71 Phantoms

Lovely force four conditions for day one of the Phantom National Championship

71 Phantoms have turned up to compete in their National Championship. Dat one saw a force four breeze and two competitive races.

There was a good spread on the line with a slight committee boat bias for race one. Simon Childs away to a good start tacking onto port to take the shifts and tide up the right of the course.

Will Gulliver and Nick Beloe Came across the middle of the beat with Gulliver making his way to the right. A proper length beat of roughly a mile saw the first mark order of Childs, Gulliver, Beloe, Allan Burrel and Henry Ayres.

The fleet enjoyed fantastic running conditions as the waves started to come up. The positions stayed the same until the first reach where Gulliver went low and managed an overlap at the gybe mark. However, childs pulled ahead over the top on the final leg to take the bullet with Gulliver second Beloe third Burrel fourth and Ayres fifth.

Race two saw a slightly more packed start line saw Burrel and Beloe get good starts at the committee boat end. Right hand side paide again and Gulliver led around first mark from Burrell, Childs and Beloe.

A close run saw the front runners close up as more wind filled in from behind. Gulliver and Burrel choose to round the left hand of the gate and Childs, Beloe and Tyler Harmsworth the right. Gulliver and Burrel pulled away. On the penultimate reach the wind again rose from behind to allow Beloe to take Childs on the inside and Harmsworth to roll over the top. Burrel took the gun from Gulliver, Beloe, Harmsworth and Childs.