WEIR WOOD OPEN 2006

 

 

Weir Wood RS 200 Open

 

Sunday 2^nd July 2006

 

Weir Wood hoisted their annual RS 200 open meeting on Sunday 2^nd. July.  A fleet of twenty five were greeted by glorious unbroken sunshine and a patchy mostly Easterly breeze.

After a short postponement the fleet sailed up the first windward leg with first the left then the right side paying. In the end those to the right came out on top with Fiona Hall and Paul Rigg leading Dave and Emma Derby. Places changed constantly as the wind filled, died and swung . In the end Hall took line honours followed by David Giles and Fiona Clark with the Derby’s third.

The wind had strengthened by the start of the second race but had swung more to the South which caused it to oscillate more. Giles nailed the pin end bias start but lost out to Derby as the wind swung to favour the right hand side of the course. Also benefiting from the right shift were Andrew and Geraldine Peters, Sue Antonelli and Jo Lloyd and Bruce Ramshaw and Janine Blundell. Derby led around the windward buoy and pulled away from the chasing pack. In the end Derby had a large lead over Hall with Peters hanging on to third.

The break for lunch allowed the competitors to really enjoy the beautiful surroundings of Weir Wood reservoir and to lap up the unbroken sunshine. It was with some reluctance that the fleet took to the water for part two.

Race three began in a South-Easterly breeze. Yet again it prooved necessary to get to the right hand side of the course on the first beat which, yet again is exactly what the Derby’s did to establish a small lead around the windward buoy. Shortly after the wind swung more South leading to a rather processional race. Some of the early leaders were sent for a mandatory break courtesy of the black flag leaving Adam Page and Ian Sedge, Simon Gillow and Emma Harniman and the Peters to lead the chasing pack. Place changing was difficult but not impossible in the patchy breeze. In the end Giles managed to sneak through to second with Gillow claiming third.

With one race to go Derby held the upper hand with only Giles and Hall being theoretically able to catch them. In the end Derby made sure of it by establishing a solid lead around the first windward buoy and disappearing over the horizon. Antonelli fought through to second with Mike Chapman and Lyne Ratcliffe at last showing some pace with third.

On a day where a shifting patchy breeze made sailing difficult the Derby’s showed great skill by winning three of the four races.

1)   Dave Derby and Emma Derby

2)   David Giles and Fiona Clark

3)   Fiona Hall and Paul Rigg

4)   Sue Antonelli and Jo Lloyd

5)   Andrew Peters and Jeraldine Peters