Dell Quay Sailing Club
Chichester Harbour
Dinghies 
Dinghy Racing Race Reports
Dinghy Racing Race Reports
DQSC 2000 Open Meeting Report
The annual DQSC 2000 open meeting was well supported by visiting sailors and club members alike.
A report for this event was published in the Chichester Observer on Thursday 3rd July. See press cutting below.
Report by Andrew Horne, with contributions from Peter King and Rob Corfield. Pictures by Chris Hatton.
An additional report by Graham Dalton, from a competitors viewpoint, follows the press report.
The 2000 Open Meeting as experienced by the competitors.
There were tricky conditions for racers and race officer alike at the annual DQSC open meeting for the 2000 class. A gentle breeze from the north was forecast to swing west, while any sea breeze would come from the south. In practice the fleet of 17, including 9 visitors found all three wind directions during the series of three races. Often all in the same race!
In race 1 Burghfield sailors Chris and Gill Jordan in White Wash resisted the urge to keep out of the flood tide, and stayed in the foul stream but stronger wind to get ahead of former national champion Rob and Sarah Burridge from Weir Wood. Not to be outdone, the Burridges sailing Wight 'n Wicked ground down their opponents to clinch the gun, with Dell Quay sailors Graham and Lucy Dalton in Wight Diamond seizing third just yards from the line from Thorney' Matt Sargent and young son Jonney
For race two a slack tide and a shifty wind meant an early tack onto port and some very different tactics. The Daltons hit a large patch of weed to find themselves near the back of the fleet, and a big job to do to get back into contention. Dell Quay's Anne and Jim Norfolk sailing Toucan battled for places, as did local sailors Mike and Tim Dormer. But it was Chichester members Helen and Mark Green who fought off the attack to take 4th place behind another Burridge / Jordan / Dalton trio.
The third and final race started against an ebb tide and a bit more west in the wind, leaving the windward shore a place for the brave. The Jordans went for the brave option, only to find little wind and lots of weed. This left the way open for the Daltons to take second and the Norfolks third behind another emphatic Burridge win.
So some great racing in difficult conditions. But in the end it was the Wight boats who took the chocolates, leaving Toucan to seek solace in a Guinness in the after race bar.
Graham Dalton
