2005 British Regattas

Easter Egg Trophy at Waldringfield 2005

26th / 28th March 2005

The 2005 Easter Egg regatta – for real easter Eggs – at Waldringfield was plagued by light and patchy winds and strong spring tides that made for interesting, if taxing racing conditions.

Race one on Saturday afternoon was started in 5 knots against a flood tide. Robert Deaves used his local knowledge to sail up the right hand shore while most of the fleet went left. Opening up a considerable lead he led all the way to the shortened finish on the next lap. Terry Curtis finished second followed by Ian Harris. The second race of the day was cancelled when the wind completely gave up.

Sunday saw slightly more wind in the morning with two short races back to back. John Meadowcroft made the best of the wierd first beat to lead all the way round. Harris was clear second for a while but Jonathan Fish and Deaves made the best of the run to move up to second and third. The day’s second race was similar with Meadowcroft leading early on before Harris took the lead. However everything changed on the final beat in a dying wind. Deaves found more wind to the right and took the lead into the finish followed by Harris and Meadowcroft.

For the third race of the day, the start line was in perhaps the strongest part of the now ebbing tide and less than 5 knots of wind, with many boats struggling to actually cross the start line. Again Deaves split from the fleet and banged right, leading round the first mark from Curtis and Harris. Deaves led all the way with Curtis closing up on the beats but losing offwind. Harris recovered from a little expedition up a creek to find no way out to finally finish third.

Monday’s conditions were little better with a long beat followed by an excruciating run against the flood tide. Fish led most of the way, only to be caught by Deaves at the end of the run. Fish recovered to win from Deaves and Meadowcroft.

British Airways Open 2005

10th April 2005
Report and results courtesy Mike Edwards.

OK sailors were greeted by the ever hospitable British Airways SC on Sunday 10th April. The wind was mainly light with some decent gusts at times.

The first race saw a battle between Neil Goodhead, Julian Burnham and Jon Meadowcroft. Goodhead eventually pulled away to win from Burnham, with Mike Edwards taking third after Meadowcroft capsized up the final beat.

Goodhead led from start to finish in the second race, chased by Edwards in second. Meadowcroft and Burnham tussled for third and finished in that order.

Goodhead had already won the meeting with a race to spare, but he still ventured out for the final race. Again he led from the start from Burnham and Meadowcroft, with Edwards always playing catch-up after a poor start. Goodhead pulled away to win comfortably from Burnham, Meadowcroft and Edwards.

Thanks must go to British Airways for a great days sailing and the fabulous tea laid on at the end of the day.

Highcliffe 2005

7th May 2005
Report courtesy Jonathan Fish.

Blasting conditions

The OK’s enjoyed a superb day’s racing from Highcliffe S.C. on May 7th.
3 races were held in the fresh blasting conditions.

At the end of a long first leg in race 1, Nick Craig took a small lead from Terry Curtis and Jon Fish. Turning downhill, the course was set just right for some real blast reaching, which the fleet enjoyed to the full. Nick held on to win, with Terry pressing all the way to the finish.

Race 2 got underway after a short wait to allow for the RS 600 and Contender carnage to clear. Nick changed his mast rake between races (as he obviously wasn’t going fast enough), and although Andy Rushworth and Terry split right and were looking good halfway up the beat, Nick powered past to lead at the top mark. Nick and Terry extended their lead from the chasing pack all the way to the finish. Fish overtook Rushworth up the penultimate beat to take third.

The final race for the event ensued in a similar fashion with Nick and Terry leaving the rest for dead, working the favoured right hand side of the course well.

All came ashore sun-tanned and smiling from a great day’s sailing, looking forward to returning to Highcliffe next year.

OK Open at Hunstanton 2005

Bank Holiday 2005
Report courtesy Jonathan Fish.

16 OKs journeyed to Hunstanton in Norfolk over the bank holiday weekend for a Worlds Qualifier. Those lucky people who qualify will get to go to Australia next February whilst everyone else is being rained on!!

The 2 races planned for Saturday were cancelled due to excessively rough conditions, so the fleet initiated early the pub / beach / pub combo?

The breeze had dropped to a comfortable force 2 when the fleet launched for battle Sunday morning.

Race 1 got away off a heavily starboard biased line. Rob Deaves claimed pole position from Jon Fish at the top mark with a small lead over the chasing pack.
Their lead was however short lived as up the second beat the wind died and John Meadowcroft, Terry Curtis, Pete Turner and Neil Goodhead came through. John lost out down the run, and after several place changes Pete snuck through to win from Neil and Terry.

In race 2 the fleet fetched off from an even more heavily biased line in rather light and sloppy conditions against a strengthening tide. Alex Scoles and Derek Lovegrove rounded the first mark in front of Neil. As the wind dropped further the fleet barely made headway uphill. Neil overtook Alex and Derek on the reach and finished first, Derek held on to second but Alex dropped to fifth as both Fish and Terry drifted passed.

With no prospect of a decent breeze, no further racing occurred, leaving Neil Goodhead to win the event from Terry Curtis and Jon Fish.