|
Police Dinghy Sailing
Championships 21-23 JUNE. 2016
Laser and Single-handed Championship – Tuesday, 21st June, 2016
There were 10 entries representing 6 Forces at this year's
Laser and Single-handed Championship. The event was held on Tuesday,
21st June, immediately preceding the Open handicap Dinghy Championship
on 22-23 June.
The day was opened by a welcome address from Poole Yacht Club Commodore
Graham Barraclough, who welcomed returning and new visitors alike to the
club, wishing them fair winds and the enjoyment of racing in the world’s
second largest natural harbour. Paul Smith, on behalf of the Organising
Committee, also welcomed the competitors before handing over to the Race
Officer, John Yonwin who briefed all gathered on the day’s racing ahead.
Boats were launched from the slipway and made their way out through the
yacht marina and into the harbour top triangle area where the committee
boat and mark-layers were already laying out the course. The racing got
underway on time with the starting signal setting the fleet off in a
light westerly force 2 breeze towards the first windward mark. The first
beat proved tricky as the wind headed and dropped on the left side of
the course, allowing any boats going right to take advantage of the
shift and more pressure on that side of the course. Rob Gillespie in his
Laser rounded the windward mark in the lead despite having been recalled
for OCS at the start, followed by Simon Hawkes in his Phantom. The
remaining fleet gave hot pursuit with the Solo of Shaun Welsh and John
Oldham’s Phantom keeping well up. Places on the water changed little
after Mark 1 and a change of course for Lap 2 signalled by the Race
Officer was swiftly put into effect by the Rib crews to reset the
windward mark. At the finish Simon Hakes in his Phantom secured line
honours and his first race victory, with Shaun Welsh in second and Rob
Gillespie third on handicap.
Race 2 started promptly in a more settled F3 breeze with the faster
handicap boats quickly setting the pace to the windward mark. John
Oldham’s Phantom matched the speed set by Simon Hawkes on the water,
with Sean Moore in his Laser following closely and sailing well to
handicap just ahead of the pack of chasing boats. As the fleet separated
according to handicap, the gaps appeared behind and the two Phantoms
consolidated their lead positions. Simon held off John’s attack to take
his second race win with the pair of Phantoms coming first and second,
with Sean Moore’s Laser coming in third place.
The breeze stayed in the same direction and strength for the third and
final race, with a choppy harbour throwing in a few more challenges for
the competitors to consider. Again it was the duo of Phantoms who lead
the way around the course with a trio of Lasers helmed by Sean Moore,
Stuart Jenkins and David Thompson, together with the Aero of Andy
Williams, the Solo of Shaun Welsh and the Finn of Ken Daniels contesting
the middle places and Vicky Rose staying in touch at the back in her
Laser Radial. At the finish Simon Hawkes sealed his grip with another
race win, with Sean Moore’s Laser splitting the two Phantoms on handicap
to come in second, with John Oldham in third.
|
Laser and
Single-handed Championship
Tuesday, 21st June, 2016
Results |
Dinghy Sailing Championship: Wednesday, 22nd –
Thursday, 23rd June 2016
The Organising Committee from Dorset moved the event back to its
mid-June position in expectation that the warmer and drier weather
together with a greater chance of sea-breezes, would make it a more
attractive event and raise the number of overall competitors. However
only twelve boats entered for the event, seven double handed boats and
five single-handers, representing 5 forces in total. The assembled fleet
consisted of ten separate dinghy classes ranging in PY number from 941
of the Osprey through to 1200 of the YW Dayboat, this range giving Race
Officer John Yonwin some interesting challenges in setting an
appropriate course size and number of laps to ensure fair and
competitive racing.
The Poole Yacht Club Commodore, Graham Barraclough opened the event by
welcoming the competitors and reminded those gathered of the 42 years
ongoing association between the police sailing fraternity and The Poole
Yacht Club. Race Officer John Yonwin gave his briefing to the
competitors then aboard Bob Rowley’s sail-cruiser “Selsdon” as Committee
Boat, the CB team left the marina to set up the race course supported by
4 crewed safety Ribs. Following them onto the water the competitors
found the conditions benign with a light F2-3 westerly breeze.
Setting a windward leg distance of 0.5nm the race officer set a
triangle/sausage course, 4 laps, and the fleet went into the start
sequence for the first race. All boats got a clean start and made
progress up the first leg with, as expected, the fast handicap boats
setting the pace at the front to the windward mark. Fran Gifford/Pete
Walker in the Merlin, the defending National Champions, gave first
showing of their spinnaker down the reach, followed by the Ospreys of
Rob Gillespie/Pete Muggleton and Simon Hawkes/Malcolm Dykes. A duo of
Phantoms sailed by John Oldham and Ken Daniels led the pursuit followed
by single-handers Andy Williams in his Aero 7 and Sean Moore in his
Laser. The Solo of Shaun Welsh overtook the Xenon of Paul Smith/Pat
Waller whilst the remaining double-handers of Jeff Hines/Barbara Bradley
in their Comet, Stuart Regler and Bryan Tucker in the YW Dayboat and Jim
Shaw/Jeff Stratford in the RS Vision made steady progress around the
course in clear air. After 41 minutes racing and having completed three
laps the Race Officer displayed the “S”Flag and shortened course as the
lead boat rounded Mark 3, with Gifford/Walker in the Merlin taking line
honours from the Ospreys of Hawkes/Dykes and Gillespie/Muggleton.
