Comet Open meeting at Fishers Green Sailing Club 24 April 2010

 

The Comet Open meeting at FGSC is always held in Spring and so the weather is rather unpredictably predictable.  Either a howling gale or pleasant skies and light airs. This year was no exception.  We woke to a beautiful sunny day – but not a lot of wind. Despite the lack of wind in the forecasts, thirteen visitors and five Fishers Green Comets took part making a total of eighteen boats.

Once again, Dave Pitcock, our ‘veteran’ race officer, who has undertaken this task for many years, managed to find us courses that we liked in the windier parts of the lake.

 

The first race started in a Force 2 which pushed one boat over the line but otherwise all went well. Comets 436, 323 and 711 soon took the lead and despite some drops in wind speed, 711 finished in first place with 436 second and 323 third.

 

Just before the second race, the wind speed dropped to zero. This left most of us floating at or near the line but as if  by magic, three boats at the starboard end of the line found a puff of wind and left us all behind. 436, 518 and 858 kept their lead with the first two boats finishing first and second. The various wind shifts resulted in a lot of changing of positions up and down the fleet. 711 had to do turns for obstructing 178 and causing a collision but still managed to cut 178 up at the penultimate mark. This gave 660 a chance to slip inside and beat 178.

 

To accommodate the changing wind, a new course was set. The wind remained at Force 2 for most of the race but shifts of wind changed runs and reaches into beats at times. The race was won by 323.

 

The prizes were presented by the FGSC Commodore, Brian Conroy.

 

Overall results were:

1st 436 Henry Jagger – Beer sailing club

2nd 323 Annette Walter – WGC sailing club

3rd 711 Brian Welham - Maidenhead sailing club

 

1st Fishers Green sailor – Jenny Colclough

 

Jenny Colclough introduced the shield for the first Fishers Green sailor when she was fleet captain and was delighted to win it for the first time.

 

Annette Walter came home from Chichester to Hertfordshire, dusted down her Comet and, finishing in second place, was first lady helm.

 

One sailor, John Sturgeon, sailed a Comet Zero which performed well in the light winds coming 11th

 

Rank

SailNo

HelmName

Club

 

 

 

 

 

1st

436

Henry Jagger

Beer SC

 

 

 

 

 

2nd

323

Annette Walter

WGCSC

 

 

 

 

 

3rd

711

Brian Welham

Maidenhead SC

 

 

 

 

 

4th

745

Nick Warren

Littleton SC

 

 

 

 

 

5th

858

John Windibank

Chipstead SC

 

 

 

 

 

6th

518

Robin Ballam

Crawley Mariners YC

 

 

 

 

 

7th

532

John Coppenhall

Hunts SC

 

 

 

 

 

8th

84

Michael Ettershank

Eyott SC

 

 

 

 

 

9th

744

Malcolm Underwood

Littleton SC

 

 

 

 

 

10th

801

Tony Best

Maidenhead SC

 

 

 

 

 

11th

400x

J.B. Sturgeon

Hemsley Lake SC

 

 

 

 

 

12th

660

Jenny Colclough

FGSC

 

 

 

 

 

13th

299

Andrew Keynes

Crawley Mariners YC

 

 

 

 

 

14th

63

Chris Robinson

Burghfield SC

 

 

 

 

 

15th

178

Karen O'Brien

FGSC

 

 

 

 

 

16th

41

Mark Smith

FGSC

 

 

 

 

 

17th

560

Elaine Hare

FGSC

 

 

 

 

 

18th

686

Roy Wallis

FGSC

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last but certainly not least was the Comet Class Association Hossell Plate presentation to John Windibank (Chipstead SC) who was not present to take the award when it was announced at the last Open Meeting of 2009.  The Hossell is an annual award to the person judged by the committee to have made the greatest contribution to Comet sailing and enhancing the membership of the Association.

 

Elaine Hare

Comet 560