Day 3
BLOW THE WIND SOUTHERLY (SOMETIMES WITH A BIT OF EAST IN IT TOO)
Poole Harbour was very much a harbour of two halves on the Tuesday of Poole Week. In the top triangle, sailing area for the Flying Fifteens and ILCAs (Lasers in old money), the wind started in the south and pretty well stayed there. It swung left and right, making for challenging racing and resulting in a few high scores for some of the leading boats. With a discard kicking in after four races, however, those still counting three good results were in with a chance of staying at or near the top.
Further east, the fleets starting from the Parkstone Platform set out into a southerly as well. But then, just after the first four starts, the breeze took a sharp turn to the left and settled at around 140°. Because beats and runs had become reaches, race officer Bob Jennings had to shorten the courses for the fleets that had already set off, and rapidly re-set the others. Managing multiple fleets is a challenge at the best of times, and infinitely more challenging when you have a 40° wind shift mid-way through the start sequences.
On the whole, the pecking order wasn’t upset too radically by any of this, though there will always be winners and losers. In the fast handicap fleet, Steve Thompson’s GP14 from Poole YC won both of the day’s races to top the leaderboard, tied on 4 points with Steve and Ally Tyler’s Merlin Rocket. Two more Poole YC boats – the Contenders of David Evans and Nathan McGrory – are lying 3rd and 4th respectively, both on 12 points.
Yet another visitor – this time from Swanage – is making the running in the slow handicap fleet. Luke Lazell in his Europe is one point ahead of two ILCA 4s (Laser 4.7s). Nigel Pearce is having a tougher week this year in his Fusion, having volunteered to sail on the same handicap as the ILCAs and therefore having to finish ahead of them on the water. It’s a tall order, and he also has Kirsten Glen snapping at his heels. Kirsten and her Byte helped to make up for missing Monday by winning the second race on Tuesday.
New from the Parkstone Platform this year is a combined start for the RS200s and RS400s. The 12-strong 200s are being led convincingly by Bruce and Katy Moyes, with Peter Loretto and Lily Tointon a couple of points adrift. Dave and Jan Pointer are only two points further back despite having broken their gooseneck in the first race on Monday.
Last year, Sean Murray – crewed by various members of his family - won the Wayfarers. This year Sean and his wife, Helen, have moved across to the RS400s and already established a three-point cushion at the front of the fleet. In the Wayfarers, meanwhile, Jackie Dobson’s 2, 1 on Tuesday moved her into the overall lead.
Maintaining his lead in the XODs, Willie McNeill scored a 1st and a discarded 7th, John Tremlett nearly matching that with a discarded 7th followed by a 2nd to sit one point behind. The second race was won comfortably by Penny Fulford from Itchenor.
Back in the top triangle, Bob Alexander and Huw Willetts found themselves on the wrong side of a few shifts to finish 11th in the first race of the day, but won the second to stay at the top of the table. It was a similar story in the ILCA 7s, with Monday’s leader, Matt Reid – who won Poole Week back in 2009 by an enormous margin – discarding a 5th after winning the day’s first race to keep his top spot. Experience displaced youth in the ILCA 6s, with Roger O’Gorman sneaking one point clear of young Tom Hakes.
It was definitely a day of snakes and ladders, but it was also warm and sunny. If you didn’t lose 10 places by going right up the beat only to find the wind flicking 20° to the left, it was a lovely day to be on the water.
