Laser 2000s at Weston

Helen Phillips and Judith Baldwin report

The first Laser 2000 Millennium Series event to be held at Weston SC was attended by 16 boats, although not all ventured onto the water in the 25 knot winds. The event was shared with the B14 and Contender classes, and the race officer interleaved two windward-leeward courses and a trapezoid course to keep the classes apart.

Yet again, there was a strong contingent of family sailors in the fleet, with 11 boats having at least one sailor aged 16 or under on board. Matty Pickering, in his first season as helm in the L2k class, deserves a special mention for completing all six races in conditions which put several of the adult sailors off.

The strength of the wind in Race 1 meant that some of the lead boats in the B14 fleet were coming down-wind close to the committee boat as the Laser 2000s were lining up their final approach to the start line. L2k sailors were somewhat alarmed when sailing from behind the committee boat (a large yacht) to find a B14 screaming downwind at them, and a few finely planned starboard end start-line approaches were hastily turned into safe “anywhere on the line as long as its in clear air” starts.

At the first mark, it was Skip and Chay Atkins in the lead, closely followed by Tim and Linda Hulley and Andy and Karen Baldwin. On the first downwind leg, Tim and Linda experienced problems with a gennaker hoist, giving them an opportunity to check the alignment of their centreboard and rudder from the water, allowing Helen and Andrew Phillips through into third place.

Judith’s report of Race 2 (from the shore) reads “Visibility poor. Rain. Retreated to clubhouse”. On the water, those who read the port-biased start line correctly were able to make major gains on the rest, and it was the Hulleys who led at the first mark, followed by Andrew and Alice Barraclough, with the Baldwins in third. Andrew and Alice gradually lost ground, and the race was won by the Hulleys, with the Baldwins in second, and Atkins third.

The winds dropped further for Race 3. Tim and Linda led from the start, followed by Helen and Andrew, and Skip and Chay. On the first down-wind leg, the Hulleys went left and gained a significant lead over the rest of the fleet. The Baldwins, who had been in fourth place, were forced to do a 720 when they dropped their gennaker onto Andrew and William Sloper’s deck. The race was won by Skip and Chay, with Tim and Linda in second place and Helen and Andrew third.

On Saturday night, the club put on an excellent four-course “more than you can eat” curry evening whilst the L2k sailors did their best to work their way through an extensive selection of real ales. This may explain why our team, “The Woolly Hats”, featuring several members of the L2k National Quiz Champions’ team, were only able to manage second place in the evening’s quiz.

Those of us who camped in the club grounds woke to a beautiful calm sunny Sunday morning, with winds building to around Force 3-4 by the time the racing started.

Race 4 saw the majority of the fleet opting for a starboard start at the pin end, and it was Skip and Chay who were first to the windward mark, followed by Andy and Mark Baldwin, and newcomers Chris and Matt Fuller, with their brand new boat cunningly disguised by only having four digits of their sail number on the sails. There was close-fought competition at the front of the fleet, with the lead being swapped between the Atkins, the Hulleys and the Fullers. Further down the fleet, Andrew and William Sloper capsized just before the leeward mark; they made a quick recovery, but Andrew had forgotten someone, leaving an extra “boy” in the water for the following boats to avoid. Judith and Karen, watching from the shore, were so absorbed by all this activity that they missed the end of the race. The results show that the race was won by Skip and Chay, with Tim and Linda in second place, and Andy and Mark in third.

Race 5 saw another port biased line, and this time it was Andy and Mark who took advantage of a wind shift to go ahead, leading to the end of the race. Behind them, Skip and Chay finished second, with Tim and Linda third. Helen and Andrew Phillips fought a close tactical battle with Andrew and William Sloper for nearly two laps, and finally managed to shake them off to finish fourth.

In the last race of the day, the winds were still shifting, and on a particularly large shift saw Tim and Linda tack to take the lead, Skip and Chay continued on but lost several places, and Amy Hulley and Joe Pascoe capsized. The Fullers took second place, and this time it was the Slopers who got the better of the Phillips to finish third.
Prizes for first to third were presented by Weston SC, and single-use cameras, courtesy of Kodak, were presented to the junior sailors who were competing in their first Millennium Cup event.

1st 2022 Skip & Chay Atkins Stone SC 8pts
2nd 2854 Tim & Linda Hulley Weir Wood SC 9pts
3rd 21335 Andy & Karen/Mark Baldwin Graffham Water SC 13pts
4th 21033 Helen & Andrew Phillips Cardiff Bay YC 19pts
5th 2115 Andrew & William Sloper Queen Mary SC 30pts