Enterprise Open at Midland Sailing Club

Paul Young and Jan Kimber during the Enterprise Open at Midland Sailing Club © Kevin Hopkins

Jonathan Woodward and Khiaan-Paul Schild win the Enterprise Open at Midland Sailing Club © Ashanti Lennox

Twenty-two Enterprise sailors were greeted at Midland Sailing Club on Sunday morning with warm sunshine, a pleasant south westerly breeze and bacon sandwiches - perfect conditions for what would prove to be an exciting day of racing.

Race 1: A Battle of Shifts and Wits

Despite the near-perfect sailing conditions, Midland still offered up its trademark shifts and gusts ensuring an interesting battle throughout the fleet. At the leeward mark on the final beat, Paul and Ria rounded ahead of the pack, closely shadowed by Jon and Khiaan, and Martin and Lauren. There were close battles taking place throughout the fleet - at one stage Paul Young and Jan Kimber came into a mark in fifth place and left in second! Despite the pressure from behind, Paul and Ria maintained their lead to take the win. The battle for second place was hotly contested but halfway up the last beat, Martin and Lauren went left and managed to get back into second place which they held to the finish.

Race 2: Black Flags and Tactics

After a well-earned lunch break, featuring Cornish Pasties from the galley, the sailors returned to the water eager for more action. A little too eager, perhaps, as they were given a General Recall and made to wait until the GP fleet had started before they could have another go. On second attempt, with the fleet starting under Black Flag, Oliver and Chris from Scammondon were still a bit too keen and were given some extra time to enjoy the sunshine ashore. For the rest of the fleet, Martin and Lauren rounded the windward mark in the lead and broke away from the pack, while a game of snakes and ladders was played behind them. With around a lap to go, a brief tête-à-tête with a GP-14 required a 720 from Martin and Lauren and brought the chasing pack perilously close. Jon and Khiaan seized the opportunity to slip past, leaving Martin and Lauren to settle for second with Mike and Lucy Goodwin coming in third.

Race 3: All to play for

Two close races meant that it was still all to play for going into the final race. The wind had shifted slightly so the Race Officer made the wise decision to alter the course. With the fleet cleanly away this time, Paul and Ria rounded the windward mark in the lead, with Jon and Khiaan rounding in second and Oliver and Megan in third. The second lap saw Jon and Khiaan gain the upper hand, executing smart tactical decisions on the right side of the course to overtake Paul and Ria and hold their lead to the finish. Their victory in the final race secured them the overall win for the day.

A huge thanks to all those involved in making it such a great day, including those who travelled to attend, with apologies for the front-end bias in the write-up. With such close racing it was difficult to keep track of the rest of the fleet!

Overall Results: