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CraftInsure Supernova Open Meeting at Cotswold Sailing Club

by Cliff Milliner 17 Mar 12:43 PDT 15 March 2025
CraftInsure Supernova Open Meeting at Cotswold SC © Robert Hills

The CraftInsure Supernova Open at Cotswold SC was held on the 15th March. 25 entries including 11 visitors were greeted with sunny spells but a cold easterly wind which at Cotswold means big wind shifts, so the race officer Steve Crocker did a great job of setting a nice course with two beats and a variety of runs and reaches to get around the lake.

With the wind strength ranging from 5 -15 knots within the space of a few boat lengths and 40 degree shifts it was an 'eyes out of the boat' sort of day and with lots of opportunity to make big gains or even bigger losses.

In the first race Mat Thursfield lead of the line but it was Cliff Milliner and Alex Reave who made the best of the beat to lead at the windward mark closely followed by Gifford, Young, and Hanson. Milliner started to pull away but the chasing pack pull up on a lovely big gust down the reach and he then proceeded to capsize whist tacking up the next beat, letting the chasers through.

I was a tight battle with most of the leading bunch taking a turn at the front, but in the end Hugo Hansen pulled through from the back of the bunch to take the win with Horlock pipping Milliner right on the line for second and third.

After the traditional chilli lunch, they ventured out for races 2 and 3, with the wind shifting left the course was reset, but it was just as shifty and gusty.

For race 2 a very port biased line saw Higo nail the pin and tack while everyone else struggled to get away giving him a big lead and he was never challenged all race. Returning National champion from 2016 Ian Horlock locked in a solid second place. Behind him a tangle at the bottom mark saw Fisher pull through to third, followed by the same chasing pack. Hansen took the win from Ian with Milliner in third.

Race 3 was much like the other 2 but this time Hansen was well down after a bad start, and Thursfield led the way around. The pack behind was always close, with a beat that sometimes paid to go hard left, then every now and then the right-hand corner came good.

Milliner again capsizing while tacking dropped back and Hansen doing a fantastic last lap charge through the fleet picking the best of the shifts upwind and gusts downwind, showing everyone how it should be done, caught right up to Thursfield at the last mark but couldn't quite get past. Thursfield took the win from Hansen then Horlock in a solid third.

During prize-giving all the sailors feasted on tea and cakes. Overall, Hansen's two race wins gave him the trophy, with Horlock in second and Thursfield in third.

Overall Results:

PosSail NoHelmClubR1R2R3Pts
1st1218Hugo HansonCostwold SC11‑22
2nd1355Ian HorlockExe SC22‑34
3rd1302M ThursfieldChelmarsh SC4‑715
4th1245C MillinerCotswold SC33‑46
5th1163L FisherEmberton Park SC‑94610
6th1248M WilliamsCostwold SC‑75510
7th1358G YoungCotswold SC‑106915
8th1333C HawleyBartley SC6‑101016
9th1162Oliver CrockerCostwold Sc‑138816
10th1344Alex reeveCotswold SC89(DNC)17
11th1201Chris WilliamsCostwold SC‑1211718
12th1244J WhiteCostwold SC11‑121122
13th1160P UndrellHaversham‑14141327
14th1274A GouldCotswold SC‑16161228
15th1309D StewardsonEmbertion Park SC1513(DNC)28
16th1307Martin RootsCardiff Bay‑18151429
17th1299W GiffordCostwold SC5(DNC)DNC30
18th1203S JohnsonCotswold SC‑17171532
19th1305S StephenWorcester‑22191635
20th1211D HansenCostwold SC‑20201737
21st1180D StephenBartley1918(DNC)37
22nd1083S StewardsonEmberton Park SC‑21211839
23rd1057I CasewellCostwold SC23(DNF)DNC48
24th1069A MarshailBowmoor SC24(DNF)DNC49