Combined Comet Class Association Inlands at Burghfield Sailing Club

Combined Comet Class Association Inlands at Burghfield © Ian Bullock

A select band of Comet Trios and Comet Duos assembled at Burghfield Sailing Club on Saturday 27th May for the CCCA Inland Championships sponsored by Noble Marine. The event was staged in conjunction with the single handed Comet National Championships also sponsored by Noble Marine. With a good forecast of Southerly F4 winds both fleets were looking forward to some excellent racing under the control of Race Officer Ian Bullock.

With the single handers going off first onto the outer loop of the trapezoid course and the Trios and Duos sailing the inner loop, the racing started in seriously gusty conditions. As ever, the current Inland Trio Champions, Adrian and Tracie Padro, from Shustoke SC, picked the shifts and sailed off into a sizeable lead. They were followed by Steve Ashford and Martin Yeomans, from Whitefriars SC, but a mistake in the counting of the beats meant that they sailed the wrong course allowing Bob and Colette Horlock, from Exe SC through to take second place. With both the Duos being reefed and sailed single handed it was Nigel Ford from Olton Mere who led Stephen Linton from Hawley Lake round the first race.

The second race was similar to the first but this time Ashford made no mistake in counting and finished 2nd to the Padros with David Talbot and Anne Mayne from Hawley Lake in 3rd. In the Duos, Ford failed to finish leaving Linton to take line honours.

After a welcome lunch break, the wind increased but was more stable for races 3 and 4. The results stayed much the same with the Padros dominating race 3, Ashford in 2nd and the Horlocks in 3rd. In the Duos it was Linton's turn to fail to make the finish leaving Ford to take the honours.

For the fourth race, the wind had shifted to the West leaving the outer leg of the trapezoid much shorter than the inner leg. So both the Trios and single handers sailed the inner loop with the single handers going first. For once the Horlocks sailed a decent first beat and lead round the windward mark only to capsize in a gybe near the bottom gate. Unsurprisingly the Padros sailed on to their fourth bullet with Ashford and Yeomans again in second and Talbot and Mayne third. With the Duos not sailing the 4th race and half the Trio fleet having capsized as well as many of the single handers, RO Ian Bullock wisely decided that the threated 5th race was a step too far and both fleets retired to the clubhouse for AGMs and BBQs.

Nigel Ford was crowned Comet Duo Inland Champion.

Sunday dawned virtually windless and so it remained with the Trio sailors calling off the waiting for wind after an early lunch. So the Padros retained their Trio Inland Trophy in some style with 4 bullets, second were Ashord and Yeomans with the Horlocks in 3rd.

Adrian thanked Ian Bullock for his skilful running of the racing and all the club volunteers who had helped make the Championships such a success. Many thanks to Noble Marine for their continued sponsorship.

Overall Results: