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Flying Dutchman Nationals 2004
Whitstable Yacht Club
The Flying Dutchman
fleet enjoyed the bank holiday weekend racing at Whitstable Yacht
Club, with good weather and varied winds. Five races out of the
scheduled six were completed and there was a mixture of conditions.
The first race on
the Saturday started with gusts of 12-15 knots. The fleet quickly
learnt that the left hand side of the course was best, with more
wind and less tide. Peter Doran and Richard Phillips rounded the
windward mark first followed by Toby Dale and James Cole. A good
start and first beat saw Vicky Parry and Ben Stirrup round close by
with Tony Lyall and Colin Burns. Toby/ James squeezed inside at the
wing mark to gain first. A capsize by Vicky/ Ben saw Tony/ Colin
take third by some distance and the top three places were then set
for the remainder of the race. With Rosie and Neil Pye taking
fourth, Vicky and Ben recovered quickly so a race was on with Jamie
Whitaker and Pete Hadfield for fifth. Jamie and Pete sailed an
excellent last beat to ensure they finished ahead.
By the second race
the wind had decreased and reading the beats proved crucial. Toby/
James led from the start, closely followed by Peter/ Richard, 3rd
and 4th place was battled for during the first lap but eventually
more experienced boat handling allowed Tony/ Colin to get ahead of
one of the newest pairings in the fleet, Vicky/ Ben. Another new
pairing to the class of Tom Reynolds and John Macaulay sailed a
close race with Jamie/Pete only narrowly losing out. Dawn Barsley/
Steve Hammond fought hard for 7th narrowly loosing out to
Rosie/ Neil. In the evening the fleet enjoyed a good BBQ and
entertainment from a local band.
Conditions on Sunday
were very light and tricky for the first race, tacking on headers
and clear air proved essential as well as taking the strong tide
into account. The fleet were close up the first beat but judging
the lay-line was proving difficult due to the tide and wind shifts.
The first few of the fleet round the windward mark broke away with
the tide under them, the final order saw Toby/ James 1st,
Peter/ Richard 2nd and Tony/ Colin 3rd. By race two the
wind had built slightly and large wind shifts saw Peter/ Richard
gain a comfortable lead in the race. This was invaluable if they
were to stay in contention for the Title. Overall leaders at the
time Toby/ James had a poor beat and saw themselves in fourth place
requiring them to do some heavy thinking about tactics in order to
recover. Peter/ Richard sailed a good tactical race throughout to
ensure they got first place, Toby/ James just edged Tony/ Colin for
2nd. The mixed pair battle between Rosie/ Neil and Vicky/ Ben
continued however two 4th places by Rosie/ Neil saw them
go ahead on points. The dinner in the evening provided by
Whitstable Yacht Club was excellent and plenty was drunk.
On Monday morning
racing looked in jeopardy with very little wind promised however
after a postponement a breeze filled in and the first of two
scheduled races was sailed. There were a few nervous crews who knew
that things were still open on the score sheet. Leaders Toby/ James
had to beat Peter/ Richard to guarantee title, this resulted in a
close race with Peter/ Richard ahead at the start but a gibing match
down the run saw Toby/ James edge ahead to take the gun. In the
mixed pairs, a single point separated the two boats in contention,
however despite a fine start by Vicky/ Ben a late tack for the mark
and some errors saw Rosie and Neil get clear ahead to extend the
margin to two points.
Despite valiant
efforts by the Race Officer to complete the final race, the wind
finally died leaving the fleet becalmed, as sensible decision was
taken to abandon.
The class would like
to thank Whitstable for the wonderful welcome the class received,
the excellent racing and the great hospitality. We look forward to
returning soon. |
