Fireball Open at Portishead Yacht & Sailing Club
by Adam Broughton 23 Nov 2004 14:47 GMT
21 November 2004
Fireball Open took place at Portishead Yacht and Sailing Club on Sunday 21st November. All proceeds from the event went to cancer research in memory of Jill Line former club commodore and RS association membership secretary.
The first race was a windward leeward in very little pressure. Sam Mettam and A Elliot got off of the start line well and held a slender lead. Until the windward mark where Andy Pearce and Adam Broughton caught them on starboard. From then on Pearce and Broughton dominated the race. Close battles in the rest of the fleet resulted in Derian Chandler and Andy Scott second, and Colin and Derek Jarvis third.
After a short break race two took place in a little more wind, where Pearce and Broughton lead from start to finish winning by a very comfortable margin. Chandler and Scott finished second, with the Javi in third.
The third race took place after the top of the tide resulting in interesting tactical decisions. Mettam and Elliot lead off of the line, but the Javi took the lead by the windward mark. But the chasing pack was close behind. By the next mark Pearce and Broughton managed to get an inside run and took the lead. Which they held to the finish. Just ahead of the Javi, with Jo Line and Alex Shaw taking the third spot.
Overall Results:
| Pos | Helm | Crew | Club | R1 | R2 | R3 | Pts |
|---|
| 1st | Andy Pearce | Adam Broughton | PYSC | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2nd | Derian Chandler | Andy Scott | CVLSC | 2 | 2 | 6 | 4 |
| 3rd | Colin Jarvis | Derek Jarvis | PYSC | 3 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| 4th | Jo Line | Alex Shaw | PYSC | 4 | 6 | 3 | 7 |
| 5th | Sam Mettam | A Elliot | RNSA | 5 | 4 | 4 | 8 |
This was the last event in the Bristol Clubs Fireball Challenge sponsored by The Boat Repair Centre, which also included events at Bristol Corinthian, Chew Valley and Thornbury. Going into the final event the Javi, Derian Chandler and Olly Goldsmith, and Pearce and Broughton could all realistically win. Pearce and Broughton required straight firsts to win the challenge, which they did. With the Javi claiming second and Derian Chandler and Olly Goldsmith/Andy Scott third.