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Birmingham Open
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Unlike last year the 2015 BMYC Footy Open was blessed (some may not agree) with a good wind blowing from the NW averaging 14mph approx, with gusts of around 20/21mph. The direction held relatively stable with occasional swings of about 45 degrees which made setting the course a bit tricky. A last minute change resulted in a layout that was then used for the rest of the day. The wind direction caused the water surface to become choppy which did not suit everybody but that is the nature of Powells Pool.
Sixteen races were the order of the day and with a good tempo we got through them at the rate of 4 per hour including giving fiddle time where necessary with the PRO keeping things on track.
David Wilkinson had a very short event, his Iambus did not look happy in the conditions and in race 6 it suffered an on board RC problem that could not be repaired at the event.
Sid Sims could not get to grips with the conditions his highlight being 5th in the last race, but he must get recognition for sportsmanship lending a spare ICE to Mike Ewart who used it to good effect securing 2nd place.
Sixteen races were the order of the day and with a good tempo we got through them at the rate of 4 per hour including giving fiddle time where necessary with the PRO keeping things on track.
David Wilkinson had a very short event, his Iambus did not look happy in the conditions and in race 6 it suffered an on board RC problem that could not be repaired at the event.
Sid Sims could not get to grips with the conditions his highlight being 5th in the last race, but he must get recognition for sportsmanship lending a spare ICE to Mike Ewart who used it to good effect securing 2nd place.
Geoff Raygarda was going well with mid field finishes but needed a rescue in race 5 and was unable to compete in races 6 & 7 with water ingress affecting the electronics, he resolved the issue to carry on from race 8 with a 3rd equalling his best finish but the problem reoccurred and he failed to start races 14-16 and this cost him a possibly higher overall finish.
Trevor Thomas struggled to find a rig that suited his boat and the conditions, a couple of 4th places were his best of the day, and I am sure a little less wind would have suited him better.
Mark Unitt started well with two 5th places but then lost his way a little and changed rig several times improving after the lunch break scoring two 3rd places in the second half.
Keith Parrott sailing an ICE started OK getting better with each race he scored a 12th in the 4th race followed that with a best for him 2nd in race 5, this was followed by steady results till gremlins put paid to races 15/16 to end his day.
Robin Webb is still getting to grips with Slim having not sailed it much it must be quite different to the IOM and 36R that he normally sails, his results improved as the morning went on. I’m not sure what he had for lunch but the afternoon was completely different with much better scores with just two DNF’s spoiling what could have been a much higher overall place.
Peter Shepherd had a disastrous start failing to start the first race and two last places as he struggled to sort out a rudder problem, he then bounced back with better scores, after lunch his performance was steady but a couple of 10th’s cost him. I heard him say that the very rig that he needed was the one that he had lent to someone to copy.
He does deserve the bravery award of the day as in the last race his boat had a battery failure and needed rescuing and while he likes sailing model boats he apparently does not like going out on them, but he had to and he helped in collecting in the marks. Well done and thanks Peter.
John Burgoine started well with good scores, a DNF in race 6 did not deter him and he scored well in the afternoon although the matchsticks were coming under great strain as was suffering from terminal tiredness after his RYA race director duties at Rutland last week. I’m not sure if the final three maximums were due to skipper or boat failure.
Peter Jackson had good early scores but could not get quite get to the very front, I think he was having difficulty finding the right balance for the Powells Pool chop, two 8th’s and a 9th after lunch possibly costing him a better overall finish.
Mike Ewart sailing Sid’s boat had a good set of results and was the only one to keep Phil Tyler honest piping him to the win in race 6, a DNF in race 9 due to a tangle with another boat and a 10th in race 3 were his worst scores, well done.
What do I say now, Phil Tylers performance today demonstrated the best example of Footy sailing that I have ever seen beating the scoreboard actually counting two 1st places as discard’s. He mastered not only the rest fleet but also the tricky conditions. His latest Slim was beautifully prepared and had performance to match especially when hard pressed downwind it showed that perhaps Una rigs are the way to go in chop. Very well done indeed.
I would like to thank all of the competitors for the excellent sportsmanship that they showed all day and the fact that whatever position they were in they all enjoyed the day.
Especial thanks to BMYC hosting the event and the Race officer and his team (Graham Tite, Graham Saunders, Dave Peters, and Malcolm Watton) for their work in ensure that the day went well.
Right now it’s heads down and get our boats sorted out so that we can get on to terms with that Slim.
See you all next year.
John Burgoine started well with good scores, a DNF in race 6 did not deter him and he scored well in the afternoon although the matchsticks were coming under great strain as was suffering from terminal tiredness after his RYA race director duties at Rutland last week. I’m not sure if the final three maximums were due to skipper or boat failure.
Peter Jackson had good early scores but could not get quite get to the very front, I think he was having difficulty finding the right balance for the Powells Pool chop, two 8th’s and a 9th after lunch possibly costing him a better overall finish.
Mike Ewart sailing Sid’s boat had a good set of results and was the only one to keep Phil Tyler honest piping him to the win in race 6, a DNF in race 9 due to a tangle with another boat and a 10th in race 3 were his worst scores, well done.
What do I say now, Phil Tylers performance today demonstrated the best example of Footy sailing that I have ever seen beating the scoreboard actually counting two 1st places as discard’s. He mastered not only the rest fleet but also the tricky conditions. His latest Slim was beautifully prepared and had performance to match especially when hard pressed downwind it showed that perhaps Una rigs are the way to go in chop. Very well done indeed.
I would like to thank all of the competitors for the excellent sportsmanship that they showed all day and the fact that whatever position they were in they all enjoyed the day.
Especial thanks to BMYC hosting the event and the Race officer and his team (Graham Tite, Graham Saunders, Dave Peters, and Malcolm Watton) for their work in ensure that the day went well.
Right now it’s heads down and get our boats sorted out so that we can get on to terms with that Slim.
See you all next year.
Phil Tyler receives first prize from RO Graham Tite.
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Runner Up Mike Ewart
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Third Placed Peter Jackson
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Fourth & Nov "ICE" Winner John Burgoine
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