International 14 Perry Pot Series Finale at Itchenor Sailing Club
by Ed FitzGerald 3 Jan 23:38 PST
On a typically grey December day with wind ranging from 8-15 knots, the 14 fleet had the harbour to themselves for the final racing of the Perry Pot series.
The wind was a west south westerly which made for three great races for the 6 boats, with some returning faces from far afield and close to home; Neale Jones (previous POW and Europeans winner) taking the place of Martin Jones for the day, teaming up with Harry Kennedy, Douglas and Mark returning to the fleet and Izzy FitzGerald crewing Andy FitzGerald in a father - daughter team.
In race one, Pete and Hugh started on port and led out to the favored right hand side. The rest of the fleet all looked right but got stuck in a drag race and refused to tack. Pete and Hugh led round mark one, closely followed by Neale and Harry and Ed and Glen. The top three remained tight for the three lap race, with Ed and Glen ultimately taking the win. Neale and Harry held on to second place, with Pete and Hugh ending the race in third.
Race two saw the ex pairing of Ed & Neale egging each other on but both ending up over the line. The wise heads of Douglas and Mark took full advantage with a comfortable lead around mark one, with Izzy and Andy FitzGerald closely behind. Douglas and Mark held on to the lead with Glen and Ed in second and Neale and Harry in third.
In traditional Perry pot format, race three was the race home, with a close three way battle for the lead, it all came down to the final leg - a long downwind finishing at the gallon line. Glen & Ed led round the final mark and just managed to fend off the charging Neale and Harry who pipped Douglas and Mark on the final gybe into the finish.
This concluded another great Perry Pot series with Glen and Ed taking the win, getting plenty of sailors out on the water through November and December for some of the best harbour sailing of the year, making the most of the empty harbour. A huge thank you to all of those who give up their time to be race officers to make this happen.