Crewsaver Tipsy Icicle Series at Leigh & Lowton Sailing Club - Week 6
by Paul Heath 12 Feb 2015 09:53 GMT
8 February 2015
Week 6, races 11 & 12, of the Crewsaver sponsored Tipsy Icicle series at Leigh & Lowton sailing club and once again competitors arrived on a windless freezing cold morning to find the Flash covered in mist. The PRO, Mike Baldwin, promised all that the forecast was for the mist to lift and a north westerly breeze to fill in around midday. In what seems to be a familiar pattern the 'AP' pennant was broken out and everybody adjourned for an early lunch.
The weather gods looked with favour on the PRO, and the series, as just before 1pm the mist lifted and a 6 knot NW breeze filled in. Due to the Toppers and Optimist sailors being away for their respective training events there was no junior start this week but a healthy 46 boats took to the water for back to back races.
As usual the Laser fleet, boasting 19 entries, was first away and as the wind increased to 11 knots it was new to the series Ian Jones (Dovestone SC) who took an early lead and showed the rest of the fleet the way home. After a two week absence birthday boy Mark Lunn (LLSC) returned and came home in second with Stuart Belfield (LLSC) third and Howard Green (LLSC) fourth.
The 12 boat handicap fleet, which included 9 Solos (the results of which are taken separately) were next away. The X1 of Alex Morrison/Steve White (LLSC) took the lead as a patchy mist began to slowly return and cover parts of the Flash so as to hide some of the marks. Luckily they had a rough idea were the marks were and pulled away from the fleet to cross the line first and take the win on handicap. Behind them Alex Collins (Supernova – LLSC) was second and Mark Platt/Emma McClusky (420 – LLSC) third.
In the Solo fleet it was close at the front as Patrick Hamilton (Burwain SC) and Paul Heath (LLSC) resumed their weekly battle and swapped places throughout but in the end Heath managed to find a little more breeze on the long downwind leg to sneak past Hamilton to take the win. Behind them Brian Sprague (LLSC) was third and Owen Griffith (LLSC) fourth.
Next away were the 15 boat Asymmetric fleet who once again had to sail around the cans with the rest but at least they had a long downwind leg to keep them happy. As with the other fleets, finding the right shift and band of wind was crucial and this is what Caroline Exley/Jude Allen (RS400 – LLSC) managed to do better than the rest and took the win. Second was Greg Booth (PDSC – RS100 10.2) while third and fourth went to the RS400's of Richard Catchpole/Olivia Cuthbert (LLSC) and Hamish Gledhill/Simon Dowse (WRSC)
The second race was held in a dying breeze of 5 knots with the occasional 8 knot gust.
In the Laser fleet Jones took his second win of the day while Gareth Staples-Jones (LLSC) improved on his first race result to finish second. Green scored one better in this race to finish third while the effects of a late night/early morning in a casino may have had something to do with Lunn dropping to fourth.
The three boats in the handicap fleet finished in the same finishing and corrected time order as in the previous race while in the Solos, as the breeze all but faded to nothing on the last long run down to the finish, it was Hamiltons turn to find what little there was to take the win from Heath in second, Steve Ferrington (West Kirkby SC) third and Sprague fourth.
Lastly the Asymmetric fleet and this saw a new race winner as Robin Dawson/Phil Davenport (Bassenthwaite SC – RS400) led the fleet home. Catchpole/Cuthbert went one better than the last race to take second while the RS200 of Louise McKeand/Cathy Partington (LLSC) stopped a clean sweep of a top four of 400's by finishing third while Gledhill/Dowse scored another fourth.
The Crewsaver Tipsy Icicle continues this coming weekend and will see the return of the Junior fleet. The series itself runs until the 15th March. First race is scheduled to start at midday and full details on how to enter are on the club website and entries can be taken on the day at the reception desk.
Come and join us this coming Sunday for races 13 & 14 in the series. We look forward to seeing you.
Full results can be found at www.llsc.org.uk/1/LLSC/Results/2015/Tipsy.htm
Photographs of the day's racing can be found at picasaweb.google.com/104536170099821426208/TipsyFeb2015?authkey=Gv1sRgCImqxfCY1YaaWw#
www.llsc.org.uk