andrew Fox Crosby S.C. (33) 28 25 53
31 4738 Alastair Raynard Carsington S.C. (DNF) 30 30 60
32 4481 Peter McCrea Draycote Water S.C. 30 31 (DNC) 61
33 4386 Michael Dray Littleton S.C. (40) 36 27 63
34 4860 Jeremy Atkins Draycote Water S.C. (37) 32 31 63
35 4878 Keith Lancaster Rugby & Daventry S.C. (44) 35 29 64
36 4120 Godfrey Clark Fishers Green (39) 34 33 67
37 4452 Chris Mayhew Royal Harwich Y.C. (36) 33 35 68
38 4532 David Downs Corus 34 (44) 34 68
39 4771 Andrew Liddington Rugby & Daventry S.C. (42) 41 28 69
40 4810 Andrew Smith Draycote Water S.C. 38 (39) 32 70
41 4843 Hannah Showell Shustoke S.C. 41 (46) 37 78
42 4714 Mike Ball Papercourt S.C. 12 (DNC) DNC 79
43 4813 Miles Thomas BALA 45 (48) 38 83
44 3931 Brian Fisher Melton Mowbray SC (DNF) 43 40 83
45 4660 Keith Smith 43 40 (44) 83
46 4327 Bruce Deppe Hollingworth Lake (46) 42 41 83
47 4362 Jonathan Hughes Draycote Water S.C. 35 49 (DNC) 84
48 3562 H.F. Brown Draycote Water S.C. 50 (52) 36 86
49 1525 Clive Gimson Melton Mowbray SC 49 (50) 39 88
50 3290 Derek Mayhew Royal Harwich Y.C. (47) 47 42 89
51 1252 Richard Christmas Hunts S.C. 48 (51) 43 91
52 4336 Terry Brooks Oxford (DNF) DNC 26 93
53 4445 Tony Sampson Budworth S.C. 31 (DNC) DNC 98
54 3676 Graham Marshall Draycote Water S.C. (DNF) 53 45 98
55 3716 Bill Hutchings 51 (54) 47 98
56 4441 Andrew Voysey RYA 32 (DNC) DNC 99
57 3814 Sue McCrea Draycote Water S.C. (DNF) 55 46 101
58 4508 Robin Warren Draycote Water S.C. (DNF) 38 DNC 105
59 4882 David Hodson Melton Mowbray SC (DNF) 45 DNC 112
60 4064 Kevin Fuller Datchet S.C. (DNF) DNC DNC 134
60 3228 Peter Eronson Trent Valley S.C. (DNF) DNC DNC 134
60 4371 Jackie Crafter Carsington S.C. (DNF) DNC DNC 134
60 4399 Draycote Water S.C. (DNF) DNC DNC 134
60 4218 Mike Clay Draycote Water S.C. (DNF) DNC DNC 134
60 4897 David Liddington Rugby & Daventry S.C. (DNF) DNC DNC 134
60 4929 Pete Mitchell Winsford Flash (DNF) DNC DNC 134

Many thanks to Draycote Water SC for organising and hosting a fabulous event and new sponsors to the class, Harken who generously sponsored the event with every competitor taking away a gift.