Andrew and Tom Wilson (11093) and Len Jones and Jamie Lea (11067) exchanged wins in races 4 and 5, but it looked like the 8th place suffered in one of the races on Saturday was going to hurt the Jones/Lea combination.

On to race 6 and capsizes aplenty in the gusty force 4-5 and ebb tide. One of the teams inspecting the bottom of the boat inevitably was Jones/Lea who pushed just too hard at the last windward mark. This was the curtain falling on their title challenge and an order for yet another Windex has been placed (bulk order).

Through the carnage, Andrew and Tom sailed serenely on and won their fourth race of the weekend to seal the title of Eastern Champions.

Overall positions (top three) as follows:
1st Andrew and Tom Wilson (11093)
2nd Len Jones and Jamie Lea (11067)
3rd Bill and Lisa Whitney (10688).

Full report and photos to follow on Y&Y soon (including details of the hysterical quiz night).

– Tim Townsend

Race 3 was won by Michael McNamara and Simon Townsend (10648) followed by Richard Stone and Catherine Gore (10974) whose fortunes had changed from a distinctly average first day. Roger Challis and Mark Johnston (10992) were third.

Race 4 was also won by Michael and Simon, again followed by Richard and Catherine. Andrew and Tom Wilson (11093) were third. This race saw the first appearance of the black flag which caught out Len Jones and Pete Mitchell (11067).

Race 5 was redemption time for Len and Pete who did a horizon job on the fleet. Colin May and Sarah Wallis (10768) had their best result of the series so far in finishing second. Roger and Mark finished third. Another notable feature of this race was that the class copyright holder inexplicably fell out of his boat. He recovered himself with minimal help from his crew.

Race 6 was Len and Pete’s again; another comfortable win for them this time from Michael and Simon. Richard and Catherine completed their day with third place. This was another race where the black flag was displayed, with Andrew and Tom Wilson and Barry Wolfenden and Alan Ritchie amongst its victims.

Top six after 6 races:

1st 10648 Michael McNamara and Simon Townsend (8 points)
2nd 10688 Bill Whitney and John Shelton (21)
3rd 10992 Roger Challis and Mark Johnston (21)
4th 11067 Len Jones and Pete Mitchell (26)
5th 11093 Andrew and Tom Wilson (32)
6th 10768 Colin May and Sarah Wallis (32)

 – Tim Townsend

Winners of the practice race were Bill Whitney and John Shelton (10688).

The first points race was also won by Bill and John from Andrew and Tom Wilson (11093) and Michael McNamara and Simon Townsend (10648).

The second points race was won by Michael and Simon followed by Roger Challis and Mark Johnston (10992) and Barry Wolfenden and Alan Ritchie (10936).

Top six overall after day one:

1st 10648 Michael and Simon (4 pts)
2nd 10688 Bill and John (7)
3rd 10992 Roger and Mark (8)
4th 10673 David Roberts and Mike Bryant (9)
5th 11093 Andrew and Tom (10)
6th 10936 Barry and Alan (12)

–  Tim Townsend

Please enter in good time and sign up for the supper on the Saturday.

I wish you all calm seas and good winds.

Best wishes,

Ben Davies

NoR can be found here: L’Escargot 2017 Notice of Race Final

and Entry form can be found here: L’Escargot 2017 Entry Final

Additional information at http://www.aldeburghyc.org.uk/

Results at the end of Day 1:-

1st Len Jones and Jamie Lea
2nd Bill and Lisa Witney
3rd Brian Lamb and Sam Pygall

Note; Len and Jamie had 2x 1st and 2x 2nd….and 2x capsizes, 2x bent windex, 1x broken spinnaker pole.

Day Two in summary:-

As forecast, Sunday saw a complete change of conditions from Saturday, with a light and patchy southerly(ish) breeze. The race officer saw the fleet off first time and there were many place changes as the whole fleet gained or lost as a result of wind pressure or wind shifts. What breeze there was failed towards the end of the race with the biggest delta of the weekend between first and last. Sensibly, the race officer binned the last scheduled race.

The top three overall were:-

1st Len Jones and Jamie Lea, Medway Yacht Club
2nd Bill and Lisa Witney, Shoreham Sailing Club
3rd Brian Lamb and Sam Pygall, Wilsonian Sailing Club

– Tim Townsend