Grafham Grand Prix

Mike St Paer reports on the action with photos from Steve Arkley

2006 started with GWSC’s 25th Grand Prix event on Jan 1st – the first event in the club’s 40th year. Competitors arrived under a grey sky to some excellent sailing conditions, with a NW wind of around 15 mph and a very reasonable temperature for the time of year.

Boats sailed on two tracks, with Cats and Asymmetrics and the fast handicap fleet at the West end, and the medium handicap fleet and single handers at the East. The entire event ran under Black Flag enabling ROs Graham Wright and Ralph Tingle to get all the starts away on time but, as always, catching some people out.

The Cat and Asymmetric fleet was dominated by Simon Kearns and Ben Burns sailing an F18 who won both races with ease both on the water and on corrected time. Kearns and Burns were followed by Ian Nolan’s RS 700, and Kevin Ireson and Les Kirby in the 49er.

Fast Handicap was won equally comfortably by Tim Ollerenshaw in a “non hydrofoil” Moth, followed by Dave Wade and Anthony York in the Fireball with John Reynolds and Fran Howell 3rd in the 4000. Things might have been much closer if Tim Rush had managed to make the morning race with his brand new and very pretty Osprey, since he won the pm fast handicap race with ease.

Down at the east end Richard Dee and Chris Martin’s MR dominated both races to win comfortably, but once again things might have been different. A pin biased line for the am race got very crowded indeed and Tom Stewart’s MR fell foul of the black flag effectively finishing his day’s racing. Second and Third places were closely contested by Simon Kneller/Dave Lucas, and Jeremy Davy/Simon Childs in the two leading flying 15s, the points tie only resolved by the corrected times.

Mike Lyons sailing a Blaze and Phil Laycock’s Finn were first and second single handers respectively, a tie once again only separated by corrected times, and they were followed in third by David Walkers Finn with two thirds.

The date of this year’s event and the very cold weather of the previous week meant a slightly reduced entry for this year’s event but it was a good thing it wasn’t delayed till the following day when there was not a breath of wind!



More pictures on following pages

Cats and Fast Assymetric

	Class	Helm	Crew	PY	R1	R2	Pts
1	FORMULA 18	Simon Kearns	Ben Burns	691	1	1	2
2	RS 700	Ian Nolan		864	5	3	8
3	49ER	Kevin Ireson	Les Kirby	750	4	6	10
4	LASER 5000	Mark Rushden	Nicky Rushden	846	6	5	11
5	LASER 5000	Thomas Sauvel	Alistair Farman	846	9	4	13
6	Asymmetric Canoe	Richard Hudson		872	8	7	15
7	FORMULA 18	Kevin Cooper	Justin Martin	691	BFD	2	16
8	INTER 17	Simon Longstaff		730	2	DNF	16
9	49er	Josh Wilce	Ollie Wilce	750	3	DNC	17
10	Dart 18	Neil Klabe		805	7	DNC	21

Fast Handicap

	Class	Helm	Crew	PY	R1	R2	Nett
1	IM	Tim Ollerenshaw		1000	1	2	3
2	FIREBALL	David Wade	Anthony York	986	2	3	5
3	LASER 4000	John Reynolds	Fran Howell	908	5	5	10
4	RS K6	Ian Robson	Sandy Johnson	920	8	4	12
5	IM	Martin Harrison		1000	4	8	12
6	FIREBALL	Becky Priest	Tim Saunders	986	6	6.5	12.5
7	FIREBALL	Ian Priest	Mike Stoddart	986	7	10	17
8	RS 400	Chris Larr	Jamie Morgan	952	10	9	19
9	RS 600	Brian Briggs		920	11	14	25
10	RS 600	Tim Cray		920	14	12	26
11	Javelin	Guy Humphrey	Gary King	926	13	13	26
12	Sprint 15	Bob Carter		916	12	15	27
13	OSPREY	Tim Rush	Peter Elver	940	DNC	1	28
14	Fireball	Andy Smith	Johnny Mildred	986	3	DNC	30
15	29ER	Ed Jones	Ed Robbs	924	9	21	30
16	Sprint 15	Philip Howden		916	15	16	31
17	Sprint 15	Richard Philpott		916	16	17	33
18	29ER	Nick Ward	Tom Wright	924	DNF	6.5	33.5
19	SPRINT 15	Trevor Arnold		916	18	19	37
20	29er	Matt Undrell	Richard Crocker	924	DNC	11	38
21	Sprint 15	William Tusting		916	17	DNC	44
22	Dart 18	Neil Klabe		805	DNC	18	45
23	DART 15	Peter Allsop		916	19	DNC	46
24	470	Kim Harris	Tom Harris	973	DNC	20	47

