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BRIGHT START TO SPRING SERIES

Friday, April 18, 2008
Sport/Sailing
Brading Haven Yacht Club
THE spring series began bright but cold at the weekend, with mainly fast handicap dinghies turning up on the club’s start line with race officer Jack Thompson on watch.
There was a mixed bag of boats sailing the harbour course, with the Contenders champing at the bit for a longer reach but, even so, Richard Coleman flew around to take both line and handicap honours of 30 seconds on corrected time from the Solo of Gareth Jones in second place and Ben Stitt in third, sailing an RS200.
The second race in the series on Sunday was given a mixture of weather in just the one evening.
With a 5pm start under the control of David and Gill Cotchin, the race began in dull conditions, with a northerly Force 4 blowing. This gave way to bright sunshine with a brisk westerly and ended up with dead calm for almost half and hour. However, everyone made it round and enjoyed the racing.
Two Europes led the field around the course out to the tide gauge and Garland, with Ben Stitt in great form, taking charge to earn a fine win but not without strong challenges from Chris Wilkinson, who caught up on the beat back up to the finish line, making a second place just 21 seconds behind. Gareth Jones was third in his trusty Solo.

Gurnard Sailing Club
THERE were no excuses for anything other than a full turnout last weekend, as almost 50 boats came to the line in perfect sailing conditions.
With Southern Water’s pipe-laying barge to negotiate on the beat, it became clear the outside route in more wind paid handsomely and there was no way back up the order for those that chose to go inshore.
The first to show the way were the catamarans of Humphrey Carter and Robin Leather, who took the outside option with more breeze, reached the windward mark almost together and never looked back.
Keith Hayden, Ric Newnham and Mike Acton scored similarly in the fast group, while in the medium group there was a close race between the Harrison and Kemp boats until Harrison eventually got the better of it to take the win.
Wednesday evening racing starts on April 30 and another active season of training is in prospect, with more than 80 entrants at the recent registration evening signed up for the Thursday and Friday sessions on the water.