East Kent Radio Sailing Club DF95 Spring Series Event 1 at Barton's Point Coastal Park
by Peter Jackson 6 Apr 2025 22:30 PDT
3 April 2025
Start during DF95 Spring Series Event 1 at Barton's Point Coastal Park © Jim La Roche
16 skippers and 14 DF95's found 15 knot Easterlies and sunshine at the Isle of Sheppey for the first East Kent Spring Series event of 2025. Jim and Debbie La Roche kept the fleet in order.
With some back from a break and four different race winners things were tight at the top, except, after 3 different winners in the first 3 races, for Adrian Tomlinson who imperiously plugged in 7 first places from 13 races to continue his run of 3 event wins.
Dave Adams, after just dodging Asian earthquakes, was back in winning ways in race 2 and Mike Brand won race 3, both from Adrian, both after one earlier podium. Stuart Ord-Hume, after two 6th then 3rd places. Got the winners gun in race 5, from Robert Owens best place of the day. Paul Woodward hit a purple patch from race two, scoring 3,4,2,3,2 as Dave, Mike and Rob slipped back down the pack. Peter Jackson managed only three 4ths and no podiums after tangling with give way boats and taking damage.
Dave Adams came back with two 2nd places before lunch, then Mike Brand got another win in race 9 with a consistently mid fleet Alan Hounsell peaking with a 3rd. Stuart however was plugging in the podiums, five in a row before a 5th then his second win in race 10. Dave came back with 2,2,6,2 before he also took a second win, in race 11.
Adrian's 2,3,2 was bookended with two wins to sew up the event win, but there was nothing between the next four boats. Paul scored 3,2,4 in the final 3 races but Stuart got 3rd in the last race to level the points for 2nd overall and take it on a tie break. Dave's battery ran out and Mike got 2nd in the last race to also finish level, but Dave also took the place on a tie break, two point separating four boats!
Overall Results:
1. 30 Adrian Tomlinson
2. Stuart Ord-Hume
3. 20 Paul Woodward
4. 358 Dave Adams
5. 875 Mike Brand
6. 380 Alan Hounsell
7. 479 Robert Owns
8. 211 Peter Jackson
9. 311 John Nash
10. 32 Spencer Pope
11. 156 Martin Hill
12. 613 Andrew Nichols
13. 86 John Barker
14. 07 Edward Coxon