Impact Marine FF and GP14 Open Meeting at Bassenthwaite Sailing Club

Flying Fifteen and GP14 Open at Bass © William Curruthers

Flying Fifteen and GP14 Open at Bass © William Curruthers

What felt like the first day of summer greeted a fleet of fourteen Flying Fifteens and nine GP14s at Bassenthwaite Sailing Club for a combined open meeting, sponsored by Impact Marine.

Whilst the high pressure and sun was welcome, the forecast lack of wind definitely wasn't. In the bar on Friday evening there was some craic (Cumbrian for banter) about 'six different wind directions' at the scheduled start time of 13:00. The reality was much better than forecast, with bright blue skies and a gentle westerly sea breeze arriving just in time.

With all three races run back-to-back, it was a steamy day on the water, both in terms of the amount of sun cream required and with a few helms finding the tricky beat into the windward mark a little frustrating. In the Flying Fifteens three different teams won each of the three races. Stamping authority on the score sheet, event sponsor Andy Tunicliffe and Andy Smith, sailing a Ginger Boats FF, won the first race by over a minute.

The breeze dropped a little in the second race, making for lots of place changes in the peloton. After two slow laps it was Mark Somerville and Joe Roberts at the front sailing a much older FF 3440. A little more breeze arrived for race three which was lead from start to finish by John Reekie and Rory Yardley, who in the last throws of the last beat to the finish were under serious pressure from the well-seasoned team of Mike Moore and Sally Roberts.

Andy Tunicliffe and Andy Smith led overnight counting a consistent first, second and a third. In the GP14s, local boats led the way, with Bass wind sniffers Dave and Lyn Lawson winning all three races. Val and Ken Bell held second overnight with two second places. First visitors were Arthur Logan and Iain Hardy from Castle Semple SC, counting a fourth and two sevenths. Saturday evening was a pleasant affair fuelled by the club BBQs and some cool refreshments in the sun.

Sunday dawned windless and overcast, much to the liking of those who forgot the sun cream the day before. A small thirty-minute postponement was all that was required to allow a building westerly to set in. By the time the boats reached the racecourse it was almost blowing double figures and built into hiking conditions for the final race. In the Flying Fifteens, Dave and Jackie Gebhard arrived at the windward mark first, bust were passed halfway through the race by Paul Allen and Stephen Kirkpatrick who took the win. At this stage four different race winners in four races!

The final race was sailed in semi planning conditions, with Andy Tunicliffe and Andy Smith finding their way to the front and claiming the overall win with their second bullet. Close behind was Robin Dawson and Mike Cowan, who sailed consistently all weekend. When others scored race wins followed by mid fleet results, Robin and Mike counted all five results in the top four with eleven points overall from four races to finish a clear second overall. John Reekie and Rory Yardley also sailed consistently, finishing third overall, counting a first, a third and a fourth.

In the GP14s, Dave and Lyn Lawson continued their dominance, winning race four and with it the event with a race to spare. Val and Ken Bell added a third and a first to their consistent score line to claim second place. James and Jenny Macgregor finished in third overall, counting two second places on Sunday which helped put them ahead of Alan Jones and Sue Watson in fourth.

At the prize-giving commodore Andrea Preston thanked the volunteers and the visitors for making it a successful weekend on and off the water (and thanks to Andrea for a top galley service). Prizes were generously sponsored by Impact Marine.

Overall Results: