Hansa Grand Prix at Chesil Sailability
by Anya de Iongh 22 Sep 2014 20:52 BST
13-14 September 2014
Hansa Class Grand Prix at Chesil Sailability © Rob Harper
On September 13th and 14th, Chesil Sailability welcomed Hansa sailors to the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy for the first Hansa event ever to be held on the sea in the UK. It was also the first time Chesil Sailability have hosted a Hansa event. All three Hansa classes were in action, with the Liberty's, 303's (split into single and double handed fleets) and 2.3's.
Racing started at 1pm on Saturday with three races back to back in a nice 13knots breeze. Although the wind was steady compared to the usual lake racing venues, a big right shift in the second race saw the standings in the 303 fleet change.
The real action came on Sunday, after a two hour postponement because of the strong winds and high seas. The seas were still very choppy when racing began, with the pre-start area full of "eeek" and "yee ha" from the sailors! It made for a wet and bumpy beat, but it paid off down wind with a bit of surfing! Through the two races, the sea calmed down, and the wind settled at a steady 12 knots.
Local sailors from Team Chesil made a convincing debut on the Hansa circuit this year, claiming two out of three podium places in the 303 double class, while sailors from Rutland and Frensham dominated the other fleets.
The weekend proved a great introduction to sea sailing for the Hansa class, and we are looking forward to the Nationals here in 2015, hosted by Chesil Sailability.
Overall Results:
Hansa Liberty
1st Ric Cassell (Rutland)
2nd David Durston (Whitefriars)
3rd Keith Harris (New Forest)
Hansa 303 One Person
1st James Woosnam (Frensham)
2nd Tessa Watkiss (Frensham)
3rd Martin Hadley (New Forest)
Hansa 303 Two Person
1st Tim Scarisbrick and Anya de Iongh (Chesil)
2nd Peter Etherton and Peta Etheron (Frensham)
3rd Anaick Ankers and David Ankers (Chesil)
Hansa 2.3
1st Lindsay Burns (Frensham)
2nd Pat Crowley (Rutland)