Hurricane 5.9 Open at Brightlingsea Sailing Club

The Hurricane 5.9 SXs during 'Reg Fest 2008' at Brightlingsea © Tim Bees / www.fotoboat.com

The Hurricane 5.9 SXs during 'Reg Fest 2008' at Brightlingsea © Tim Bees / www.fotoboat.com

Over the long weekend of 26th-28th September 2008, Brightlingsea Sailing Club was host to the Reg White Celebration weekend, where one of the invited fleets to the event was the Hurricane 5.9's. 22 boats entered and were greeted on Friday morning with the prospect of 3 races in what seemed like a steady force 3.

Race 1 got under way with the wind favouring the left hand side of the course. Most boats read the wind well and settled in for what became a long upwind/downwind course. The top spots were highly contested with the 1st race going to Mark Thompson and Jack Tindale from Stone SC, closely followed by Trevor Bawden and Tom Wass also from Stone SC. 3rd place was taken by one of the travelling Irish boats of Richard Swanston and Cath Gunning.

The wind had decreased slightly by the beginning of Race 2, making the conditions a little tricky. Bawden and Wass got off to an even better start than the last race, by taking line honours, with a welcome return to the fleet for Andy Webb and Chris Field from Harwich Town SC taking 2nd and Thomson and Tindale in 3rd.

For Race 3, the wind had increased again slightly and there was still a consistent breeze blowing through. Bawden and Wass took a gamble and went to the left hand side of the course on the windward leg, whilst the rest of the fleet tacked out after the line onto port. This paid off for Bawden and Wass, giving him a healthy lead, which they managed to sustain by taking another win to give him the overall lead going into day 2. Another 2nd for Webb and Field with Allen and Andrew Gallagher from Ballyholme YC in Northern Ireland in 3rd.

Once all the boats were off the water, a light competitors tea was provided, which was just what all the sailors needed to take the edge off before a fantastic hog roast, followed by a few kind words from long time friends and fellow sailors of Reg who were there to celebrate his sailing career.

Saturday dawned with beautiful sunshine, however by 11am the wind was a far cry from the previous day's sailing. Racing was postponed whilst the race committee waited for the wind to fill in, giving competitors the opportunity to do well deserved running repairs on their boats. By 1pm the wind had filled in sufficiently and the race officer sent the fleet out.

Race 4 began with a light wind coupled with a strong tide which made those who took the right hand side of the course make the biggest gains to the windward mark. Allen and Gallagher rounded the mark 1st and pushed throughout the race to take the line, with Webb and Field behind and John Ready and crew next in 3rd.

The wind was up slightly for Race 5, which again was influenced slightly by the strength of the tide. Geoff Tindale and Clint Foreman from Stone SC made a dash to the front of the fleet, making it their first win of the event. Allen and Gallagher were hot on their heals to it into 2nd and Webb and Field in 3rd.

By Race 6, the wind had gained to a nice steady breeze although the tide took it’s 1st victim as Swanson and Gunning were over the line at the start. The Scottish 2 sail boat of Hamish Ramsay and Stuart Buchanan made it to the windward first followed by Allen and crew, however positions soon changed with Allen and Gallagher pushing forward and taking their 2nd win of the day. Thomson and Tindale came in 2nd, with Webb and Field in 3rd.

The overnight leaders going into day 3 changed to Allen and Gallagher, although Bawden and Wass were still right on their tail so Sunday had everything to play for.

Another successful day's racing was followed by an evening meal and entertainment in the form of an excellent live band that rocked the competitors into the small hours.

Sunday morning came and there was to be no racing later than 1430, so the race officers was keen to get boats out on the water for a 1030 start and squeeze a few races in. Race 7 began with less than a 5kt wind, with the tide having a huge influence on the fleet. Most boats made it to the windward mark where the wind dropped away to nothing and the failing wind swung round, making it nearly impossible to make any headway. After plenty of patience and a what some would say as luck, the slightly diminished fleet finally finished with Bawden and Wass taking the line. Ramsay and Buchanan from Royal Tay YC took 2nd with Allen and Gallagher in 3rd.

The race officer hung on for the sea breeze to fill in to try for one last race. This was to became vital for Allen and Gallagher and Bawden and Wass as they were going in on equal points. This wait gave the film crew who were doing a promotional video for the fleet a chance to speak to a few crews and get some ‘on the’ water footage.

Whilst waiting, the wind filled in from a totally different direction and gave a steady breeze that was to finish the event of well. Allen and Gallagher were out of the blocks well showing that they were keen to take the event with a well deserved 1st and overall winners of the event. Tindale and Foreman held Bawden and Wass off take 2nd and 3rd spots respectively.

All in all, this was an excellent event with a range of conditions to suit everyone and a change to meet up with old and new faces from the fleet.

Overall Results:

1st Adrien Allen and Andrew Gallagher (Ballyholme YC)
2nd Trevor Bawden and Tom Wass (Stone SC)
3rd Andy Webb and Chris Field (Harwich Town SC)
4th Geoff Tindale and Clint Foremen (Stone SC)
5th Mark Thomson and Jack Tindale (Stone SC)