It's a wrap

Leigh and Lowton SC's popular icicle series comes to a conclusion

Leigh & Lowton SC Tipsy Icicle Series 2004 - Series report by Justin Chisholm

The 2004 Leigh & Lowton SC Tipsy Icicle series came to a close on Sunday 14th March. Given this Winter’s extremes of weather ranging from icy gales to millpond zephyrs it is impressive that all twenty two races were completed over the eleven week series. This is in the main a testimony to the commitment of the race management team lead by Mike Broatch and including George Evans and Ken Lawrenson. An excellent demonstration of putting something back into the sport, Mike and his team forgo their own sailing over the winter to organise racing for everyone else. Entry and registration was handled expertly each weekend by Les Cross.

The seventy two strong slow handicap fleet was dominated in terms of numbers by the Laser fleet who managed a bumper thirty one entries over the series. Consistency was clearly going to be the key to success in this fleet. Ed Thomas from West Lancashire YC in his Laser ground out an impressive victory overall - winning with a weekend to spare. He was pushed hard throughout by Stuart Bellfield from Leigh & Lowton SC in another Laser who having missed races early in the series had little margin left for error. Gareth Williams in his lone Europe put together a dogged performance to take third place. A string of one’s and two’s in the final few weekends must have made Alan Johnson and Dave Garlick in their GP regret their late entry into the series. Similarly Steve Denison in his Solo recorded five wins but was unable to compete in enough races to qualify. First overall in the eleven strong Solo fleet was Fred Holgate from the home club. Also from Leigh & Lowton SC Tom Dawber lead home the fifteen Toppers.

Twenty eight RS400’s made up just over half the entries in the fast handicap fleet. The racing was predictably hard fought with starting techniques and boat handling making all the difference. Richard Marsh’s RS400 made much of the early running over the first few weekends before the call of sunnier climes lured him away. The series developed into a three way contest between the RS400’s of Mike Budd and Dave Shiel, with Justin Chisholm of Pwllheli SC in his Finn keeping them on their toes on handicap. Budd and Shiel traded wins throughout the series with Budd and crew Arline Crouch seemingly just having the edge in the medium airs. In the end it was the heavy weather master class performances from Leigh & Lowton Commodore Shiel and his highly experienced crew Paul Heath which gave them a string of bullets and the overall trophy. Louise McKeand and Chris Gillard, both in RS400’s kept up a sustained challenge over the series and Harry Reed in another RS400 showed early promise but never regained form following an inexplicable capsize in mirror flat conditions. This allowed John & Roseanne Walters to steal 6th place overall in their Flying 15.

This year 173 competitors in 122 boats spread across 20 classes took to the racecourse at some point in the series. The spread of weather, classes and competitors all added up to produce a superb event of which Leigh & Lowton SC are rightly proud. The Commodore and Club look forward to welcoming even more visitors next year to what is proving to be one of the UK’s premier winter dinghy series.

Overall Results:

Fast Handicap
1st RS400 - Dave Shiel & Paul Heath
2nd RS400 - Mike Budd & Arline Crouch
3rd Finn - Justin Chisholm
4th RS400 - Louise McKeand & Phil Bishop
5th RS400 - Chris Gillard & Alan Gibbons
6th Flying 15 - John & Roseane Walter
7th RS400 - Harry Reed & Alan Woosey

Slow Handicap
1st Laser - Ed Thomas
2nd Laser - Stuart Bellfield
3rd Europe - Gareth Williams
4th Solo - Fred Holgate
5th Solo - Brian Holt
6th Solo - Mark Starbuck
7th Laser - Elizabeth Sparks
8th Laser - James Jagger