Seven BODs including Malcolm Goodwin sailing C1 Jean in her first appearance of the seaon, came to the Bateman’s start line for the Colne Salver on Sunday 6 July.  It was champagne sailing all the way for what proved to be an exciting and challenging race.  Malcolm got Jean off to a flying start but then didn’t quite have the pace to maintain his lead (possibly because it was his first sail of the season or perhaps because Jean has been in the water for a couple of weeks and the warm weather means the baby barnacles are spreading like wildfire).  On the other hand Danny Fox and the boys in C8 Egret, who also got a good start, were fully arced up and soon had control of the fleet.

Behind Egret, Alan Hicks in C54 Storm Petrel initially looked good but a combination of a poor tactical decision followed by a spinnaker pole fumble allowed first C9 Bidi, helmed by Colin Willett, and then C53 White Spirit, helmed by Mark White, to overtake him.

Having been disqualified from the last couple of CYC races for failing to correctly pass through the start line between laps, this week Egret made sure they complied with the sailing instructions and didn’t put a foot wrong.  At the finish line they had a confident lead from Bidi with White Spirit third.

Its clear that the standard of sailing is really hotting up in the fleet this year.  And its also clear that although the new fibreglass boats are on the pace, the well prepared wooden boats are still more than capable of beating them.  As we get closer to Pyefleet Week we can look forward to growing fleets and ever more exciting racing.  Bring it on we say!

Thanks as always go to Nick Readings and Marilyn Hempstead for their sterling work on the committee boat.

Colne Salver Final Results

1.  C8 Egret – Danny Fox – 15:15:57 (1hour 30mins 57secs)
2. C9 Bidi – Colin Willett – 15:16:47 (1hour 31mins 47secs)
3. C53 White Spirit – Mark White – 15:17:39 (1hour 32mins 39secs)
4. C54 Storm Petrel – Alan Hicks – 15:18:06 (1hour 33mins 06secs)
5. C1 Jean – Malcolm Goodwin – 15:19:44 (1hour 34mins 44secs)
6. C6 Jumbo – Tom Sargent – 15:24:42 (1hour 39mins 42secs)
7. C29 Panic – Bob Richardson – 15:28:59 (1hour 43mins 59secs)