Flying
Dutchman Class
Open Meeting
Arun
Yacht Club 1st-3rd May 1999
We were made very welcome at the Arun Yacht Club for a
joint event with the Tempest Class. The weather was beautifully hot and sunny but, once
again, there was little wind.
Hugh Myers and Gordon Kingston surprised themselves a
little by winning the first race, overtaking John Best and James Cole gybing downwind and
just keeping the boat going and getting the angles right. Julian and Cathy Bridges were
third.
The second race on Saturday was made very difficult, and
a bit dangerous, by thick fog. This certainly confused Hugh, who let John and James
through into the lead on the final leg. Trying to keep the boat moving, cover JB and find
the way in the fog was just all too much!
Sunday was another sunny and windless day, but John and
James were smart enough to win both races from Julian and Cathy. Tim Lester and Roy Poole
were competing well, as usual.
Again, the second race was a bit of a problem, really,
as the race officer seemed to think it was essential to start it even without any wind to
provide propulsive force! At least we could see where we were going in this one, even if
it was tricky to get there!
Hugh and Gordon bounced back from a relatively poor day
on Sunday, to win the last race, but they could not match the consistency of John and
James. Julian and Cathy had again showed how competitive they can be in light airs in a
boat which was built for David Wilkins in 1979.
Being towed in and out of the river was an
"interesting" experience, even in the very light conditions. Some of us did
ponder what on Earth might happen in a nice stiff breeze! Nice sailing water once you get
there, though, and the Club did have its attractions!
Results
1 382 John Best/James Cole 2 1 1 1 2
2 374 Hugh Myers/Gordon Kingston 1 2 3 4 1
3 380 Julian Bridges/Cathy Bridges 3 ocs 2 2 3
4 373 Tim Lester/Roy
Poole 5 4 4 3 5
5 377 Peter
Doran/Mike Williams 4 3 6 6 4
6 369 Harry Bulstrode/Chris Bulstrode 6 ocs 5 5 dns
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