Allen Brothers Enterprise Nationals at Looe Sailing Club - Day 3

Allen Brothers Enterprise Nationals at Looe © Paula Southworth

After two days of no racing, Tuesday morning begun with a champagne 16 knots and sunny weather. The sailors were keen and boats were being rigged from 7am.

The 67 boats launched and after a quick practice start, Matt Velamail & Tim Brownell started as the gate boat and by the top mark, Mark Lunn & Steve Blackburn had played the shifts and reached the windward mark 1st, closely followed Phil Ford & Will Allen, and Matt and Tim. After many place changes on the reaches, and the wind dropping constantly before coming back stronger, there were gains to be had up the long legs of the course. Mark & Steve didn't look back and took the bullet, followed closely by Paul Hobson & Hannah Sadler showing blistering pace on the reaches, and Phil & Will closing out the top 3. Further back in the 10-20's, James Morley & Rachel Burkitt and Akshan Jiransiha & Pete Rowley were having some great fights with the home Looe boats.

Race 2 started in similar conditions to the first, now with Akshan & Pete as the gate boat, starting late paid in this race as the gate boat made the best of the conditions, with the starboard lifts coming off the shore. However, yet again it was Mark & Steve who reached the windward mark first, again followed by Phil & Will, Alan Roberts & Rhea Burton, Steve Graham & Alex Halliwell, on the bottom reach Akshan & Pete unfortunately dipped it in – whose fault it was is still unknown...

The wind dropped for race 3, now with the returning faces of John & Chris Blundell as gate boat. There were various shifts up the beat and it was a lottery all the way. Tim Sadler & Saulty made the best of the shifts and rounded in 1st, leaving the rest of the fleet behind and claiming their first bullet of the championships closely followed by Steve Graham & Alex Halliwell. The wind built throughout to a strong force 4 and now the fitter, younger crews were starting to pull through into the top 10 including the stronger southern teams of Steve Sargent, Jeremy Stephens & Darren Roach and Chris & Ali Fry also making their first appearance at the front. The race finished on the upwind beat and the sailors limped back to the beach to get ready for the Crews Union and Fairytale Fancy Dress this evening.

Stay tuned for Wednesday, another 3 races in similar conditions await...

Results after Day 3: (three races)