RC Laser and DF95 Winter Series at West Lancashire Yacht Club - Overall
by Tony Wilson 27 Mar 2019 07:54 PDT
17 March 2019
RC Laser and DF65 Winter Series finale at Southport (West Lancs) © Tony Wilson
Stormy weather all week with winds hitting over 40mph for some part of every day, would it settle down by Sunday for the last of the series. We had done well at Southport and to be able to compete with either of the three separate favourites of most must take some clever forethought in all of the planning.
Twenty miles an hour was the given strength for the day and all coming from the west, so anybody thinking big rigs would be in for a surprise. Actually when you arrived on the car park, there was already someone practising with a 'D' rig on a DF95. That must be a first, as I don't think most that have them, have ever needed to take them out of the packet.
Seven skippers enrolled for the day for the lasers and only four for the Dragon flight, there was obviously something else on somewhere around the country, but we wasn't going to let it spoil our fun. Alan set to putting up a suitable course with the aid of Fleetwood's boat man Peter and it would be the usual format.
The Dragons set off first and they had all adopted their C rigs. There was a fifth contender but only had a B at present, so decided not to chance a drowning ship. Lasers followed in their smallest sail and we were off. The top two guys for the series dragon's were John B. and Tim L. So they probably had all to fight for, as they hadn't had as many outings as had the lasers.
Race 4 and Ken's main sheet had somehow unattached itself, but it would be the end of the race before Alan could return it from it's journey heading towards Preston. The boat crew caught up with it just as it was sailing through the gap in the two islands.
Six races were sailed up to the lunch break and it was John Sharman who was dominating the Laser races, while Tim and John Brieley seemed to be having an equal sharing in the Dragon force.
Peter Iles was in second place and by race nine Eric, Tony and Peter were all on equal points of thirty. Tony decided to go up a rig and try the C as it looked like the white horses were now fewer in number. Although just about managing and keeping to the tamer waters it wasn't quite the right call. Peter followed suit and both of them had now thrown away their chance of becoming second.
John S. had taken all of the first place spots and it was only the very last race that he looked like giving one away.
Tim and John B. had the same firsts and seconds with the DF's, so it went to a count back and it was just the one race that John had failed to finish that gave it away to our Abersoch winner. Skip and Clive seemed to have had a good day and weren't put off by the more established Dragoneers.
Thanks to all in the organising and to those that travelled greater distances to qualify in three events for either of the series.
Results for the day RC Laser:
1 John Sharman - Burwain
2 Eric Austwick - Fleetwood
3 Tony Wilson - Fleetwood
The series RC Laser:
1 John Sharman - Burwain - 289 pts
2 John Armstrong - Two Islands - 269 pts
3 Peter Iles - Fleetwood - 250 pts
Results for the day DF 95:
1 Tim Long - Abersoch MYC
2 John Brierly - Birkenhead
3Skip Reaser - West Lancs
The series DF 95:
1 Tim Long - Abersoch MYC - 284 pts
2 John Brierly - Birkenhead - 277 pts
3 Skip Reaser - West Lancs - 137 pts