Dell Quay Sailing Club

(Published in the Chichester Observer on Thursday 11th December 2014)

With a heavy frost overnight and the air temperature initially close to zero, races 3 & 4 of the DQSC Frostbite Series lived up to the series name. An almost total lack of wind prior to the racing meant that race officer Graham Dalton had to change the course just before the start to give contestants the best chance to find some breeze.

Fortunately the wind picked up for the start of race 3 and the sun came out to remove some of the bite from the frost. The first beat was set towards Hook which gave racers the advantage of going along with the flooding tide. However, conditions were more difficult on the reach back down to Copperas West with the flooding tide now opposing the light wind.

The light winds favoured the RS 400s, which were able to pick up more wind with their large spinnakers than the single handers, giving Peter King and Jamie Prescott first place on handicap followed by Bob Marshall and Neill Bryant in second place. Malcolm Buchanan came in third in his Solo followed by visiting sailors Nick and Biddy Colbourne from Chichester Yacht Club in their GP14.

For race 4 the wind picked up, providing a faster beat towards Hook despite the turning tide. On the reach back down harbour to Copperas West the wind dropped and it was the boats which managed to avoid the wind holes that rounded the mark first. The leading four Solos kept well together on the reach across to Crouchers and back to Hook but couldn’t quite hold back the visiting Colbourne crew who took first place on handicap with Buchanan second and Carol Andrews (Solo) third.

Races 5 & 6 take place on Saturday 20^th December at 09:30.

Andrew Horne