Graduate Open at Emberton Park Sailing Club
by Stewart Eaton 15 Apr 2014 07:58 BST
13 April 2014
Graduates at Emberton Park © Fiona Eaton
Four visitors joined the home fleet for the first Graduate Open of 2014, on a beautiful spring day with unbroken sunshine and a pleasant breeze.
The first race saw a tight battle between Tony and Sam Cooper with class Chairman David Wilson crewed by Sandra. Much place changing took place. Just behind, Hamilton and Alastair Roaf had an equally close battle with Secretary Stewart Eaton, crewed by Clare. The wind was very shifty and proved a challenge for all. At the end, the Wilsons had victory from the Coopers, with Eaton third.
The second race, sailed back-to-back had an interesting start, with Roaf taking an early penalty. The Wilsons suffered early centreboard brake failure, which meant Sandra had to hold the centreboard down the whole way round, and later denied them lunch whilst repairs were effected. This time the Coopers took victory from the Wilsons with Eaton again third.
After an excellent lunch, the third race started with a different course, taking in the shallow passage to mark eight. A very close fight from the start saw Eaton take the lead, which was swapped frequently with the Coopers. The Wilsons suffered a 720 at the first gybe mark, then a navigational error saw their hopes evaporate. Eaton and Cooper sailed off into a huge lead, but a couple of disastrous beats saw Eaton drop well back, but the fleet was by then well spread out. This allowed the Coopers to take overall victory in a most enjoyable event.
Overall Results: (top three)
1st 2873 Tony and Sam Cooper (King George SC)
2nd 3010 David and Sandra Wilson (Broadwater SC)
3rd 2880 Stewart Eaton and Clare Pritchard (West Oxfordshire SC)