Slow Handicap

	Class	Helm	Crew	PY	R1	R2	Pts
1	MERLIN-ROCKET	Richard Dee	Chris Martin	1024	1	1	2
2	Flying Fifteen	Simon Kneller	Dave Lucas	1026	2	4	6
3	Flying Fifteen	Jeremy Davy	Simon Childs	1026	3	3	6
4	KESTREL	Richard Hartley	Mark Hartley	1038	5	2	7
5	Flying Fifteen	Brett Dingwall	Ben Dingwall	1026	4	10	14
6	Flying Fifteen	Dave Philpott	Pippa Noon	1026	6	8	14
7	FLYING FIFTEEN	Mike De St Paer	Anne De St Paer	1026	10	5	15
8	FLYING FIFTEEN	Richard Ledger	Mark Waterhouse	1026	13	6	19
9	420	Tom Taylor	David Scott	1087	7	16	23
10	RS 200	Charlie Roome	Loopie Lucy Matthews	1059	14	9	23
11	Flying Fifteen	Barry Wyatt	Geoff Parkinson	1026	18	7	25
12	Flying Fifteen	Bob Gatton	John Forsdike	1026	9	17	26
13	SCORPION	William Winter	Andrew Davies	1058	12	15	27
14	Flying Fifteen	Graham Smith	Alan Ward	1026	16	12	28
15	Laser 2000	Andy Baldwin	Karen Baldwin	1089	15	13	28
16	420	Tim Saxton	Jamie Hare	1087	11	19	30
17	RS 200	Andi Riley	Julie Marsden	1059	22	11	33
18	RS 200	Fiona Hall	Steven Hall	1059	20	14	34
19	420	Ben Saxton	Daniel Hare	1087	17	21	38
20	RS 200	Paul Williamson	Helen Williamson	1059	21	18	39
21	LASER 2000	Andy Dring	Simon Laken	1089	19	20	39
22	RS 200	Geoff Carveth	Sarah Allan	1059	8	DNC	43
23	12	David Williams	Hannah Williams	1096	25	22	47
24	Enterprise	Dave Steed	Charlie Odell	1116	23	25	48
25	Kestrel	Rod Brown-Lee	Emma Turner	1038	28	24	52
26	Scorpion	Martyn Denchfield	Nigel Denchfield	1058	24	28	52
27	ENTERPRISE	Paul Young	Ben Torrens	1116	27	27	54
28	RS Feva	Ross Williams	James Patience	1195	26	29	55
29	420	Claire Lasko	Philip Lasko	1087	DNC	23	58
30	Martin 16	Rosemary Lawless	Marion Edwards	1150	29	30	59
31	ENTERPRISE	Graham Kirkup	Dominic White	1116	BFD	26	61
32	MERLIN-ROCKET	Tom Stewart	Chris Downham	1024	BFD	DNC	70

Singlehanders

	Class	Helm	PY	R1	R2	Pts
1	BLAZE	Mike Lyons	1047	2	1	3
2	FINN	Phil Laycock	1072	1	2	3
3	Finn	David Walker	1072	3	3	6
4	Finn	Simon Hoult	1072	5	4	9
5	LASER	Ian Morgan	1078	7	5	12
6	LASER RADIAL	David Jessop	1101	6	6	12
7	Challenger	Val Millward	1200	4	10	14
8	LASER	Phil Bevan	1078	8	9	17
9	Challenger	Judi Figgures	1200	13	7	20
10	LASER RADIAL	Ben Longstaff	1101	12	15	27
11	Laser Radial	Kerry Tucker	1101	14	14	28
12	LASER	Ben Lulham	1078	16	13	29
13	Challenger	David Campbell	1200	21.5	8	29.5
14	Laser 4.7	Adam Smith	1175	10	21	31
15	SOLO	Julian Clarke	1155	15	18	33
16	Laser Radial	Richard Major	1101	17	19	36
17	Laser	Tim Matthews	1078	25	12	37
18	LASER	Robin Annett	1078	18	20	38
19	Challenger	Cliff Farrell	1200	31	11	42
20	Streaker	Tom Gillard	1162	11	34	45
21	LASER	Graham Norden	1078	29	17	46
22	LASER RADIAL	Bobbie Johnson	1101	19	28	47
23	LASER	Bruce Bonar	1078	20	29	49
24	Laser Radial	Craig Williamson	1101	23	26	49
25	LASER	Chris Hall	1078	27	23	50
26	LASER RADIAL	John Lester	1101	24	27	51
27	LASER	Paul Undrell	1078	26	25	51
28	LASER	Andrew Allsop	1078	9	DNC	52
29	SOLO	Ian Hall	1155	36	16	52
30	LASER	Jon Quick	1078	28	24	52
31	LASER RADIAL	Luke Bayliss	1101	21.5	31	52.5
32	SOLO	Gary Ungless	1155	35	22	57
33	Laser	Nick Skinner	1078	32	30	62
34	Laser	Andy Prior	1078	33	32	65
35	Laser	Ian Patience	1078	34	35	69
36	Laser	Will Cook	1078	37	33	70
37	Challenger	David Larr	1200	30	DNC	73