B14s at the Tide Ride

Mark Barnes and Jonathon Branch report

Another eventful B14 Tide Ride took place over the weekend. The racing was tight and no quarter was given with the umpires being kept busy but no serious damage was reported. This was due to having 25 boats racing on a 400 - 500m course with two downwind gates compressing the fleet. Many of the favourites ended up collecting black flags so tumbling them down the days final order.

The overnight leaders not collecting any black flags was Steve Fish/Neil Barber, followed by Dave Hayes/Sean Dwyer (Seasure) and Tim Fells/Shaun Barber.

Sunday started with the overnight position counting as the score equivalent to one race. On Sunday the fleet was split into two flights with flight one being named the flight of death due to most of the top circuit boats being in that half. The top six of each flight would go through to the final two races with the rest sailing a reportage final.

Race 1 was hard faught with the pin end of the line being over and having to re- round (black flag not applying). This really opened up the race. There were many changes during the race with lead being shared by six of the boats. Boats showing there metal on the first beat were Wayne Dixon/Trish Dixon (Rogate), Dan Willet/Stu Philips The eventual winners were Mark Barnes/Tom Pygall (ReadyCrest) followed home by Chris Bines/Dave Gibbons (CSC) who had recovered from the back on the first beat with the comment that they had used up all the vouchers on there prayer mat. Willet/Phillips were deemed PMS so letting Fells/Barber through to 6and final qualifier.

Overnight leaders Fish/Barber had a mare of a race fowling the warps on the gates and so were eliminated.

Race two was again hard faught off the start line but Nils Jollaffe/Jonathon Branch (Boatracer.co.uk) led from start to finish hotly pursued by Seasure, Simon Hadley/Pete Nicholson (HSBC) and Alan Davis/Alison Wilson.

Final race one and second point scoring race was going to be interesting, the line was short, the tide ripping across the line. Several boats fowled the committee boat warp. At the pin end it was ReadyCrest who were away first closely followed by Fells/Barber and Boatracer.co.uk. The race was hard faught at the front with a dog fight ensuing between these 3 with the ReadyCrest repelling first one then the other of the 2 boats. However at the second lowered mark, Boatracer.co.uk took the inside berth and lead to the finish finishing first followed home by ReadyCrest then Fells/Barber, CSC and Seasure. The rest of the fleet followed in hot pursuit with several place changes at the finish.

Race two and final points race was going to be a hum dinger. Fells/Barber had to finish worst than second and one of three protagonists who had to finish first. The race got clean away on the ebb tide with a lot of ducking and diving taking place. Two boats that had been on form but were now up there were Matt Gill/Ben Cooper ( Pica) and Davis/Wilson. The first seven boats could not be separated on the first lap and the heat was up. CSC eventually broke out to a 25m. lead but this was to prove enough to win the race. Second ended up being hard faught between ReadyCrest and Fells/Barber. This one went down to the wire with Fells/Barber claiming second and winning the Tide Ride but they seemed to have the ability to pull the rabbit out of the hat when required and won a well deserved Tide Ride. Fourth was Davis/Wilson followed by Pica in fifth.

Our thanks must go out to Tim Hancock and his team for running a colourful event and the B14 class will try to not give the Umpires so much work (pleasure) next year.

By Mark Barnes and Jonathon Branch