Dorset Police Regatta 2004

Dorset Police Sailing Section held their annual Police Regatta at Poole Yacht Club. Numbers were drastically down on last year. Just five boats took part overall.

Day One was a pleasant Force 2/3 and just five boats were on the line for the start of racing. Dorset was represented by Andy Welch in a GP14; three boats were from the Met - Len Gooch (Albacore), Roger Glass (Laser) and the newly acquires Laser Stratos dinghy appeared on the water with Graham Cook with his two "mini-crew", daughter Alice (9yrs) and her even younger friend Callum Kent (6yrs). Dick Sivers (Northants/Laser) made up the fleet.

Throughout the regatta, all the courses were Olympic (triangle-sausage for two laps plus a beat to the finish line).

In Race One, after mixed fortunes up the beat with helm and crew getting used to the boat, the Laser Stratos managed to round the top mark ahead with the rest following closely. The GP14 then put up his spinnaker only to succumb to a gust, broach and stop dead which put paid to his race there and then. Racing between the four other boats was extremely close with positions changing often and less than two minutes covering the time from the first finisher to the fourth in a race of well over an hour. On corrected time the Laser Stratos, with its kindly handicap of 1083, was a clear winner.

RACE ONE - RESULT
Sail No	Class	Helm	Force	Elapsed	Handicap	Corrected	Finishing Place	Points
702	Laser Stratos	G. Cook	Met	1:01:14	1083	0:56:32	1	1
152815	Laser	R. Glass	Met	1:01:52	1078	0:57:23	2	2
5	Laser	R. Sivers	Northants	1:02:53	1078	0:58:20	3	3
1852	Albacore	L. Gooch	Met	1:02:14	1066	0:58:23	4	4
13175	GP14	A. Welch	Dorset	1:07:30	1127	0:59:54	5	5

Race Two brought similar conditions but with a slight change in the angles of the triangle. Racing remained close until the Albacore decided to make for the wing mark when the correct course was the 'sausage' and hence to the leeward mark. The fleet had been more spread out with only Cook and Glass trading positions up the last beat, where the Stratos got to the finishing line first with the Laser just 6 seconds behind but well beaten on handicap. The GP14 gained a third place on corrected time.

RACE TWO - RESULT
Sail No	Class	Helm	Force	Elapsed	Handicap	Corrected	Finishing Place	Points
702	Laser Stratos	G. Cook	Met	1:08:33	1083	1:03:18	1	1
152815	Laser	R. Glass	Met	1:08:39	1078	1:03:41	2	2
13175	GP14	A. Welch	Dorset	1:12:42	1127	1:04:30	3	3
5	Laser	R. Sivers	Northants	1:10:15	1078	1:05:10	4	4
1852	Albacore	L. Gooch	Met	1:15:42	1066	1:11:01	5	5

Early morning appeared fairly calm after overnight rain and the wind had changed from west to south-east. Only four boats sailed.

Race Three got away before 11am when the breeze was still light and the waves bumpy enough to give the GP14 the chance to make a distinct improvement in performance; being able to sail through the water better than the Lasers. Conditions also suited the Albacore which finished first and a full minute ahead of Sivers in the Laser. Andy Welch kept his GP going to be only 25 seconds behind and a clear winner on corrected time.

RACE THREE - RESULT
Sail No	Class	Helm	Force	Elapsed	Handicap	Corrected	Finishing Place	Points
13175	GP14	A. Welch	Dorset	1:00:31	1127	0:53:42	1	1
1852	Albacore	L. Gooch	Met	0:59:04	1066	0:55:25	2	2
5	Laser	R. Sivers	Northants	1:00:08	1078	0:55:47	3	3
152815	Laser	R. Glass	Met	1:00:26	1078	0:56:04	4	4
702	Laser Stratos	G. Cook	Met		1083		DNS	6

Race Four - A touch more wind and very close racing. It required much concentration and a bit of a gamble on the tidal influences. The fleet split in two early on, with Glass vying with the Albacore and the GP14 challenging the second Laser. The GP14 was again successful but, on corrected time, only 51 seconds separated the fleet in an hour-long race. Close racing indeed.

RACE FOUR - RESULT
Sail No	Class	Helm	Force	Elapsed	Handicap	Corrected	Finishing Place	Points
13175	GP14	A. Welch	Dorset	1:02:31	1127	0:55:28	1	1
1852	Albacore	L. Gooch	Met	1:00:00	1066	0:56:17	2	2
152815	Laser	R. Glass	Met	1:01:12	1078	0:56:46	3	3
5	Laser	R. Sivers	Northants	1:02:23	1078	0:57:52	4	4
702	Laser Stratos	G. Cook	Met		1083		DNS	6

For the viewers on the Committee Boat, the racing over the two days had been absorbing despite the limited numbers. Prizes were presented to the first and second overall by the Dorset ACC, Adrian Whiting. Thanks were given to the Race Officer, Malcolm Palmer also to Poole YC for the facilities provided.

Poole Harbour is a most splendid venue and the club most welcoming. One can only hope that the entries next year will be better, to justify the support given by the club and the efforts of the organiser Rob Gillespie who looks to run the National Championships at this venue at some time in the future.

Regatta Contact:
Inspector Rob Gillespie
Complaints & Discipline Office,
Dorset Police Headquarters,
Winfrith
DORCHESTER
DT2 8DZ
or Tel: 01202-223629
Fax: 01202-223771