Tinker Class Owners Association Rally at Chichester Yacht Club
by John Rogerson 21 Aug 2015 16:57 BST
15-17 August 2015
Held over three days, 15-17 August 2015, at the Chichester Yacht Club in West Sussex, there was racing on the Saturday and Sunday, and a short motor cruise to Bosham and back on Monday.
It was a good turnout with 14 boats attending. Racing started on Saturday at 11:30 with races 1 & 2 being back-to-back around a triangular course (the buoys being Monkey, Heron, & Lake). Winds were somewhere between light and gentle. Sail no. 7135 was over the line at the start of the second race, when it recrossed the line the remainder of the fleet were barely 20 feet away because the winds were so light. There was a very noticable wind bend as the boats approached Heron, and many struggled with tide and wind to get around the buoy. Only two laps were sailed in the first two races. The wind in race 3 was much more constant, and 4 (enjoyable) laps were completed.
Sunday's racing was delayed until 13:00 to allow the CYC "half-way up the creek" race to start - a staggered start between 12:00 and 13:00. The Tinkers sailed the same course as Saturday. Most managed one lap before the wind died away altogether - many were out of time on the second lap on the far side of the course (drifting with the tide backwards from the buoy they were trying to round), and there was so little wind two were towed back to the slipway and the rest took to their oars. Only 3 boats completed the course out of 14 starters.
Overall Results:
1. Malcolm Ellwood
2. Stewart Warden
3. Perry Milton
4. David Warren
5. Nigel Kirby
6. Alistair Parker
7. Ken Robey
8= Mark Wilson
8= John Rogerson
10. David Birse
11. Lawrence Wood
12= Alan Suttie
12= Robin Hardy
14. Andrew Clark
The next rally is at Bassenthwaite Sailing Club in Cumbria on 12th/13th September 2015.