Fireballs at Parkstone

Andy Barker wins after six years out of the boat

1977 was the year when Pink Floyd released their classic album Animals and one of the Fireball Class’s own legends, Andy Barker, won the first of his 4 national titles. So it was apt that on second July, the day that the Floyd’s Roger Waters joined his former band mates on stage for the first time in over 20 years at Live8, Barker, deputizing for Chips Howarth, found himself in a Fireball for the first time in six years.

Out on the race course in Poole Bay conditions could not have been better with 15 knot breezes and small rolling waves. In the first race visiting Irishman Noel Butler and crew Jamie Lea had a storming start and led at the windward mark from Dave Wade and Richard Wagstaff, with Barker and Vyv Townend in third. Butler was never seriously challenged and won the race, with Wade second and National Champion DJ Edwards sailing for the first time with crew Dan Newman, recovering from a poor start to take third.

In race two, Wade led at the first mark with Barker close on his heals and Barker chased Wade around the racecourse for the next two laps. However, on the run as the leading bunch of boats ran deep, Vince Horey and Gavin Tilson reached high of the fleet and found themselves in breeze which allowed them to jump from fifth to first. Horey’s moment of glory was short lived as he headed off to the left hand side of the next beat. Barker headed to the favored right hand side to take the lead at the next windward mark. On the last run, Wade threw everything at Barker, determined not to be beaten by a man, albeit a youthful man, of 56. On this occasion age prevailed over beauty and Barker took the winner’s gun with Wade second and Malcolm Davies and Ian Cadwallader third.

Sunday dawned with a light five to seven knot breeze. Again, the course favored the right hand side and those who went left found themselves down the pan at the first mark. Local sailors Ben Baxter and Alyson Bowering sailed a great first beat to lead at the first mark closely followed by Chips Howarth, taking back his helming duties from Barker, in second and Steve Goacher and Tim Edlund third.

Baxter did well to hold off Howarth and Townend until the second reach, but once he got past, Howarth extended his lead to almost half a leg. On the third lap, the wind dropped to nothing and it had that feeling that it could all turn inside out. And turn inside out it did. Howarth managed to get around the leeward mark and through the upwind gate to win the race just at the wind started to play its games. Those who were at the front at the fleet had been swept down from the rhumb line to the leeward mark by the tide and could only watch helplessly as the wind began to fill in from behind and those at the back came round the gybe mark in breeze and sailed over the top of them. The biggest gainer was Horey who had been almost last, but was the first to enjoy the new breeze and sailed through to take second, with Adam and Suzie Brushett third. Baxter was very unfortunate as he saw the second place he had defended so well for most of the race converted into a 13th and Goacher similarly saw his third place converted into 18th.

With the wind dropping again, the Race Officer sensibly abandoned the remaining two races, leaving Barker and Howarth and Townend the overall winners.

Results:

1-Andy Barker/Chips Howarth and Vyv Townend (Swanage SC Hayling Island SC) 2 pts
2-Dave Wade and Richard G Wagstaff (Northampton SC) 4 pts
3-Vince Horey and Gavin Tilson (Fishers Green SC) 6 pts
4-Malcolm Davies and Ian Cadwallader (Paignton SC) 7 pts
5-DJ Edwards and Dan Newman (Corus SC) 8 pts
6-Noel Butler and Jamie Lea (DMYC) 9 pts