Comet Open at Hawley Lake Sailing Club

With over 20 opens during the season, we try to pair some events, so that travellers can easily make a weekend of it. And so it was for this weekend, when many of Saturday's participants at Silver Wing, turned up at the Hawley Lake event on the following day. We had a wide age range of entrants - from a teenager to two 80 year-olds, travelling from all points of the compass - and as far as Cornwall and Wales.

I was asked to write this report by Carol Butcher, the resident Hawley Comet helm, who was unfortunately unwell on the day. As a participant, I was too busy trying to keep my craft moving to make detailed notes. So if you want a blow-by-blow account of the day's races, look away now!

Downwind leg led by Henry Jaggers (C800) during the Hawley Lake Comet Open - photo © Norah Jaggers

As with Silver Wing, another day's racing in a small fleet in the shifty light air conditions, was surprisingly an absolute joy, bringing out the best aspects of the ultra-friendly Comet family and our wonderful host clubs.

The conditions were similar to Silver Wing, with F1-F2 winds and some lulls, mercifully of a brief duration. Hawley is a smaller lake though, and tree-lined with islands, so there were some dead-spots and bends through the gaps to look out for. In the afternoon, Race Officer John Jones wisely brought the marks inward to form a tighter version of the same course (Figure-of-8) avoiding the main shadows.

Andy Dale (C788) tries a different tack during the Hawley Lake Comet Open - photo © Norah Jaggers

Any claims that light airs racing is boring were thoroughly debunked by the changes of position throughout all races, particularly mid-fleet. Admittedly Eddie Pope was dominant - as at Silver Wing - and this time he deservedly secured 4/4 wins. However a few pretenders managed to get in front of him, from time to time. The most dramatic being in Race 4, where Ben Palmer took the lead for laps 3-5, but sailed into a hole on the last leg, to be pipped by Eddie on the line.

Mid-fleet in Race 2, Meg Warren (our most recent octogenarian), had performed a similar feat and sneaked past Henry Jaggers and Steve Gregory on the last leg, to come a commendable 6th.

Bunching at the leeward mark, led by Tim Higgs (C849) during the Hawley Lake Comet Open - photo © Norah Jaggers

The tighter afternoon course allowed for more laps and more practice of slow-motion mark-rounding and perhaps more opportunities for overtaking. In Race 4, there were at least 13 changes of position, according to the lap records, which for a fleet of 10 shows that it was anything but a procession. There were a few bigger puffs too, and Steve Gregory overdid a roll-tack on lap 1 and was embarrassed to find himself briefly washing his sail.

Afterwards, Eddie reflected on his many years sailing at Littleton, a not dissimilar lake and said he often seems to thrive in such conditions - very much sailing 'by feel'.

Eddie Pope wins the Hawley Lake Comet Open - photo © Steve Gregory

Despite Carol Butcher's absence, her husband arrived with an enormous fruit-cake, laced with a spot of the strong stuff enjoyed by all at afternoon tea. Speaking at the presentation, Eddie offered thanks to all involved on the day and passed on our best wishes to Carol and John Sturgeon, a long time Hawley Lake member and previous chairman of the Comet Class Association

Overall Results: