Challenge Trophy and Ladies Race

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Challenge Trophy and Ladies Race
Sunday 26th June 2016

All the boats favoured the pin end of the start line and all the boats got away cleanly.  The Contender 401 went ahead of the fleet and was the first boat to reach the windward mark. Having got away from the fleet the Contender was not subject to loads of shouting of Starboard, there was a collision between two yellow Lasers which ended up with both capsizing but they soon righted themselves and carried on sailing.

Though the Contender sailed a lone course in the lead, the boat in second place was Laser 200875 and not far behind were the Laser 2000 2621 and Laser 4.7 3630  and Laser 2000 2041.  The two Laser 2000's were vying with each other for second and third place.

Amongst the Lasers, the fleet was quite well spread out, Laser 200875 who held second place was being caught up by the Laser 2000, 2041 and then Laser 2000, 2621.  As the lead Laser and Laser 2000 were sailing up to SP1, the Laser rounded the mark first, then the Laser 2000, the Laser 2000 raised it 's spinnaker and began to pull away for the Laser 200875, in fourth place was the other Laser 2000, 2621 who also raised its spinnaker and started to pursue the boats in second and third place.  Having pulled away from the Laser 200875, the Laser 2000 was soon to find that the Laser had caught up and they were neck and neck but now it was the Laser that pulled away, however, the lead was not a big lead over the Laser 2000.  In the lead, the Contender managed to extend its lead over the rest of the fleet and had begun lapping some of the boats.

As there were two races to be held over the afternoon, the Race Officer took the decision to shorten the Race.  The first two boats to finish were Laser 200875 and Laser 2000, 2041, followed by a flurry of Lasers and after that the Contender 401. There were some retirements from the race.

The start sequence for Race Two of the afternoon began and the fleet began massing for the start, once again the Contender began to pull away from the fleet, however, at the first mark SP1, it was between the Contender and the Laser 2000, 2041 as to who would round the mark first, it was Contender, then in second place was Laser 161766, then Laser 4.7 3630 and then Laser 2000, 2041.
Rounding SP3 together are the Laser 2000,2041 and Laser 161766 then Laser 200875, after this Laser 2000, 2621, then the Laser 4.7 3630

With an increase in the breeze, there were a number of capsizes within the fleet, the Race Officer again shortened the race. Whilst the Contender was to finish the Race in Pole Position once again, at the end of the day, the results are worked out on the individual handicaps of the boats.
 
Challenge Trophy
1st Laser 4.7 3630 Samuel Dyer
2nd Contender 401 Steve Owen
3rd Laser 2000, 2041 Brian and Maria Golton

Ladies Race
1st Laser 2000 2621 Magdalena Gawecka and Laurie Dengate

​Race report by Liz Smith