DF95 Autumn Series event 5 at East Kent Radio Sailing Club

The M2 was closed and weather cold but flat water and a 10-12kt northerly allowed 16 races to be completed in East Kent's autumn event at Sheppey. Chair Alan Hounsell set the course, ideal for an east side control area but with all preferring to shelter behind the café and test their eyes rounding the distant leeward gate marks. The café also caused a few testing shifts approaching the windward mark.

Alan Hounsell had the range of the leeward marks perfectly when others didn't, sailing a clean 1st race to win from the usual suspects Adrian Tomlinson and Mike Brand. Peter Jackson then got his range and won race 2, with Robert Owns taking the first of two second places in a row, both ahead of Adrian, the second behind Mike Brand's first win of the day, and his only win of the first 8 races.

Adrian then slipped into gear with 2,1,3,1,1,2,2. But Peter was keeping him as near to honest as possible with 1,3,1,(4),2,3,1 as Mike won race 9 but otherwise slipped up with some OCS's and mark contacts.

Rob Maunder, often in the van but fading, held on for 2nd in race 7. Alan plugged in another win and a 2nd after lunch to back up 3 more 3rd places. Dave Adams had taken a day off from showing us all the way round. Rob Owens managed one more podium but nothing else in the chocolates. Ralph Wilkinson had been struggling with electrickery issues so retired from racing to take over the race officer duties he enjoys, calling plenty of boats OCS!

With Peter and Adrian neck and neck with 5 races to go it was Adrian whose challenge faded after hitting Rob Owns while on port and tangling. Adrian, tightly covered, then finished 3.2,6,6, while Mike scored 1,1,2,1 to push Adrian out of 2nd. But Peter's 1,2,3,1,3, was enough to hold Mike off by two points to take his first event win for months. Alan finished with two more podiums to take a comfortable 4th place overall ahead of Rob Owens.

Top Six places:

1. 211 Peter Jackson
2. 875 Mike Brand
3. 30 Adrian Tomlinson
4. 380 Alan Hounsell
5. 479 Robert Owens
6. 571 Rob Maunder