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International
Flying Dutchman |
1997 Grafham Grand PrixGrafham Sailing Club - Sunday 28 December 1997183 dinghies, catamarans and keelboats (including the Doran/Phillips FD team - where were the rest of you?!) braved the cold blustery weather after Christmas to participate in the 17th annual Grafham Grand Prix. For those who have never been to Grafham it is a very large reservoir NW of Cambridge just off the A1, the surrounding land is fairly flat. The clubhouse is large and there are excellent low cost meals and showers with plenty of hot water. The dinghy park for the day is large (normally it is a car park) so it pays to arrive by 9.00am to secure a place near to the water..it is a long way down the ramp due to the droughts and a fair way from the car park to the start of the ramp. The Grand Prix consists of two races (both to count) for each of the four fleets (catamarans, fast handicap, slow handicap, and single handers with old PY of 108 or more). The largest fleet was the fast handicap with 65 competitors of which only 28 finished the second race. The good news is that ex FD sailors excelled in Flying 15s in the slow handicap fleet with Charles Apthorp coming 4th overall and Jonathan Clark missing First overall by a few seconds (ties are broken by adding the corrected times of the two races). Peter Doran and Richard Phillips got off to a fair start in the first race which was sailed in a South westerly force 3-4. They pulled through to second just behind the International 14 at the first mark. The wall of asymetrics spinnakers did not arrive before the gybe mark noor indeed the leeward mark. The first race was sailed on the old Olympic course which suited the 505s and FD as against the asymetrics. However, whereas the 505s had recently finished a challenging winter series and were in the main sailing very well, the effects of age, cold and a jammed spinnaker halyard led to a stately (maintaining an upright position) but slow run and the duo just managed to finish in the top third on handicap. The wind chill factor increased as the winds rose to force five gusting to force 7 in the second race. The afternoon course was a windward/leeward course which again seemed to please the 505s. Doran and Phillips adopted a cautious approach and did not fly the spinnaker..if it had not been so cold it would perhaps have been amusing to see all the Laser 5000s give up during the race, several had trouble staying upright even for the start. Doran/Phillips were amongst the 28 boats that finished. It seems that the asymetrics have difficulty in the conditions that prevailed (and also in the light winds for the Bloody Mary which was won by a Finn). Based on the overall positions for the two races; the 505s had a very good day with 4 boats in the top 8 - second equal was a Moth, fourth equal an RS400 and Fireball and 7th a Laser 4000. Two more Fireballs, 5 RS400s and 2 Laser 4000s finished in the results ahead of Doran/Phillips 18th position. 17 Laser 4000s and all the Laser 5000s and Bosses finished lower together with ISOs, a Norfolk Punt, the International 14s, an International Canoe, more RS400s, 505s and International Moths. Overall, the event was well run and well worth attending. See you there next year? |
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This page was last updated on 06 December 1998 - Please send contributions and comments to Richard Phillips mailto:100446.2371@compuserve.com . For more sailing links see www.sail-cd.demon.co.uk/index.htm |