IOM Midland District Champion Skipper Winter Series at Lincoln Radio Sailing Club - Round 2
by Mick Chamberlain 3 Feb 09:03 PST
19 January 2025
Darin Ballington (second in round 2) - IOM Midland District Champion Skipper Winter Series at Lincoln © Jen Hand
Wow what a day for Radio Racing - the weather god's delivered and the 30 skipper's took full advantage, some travelling for up to 3 hours to compete in what one would say was a very hot fleet.
OD Micky C, with help from Darin B got the course sorted in good time, wind not quite perfect but that would come we new it. Split into two fleets for the seeding, these would be run using the South bank, and duly started at ten am sharp, the winners of both seedings were Martyn Aspinal and Roger Crates the breeze being a steady 5/6 knots and this was to remain for the first B fleet race once the seedings had been sorted.
The Breeze as the race went on was veering, and we knew the time had come to change banks, and so over to our favoured East bank where a great beat and run course was set, the perfect South westerly getting up to around ten knots, and it racing was close to the bank giving great views for the skippers and finishing team alike.
The racing was close where ever you were in the fleet, but a pattern was emerging among the top ten who were particularly close. The first three races had Rob Mcintosh with his V9 post 2 Bullets and a second spot, consistency was hard to find but Tim Hand had got a 1st and 2nd but was spoilt by a discardable 13th, not ideal, but his Brit Pop was going well.
The Lincoln club was sporting 13 entries in the event a truly great turnout, with some very skilled visitors this was always going to be a tough event, Two Lincoln skipper's suffered winch problem's early on and had to retire, which must have been disappointing.
Race 5 had Rob M post his 2nd bullet with Tim H keeping the pressure on with a second, it was really tight for the top four places and most were hoping to get to 8 races to get their second discard, in a falling breeze and the final A fleet race shortened, the second discard helped some, Rob M clinched the win with great consistency and he will be pleased he made the return to radio sailing, Darin B winning the last race cemented 2nd but it could have been so different for Tim and Dorian, consistency is always the Key.
But many thanks to all the helpers who made this great event tick, especially our scorer who was unflappable.
Overall Results:
| Position | Hull | Helm | Sail No | Club/City | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | R7 | R8 | Pts |
|---|
| 1 | V9 | 66 | Robert McIntosh | Birkenhead RS&PC | 2 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 13 |
| 2 | Britpop | 98 | Darin Ballington | Lincoln RSC | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 16 |
| 3 | Britpop | 134 | Tim Hand | Lincoln RSC | 2 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 14 | 17 |
| 4 | Britpop | 60 | Dorian Crease | Two Islands RYC | 3 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 17 |
| 5 | Britpop | 17 | Rob Radbourne | Manor Park RSC | 6 | 10 | 4 | 5 | 16 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 30 |
| 6 | Buzz 6 | 7 | Brian Summers | Tayside RSC | 7 | 9 | 13 | 1 | 7.7 | 7 | 12 | 3 | 34.7 |
| 7 | Britpop | 74 | Chris Elliott | Lincoln RSC | 5 | 17 | 28 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 9 | 38 |
| 8 | Britpop | 91 | Martyn Aspinall | Rotherham MYC | 1 | 14 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 13 | 6 | 16 | 42 |
| 9 | Britpop | 97 | Rob Wilson | Lincoln RSC | 4 | 12 | 6 | 13 | 5 | 12 | 11 | 5 | 43 |
| 10 | Alioth | 71 | Simon Fairmam | Manor Park RSC | 5 | 8 | 15 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 15 | 49 |
| 11 | V10 | 144 | Paul Kelly | Lincoln RSC | 14 | 26 | 12 | 15 | 6 | 11 | 1 | 11 | 55 |
| 12 | Britpop | 57 | David Rigby | Lincoln RSC | 9 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 13 | 5 | 17 | 18 | 55 |
| 13 | V11.5 | 45 | Paul Middleton | Fleetwood MY&PBC | 12 | 21 | 11 | 12 | 9 | 16 | 15 | 6 | 65 |
| 14 | Britpop | 32 | Simon Richardson | Manor Park RSC | 8 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 15 | 24 | 19 | 66 |
| 15 | Buzz 3 | 145 | Colin McGinnis | Tayside RSC | 4 | 6 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 29 | 21 | 20 | 76 |
| 16 | Venti | 87 | Kevin Evison | Lincoln RSC | 10 | 18 | 17 | 11 | 15 | 25 | 13 | 12 | 78 |
| 17 | Rockstar | 171 | Ben Wallace | Huntingdon RYC | 6 | 3 | 7 | 17 | 29 | 22 | 27 | 24 | 79 |
| 18 | Britpop | 43 | John Smith | Manor Park RSC | 13 | 7 | 14 | 25 | 18 | 14 | 26 | 17 | 83 |
| 19 | Robot | 88 | Hayden Wallace | Huntingdon RYC | 12 | 28 | 20 | 23 | 29 | 9 | 7 | 13 | 84 |
| 20 | Britpop | 69 | Jen Hand | Lincoln RSC | 7 | 24 | 22 | 18 | 20 | 19 | 20 | 10 | 94 |
| 21 | Britpop | 3 | Colin Walton | Manor Park RSC | 13 | 27 | 21 | 27 | 11 | 17 | 14 | 23 | 99 |
| 22 | Britpop | 49 | Tracey Ballington | Lincoln RSC | 10 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 20 | 22 | 4 | 106 |
| 23 | Britpop | 61 | Stephen Brown | Huntingdon RYC | 8 | 19 | 18 | 21 | 29 | 26 | 18 | 25 | 109 |
| 24 | Cedici | 77 | Adrian Cripps | Lincoln RSC | 11 | 22 | 19 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 16 | 28 | 111 |
| 25 | Britpop | 44 | Mike Willett | Two Islands RYC | 15 | 20 | 25 | 19 | 23 | 18 | 23 | 22 | 117 |
| 26 | Britpop | 46 | Phil Davenport | Huntingdon RYC | 14 | 17 | 27 | 28 | 24 | 23 | 19 | 21 | 118 |
| 27 | Britpop | 9 | Steve Venables | Manor Park RSC | 9 | 31 | 23 | 20 | 19 | 29 | 29 | 31 | 129 |
| 28 | Venti | 39 | Michael Cooper | Lincoln RSC | 15 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 21 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 131 |
| 29 | Venti | 30 | Roger Crates | Bridlington MBS | 1 | 17 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 142 |
| 30 | Venti | 59 | Sam Parker | Lincoln RSC | 11 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 166 |