Results on handicap corrected time mirrored the finishing order on the
water with Gifford/Walker putting a marker down of their intention to
defend their national champions’ title.
The start of Race 2 was postponed by the Race Officer as the wind swung
to a southerly direction, and the committee boat and mark-layers
realigning the start line and the course marks. However, racing soon got
underway and once again the three fast handicap spinnaker boats set the
early pace chased round by the two Phantoms. The race developed a
processional theme with hardly a place change on the race course, the
only gains being made by Shaw/Stratford’s RS Vision Comet over their A&S
Force colleagues Hines/Bradley’s Comet, and Dorset’s Regler/Tucker in
the YW Dayboat getting the better of Smith/Waller’s Xenon. At the finish
the Merlin of Gifford/Walker scored its second victory, with the Ospreys
of Hawkes/Dykes in 2nd and Gillespie/Muggleton in 3rd. Shaun Welsh in
his Solo edged past both Phantoms on handicap to score a 4th place.
With a minor wind-shift towards the southwest causing a pivot of the
course axis for Race 3, the fleet again got away with an all-clear start
and the familiar sight of a Merlin pursued by two Ospreys and two
Phantoms appeared to be setting in. However the mid and slower handicap
boats had other thoughts on the pecking order and sailed better on
handicap to bring about the changes. Whilst Gifford/Walker extended
their grip with yet another 1st, it was the Solo of Shaun Welsh in 2nd,
the YW Dayboat of Regler/Tucker in 3rd and the Laser of Sean Moore in
4th who gained the other placings.
At the close of day 1 Gifford/Walker had demonstrated their clear
intentions of retaining their national championship by scoring three
consecutive bullets, with Hawkes/Dykes in second place. Everyone
adjourned racing for the day, returning to the club house for home-made
tea and cakes kindly provided by Sally and Anne.
As day 2 dawned the prospect of any racing seemed slim, with overnight
storms to the east introducing light west-north-westerly winds under a
constant misty-drizzle. However as boat covers were removed the cloud
cover also began to part and a constant breeze of 8 knots descended
across the race area. The committee boat left at 10am with the Ribs to
lay the course and the fleet were called afloat at 10.20am to make their
way to the start.
Race 4 got underway cleanly from a short start line with most boats
opting for the left side of the beat. Gillespie/Muggleton spotted the
last remains of the flood tide on the right and took it to set up a lead
at the windward mark ahead of the Hawkes/Dykes Osprey and the Merlin.
They held on to the lead on the water until the final lap when
Hawkes/Dykes pulled ahead. Meanwhile the Phantoms of Oldham and Daniels
kept within striking distance on handicap, with the Aero of Williams
getting the better of the Laser of Moore on the water, but both were
beaten on corrected time by the Solo of Welsh. After handicap
corrections the podium places were taken by Gifford/Walker in 1st,
Hawkes/Dykes in 2nd and Gillespie/Muggleton in 3rd.
So it was time for the 5th and final race. Was anyone going to stop
Gifford/Walker from making it a clean sweep of bullets? A split up the
first beat saw all three fast handicap spinnaker boats head to the
lay-line at the left corner, with all other boats threading a tactical
path playing the shifts up the middle. John Oldham’s Phantom proved
particularly fast in these conditions and also the Solo of Shaun Welsh
made good progress. In what was to become a processional race all boats
maintained their position as at the first windward mark through to the
finish, with the Race Officer again shortening after 3 laps. Finishing
positions on the water were exactly as they were at mark 1 on lap 1.
Adjusted to take account of PY. handicaps Gifford/Walker in the Merlin
secured their fifth race victory, with Hawkes/Dykes in their Osprey
taking 2nd and John Oldham coming 3rd in the Phantom.
After Sally and Anne’s home-made tea and cakes were once more enjoyed,
and the results were finalised by Sue T-G, it was time for prize-giving.
Dorset Deputy-Chief Constable James Vaughan was present to thank Poole
Yacht Club, Race Officer John Yonwin, and all the volunteers involved in
laying on the event. Overall trophy winners were then called up to
receive their prizes from DCC Vaughan. Simon Hawkes was conferred as
winner of the Laser and Single-handed Championship, and Fran Gifford and
Pete Walker were confirmed as the winners of the Police Sport UK Dinghy
National Championship 2016.
Fran Gifford made the traditional champion’s vote of thanks to the club,
the race officer and committee boats team and all the volunteers
involved in Ribs and ashore; the post-race tea and home-made cakes
received particular praise; and thanked all competitors for having
attended and made it such an enjoyable event. Paul Smith then closed
proceedings on behalf of the organising committee wishing all a safe
journey home.
R.G.
|
