Solo Open at Fishers Green Sailing Club
by Bill Brockbank 17 May 2016 06:34 PDT
15 May 2016
Solos at Fishers Green © Nick Yannakoyorgos
A Race Officer's Nightmare
A bright day and force 3 winds welcomed the 25 entrants, some from as far as Notts and Surrey, to Fishers Green Solo Open Meeting. The visitors were a mix of newcomers and ex-members, including several past winners.
The average wind was swinging (and settling) more than 45 degrees 3 or 4 times an hour, with the short term fluctuations making it even worse.
When a port boat starting at the port end looks likely to make the windward mark without tacking and minutes later a starboard tack boat at the starboard end reports he can too, the race officer can only do so much.
In the event Nick Yannakoyorgos did better than anyone gave him credit for, but the shifts made for a day when consistency was in short supply. On the plus side that meant there was place changing right to the finish in every race.
Tim Lewis from Island Barn stormed the first race yet eventually finished 5th overall. Alan Bishop (Girton, Newark) sailing the newest boat on show was 2nd with Jarvis Simpson (Blackwater) 3rd.
For the second race angling the course clockwise provided a longer beat - in itself the best insulation against wind shifts. The sailors showed their gratitude in time honoured fashion with 2 general recalls. Like the other races, the long beat was indeed a beat, but woe betide anyone caught the wrong side of one of those shifts.
Alan Bishop won this one, with Simpson second and past winner Steve Ede (Ardleigh) third.
Only Simpson (placed 3,2) could now beat Bishop (2,1) and then only if he won with Bishop 4th or worse. In the event, after one more general recall, Bishop came 5th. Could Simpson do it? No. He suffered "a bit of a Tottenham" (as it became known later that same afternoon when relegated Newcastle thrashed 2nd place Spurs, knocking them down to below their great rivals Arsenal) and finished 12th.
After a race long tussle Mark Maskell (Blackwater) was overtaken within sight of the line by Paul Rayson (Fishers Green). Steve Ede's 3rd in this race - fighting back from 7th - gave him 3rd overall, a point behind Simpson who was in turn 2 points behind Bishop.
Overall Results:
1st Alan Bishop, 5649 (Girton) 3pts
2nd Jarvis Simpson, 5406 (Blackwater) 5pts
3rd Steve Ede, 5608 (Ardleigh SC) 6pts
4th Mark Maskell, 5455 (Blackwater) 7pts (discarding a 5th)
5th Tim Lewis, 5561 (Island Barn) 7pts (discarding a 7th)
Note: FGSC have adopted the old - and better understood - 'best discard' tiebreak.