Craftinsure Supernova Travellers at Bartley Sailing Club

On the morning of Sunday 2nd August, 13 competitors descended upon Bartley reservoir on the outskirts of Birmingham. With 11 home boats and 2 visiting sailors, the boat park was busy as everyone rigged up under a blazing sun and a stronger than forecast breeze.

As the wind was forecasted to drop off in afternoon, the decision was taken to squeeze two races in before lunch. Our race management team set about preparing a course, using both temporary and fixed marks to get ideal beats and runs.

Race 1

After a couple of attempts to get a start with the wind properly aligned for the first beat, local legend Mike Gibson shot into a narrow lead over the fleet, whilst Sean Ricketts decided that the fastest way to the windward mark was, apparently, by going backwards! Mike had a sizeable lead at the first mark, but the fleet compressed down the run and quickly reeled him in. From that point on, the pack were on his heels throughout the race, with John Ling and a resurgent Sean applying pressure. Despite the chase, Mike kept his cool and held off both John and Sean to take the win.

Craftinsure Supernova Travellers at Bartley - photo © Nicola Howarth

Race 2

The fleet were far keener on the line for race 2, pushing hard and surging downwind. Harrison Allen led early from Sean, with both managing to break away from the chasing pack of John, Mike and Garry Butterfield. Sean slipped past on the second to last beat, but his narrow lead evaporated down the run. On the final beat, Sean covered John and Garry closely, defending every tack to secure the race 2 win, with John finishing just behind. In the closing metres, Harrison managed to sneak past Garry on the line to take third place, rounding off a tight and tactical race.

Race 3

The wind dropped off in the afternoon as predicted, but the fleet launched, hoping to get the third and final race complete. With the wind less stable, it took longer to get the start sequence under way. A small shift in the wind direction at the start resulted in the fleet being barely able to cross the line on starboard. John had enough space to tack out and take advantage of the shift before everyone else, settling comfortably into the lead.

The race devolved into a procession until the last downwind into the finish, where Mike found some pressure and had an opportunity to overtake. John defended aggressively, stopping Mike but giving Garry an opening. In the end, John took the race win by 3 seconds from Garry with Sean slipping past Mike on the line for third.

Craftinsure Supernova Travellers at Bartley - photo © Nicola Howarth

Overall, John Ling took the event victory with a win and two seconds, Sean Ricketts placed second and Mike Gibson in third.

A massive thank you to our travellers who came despite the forecast and to David B whom managed to reschedule this open after it was cancelled earlier this year. We hope to host you next year.

Overall Results: