Solution Open at Glossop Sailing Club
by Martin Tubb 17 Jul 2018 23:10 PDT
15 July 2018
Four visitors joined the local Solution fleet at Glossop for a single handed open meeting with the Supernova and Laser classes. It was a hot and sunny day with a westerly force 3, and according to the PRO the best conditions they've had in a long time.
Race one made the best of the day's breeze with a course using pretty much the full length of Torside reservoir, with a long beat towards the dam and a series of off wind legs down to the leeward mark near the club house. I'm not sure if it made any difference, but Martin Tubb started at the committee boat end and led for the first lap. Thankfully the Supernovas weren't far ahead, making the course easy to follow. It was quickly clear that there were huge gains and losses to be made on the upwind leg and local duo Kathryn Smith and Paul Nix pulled through on the second of three laps to take the top spots, with Martin hanging onto third ahead of Kathryn Clark.
The galley put on an excellent spread for lunch, which Kevin Clark claimed was one of the best he'd had at a sailing club, and that was before he'd even got to the cakes.
Race two got underway with slightly less breeze but some significant gusts. Paul and Kathryn Smith once again took the lead, with Kathryn Clark and Peter Fisk initially leading the chase. Kevin and Martin got past Kathryn Clark on lap 2. On the third lap Peter was unlucky to sail into a hole a few boat lengths shy of the windward mark allowing Martin and Kevin through, before Kevin had an uncharacteristic capsize at the gybe mark letting Peter slip back into 4th place. Paul took the win ahead of club mate Kathryn Smith.
The third and final race was back to back and it was a contest between Kathryn Smith and Paul who both had a 1st and 2nd place. In the dying breeze, Paul led with Kathryn in hot pursuit. Martin wasn't far behind, and thought he might have a chance of getting past when they had a downwind luffing contest, however it wasn't to be, and Kathryn pulled ahead of Paul to take victory and with it won the event. Martin came home in a consistent third place while Peter tacked up to the committee boat end of the line to take 4th, just ahead of Kevin.
This was the first inland open for the Solutions this year, having previously raced at Llandudno and Felpham, and for the next open we're back on the salty stuff for the Nationals at Pembrokeshire YC.