MERLIN ROCKET RESULTS
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Results / Open meeting

Wembley S.C.
17/04/2016 - 17/04/2016
Silver Tiller: R
Multi-Day Silver Tiller:
Vintage:
Regional:
Classic:
Wembley Sailing Club hosted the Merlin Rocket Silver Tiller meeting on 17th April 2016.

In contrast to the cold and windy meetings of the last two years, 33 competitors, with visitors from Axe, Blithfield, Brightlingsea, Chew Valley, Hollingworth, Lyme Regis Midland, Nothampton, Redditch Salcombe, Starcross, together with our friends from the Thames Valley Clubs were met by a sunny Spring day but with a light variable northerly wind.

Following the welcome of free bacon butties, John and Judy Gill and their race team ran three back to back races in challenging wind conditions. As several sailors pointed out it was good practice for Salcombe.

Race 1 got underway just after 11.30 and Olly Turner and Graham Sexton started as they meant to go on by nailing the port end of the line start and then leading the entire race. They were followed – but never really challenged by - Caroline Croft and Beka Jones and coming in third Mike and Jane Calvert. The rest of the fleet were experiencing snakes and ladders racing in the shifty conditions which required a considerable sense of humour to endure. Following the end of the race rescue boats delivered bottles of water and mars bars – as is the Wembley tradition.

The warning for Race 2 was sounded shortly after the last boat had finished and the fleet was off, this time with a three way battle between Olly and Graham, Mike and Jane, with Matt Biggs and Ben Hollis in hot pursuit. Mike and Jane got into the lead for a while but Olly and Graham held their nerve to master the shifty truculent breeze to win from Matt and Ben with Mike and Jane again in third.

Olly and Graham, having won the meeting decided to sit out race three, which was not a bad call as the wind first disappeared then went around to the east and then tantalisingly seemed to fill in and swing to the north west as forecast. The RO set a course accordingly, only for there to be a general recall. The subsequent black flag start caught out four teams including Jon Turner and Richard Parslow. Just after the re-start the wind shifted first back to the east – causing some to try spinnakers (!)– and then back the north which left those to windward reaching into the windward mark. Matt and Hannah Greenfield led and looked like they were off to win until a large shift caught them out letting through Matt and Ben, Jen Dodds and Chris Kilsby and Mike and Jane.

Following racing the 66 competitors sat down to eat the complimentary Wembley chilli con carne, before the prize giving. Olly and Graham were first, Matt and Ben second, Mike and Jane third, Jen and Chris fourth and Caroline and Beka fifth. Mike and Jane also picked up the Century Cup for the team whose combined ages hit one hundred.

Having relaxed, the fleet went home having enjoyed a great day's racing thanks to the RS200 and Laser fleets at Wembley who ran the day and Anthony Rickaby the Merlin Captain who organised it.

By Anthony Rickaby
PosSail NoHelmCrewClubR1R2R3Pts
1st3656Olly TurnerGrahan SextonStarcross11(DNS)2
2nd3743Matt BiggsBen HollisBlithfield‑15213
3rd3691Mike CalvertJane CalvertAxe‑3336
4th3611Jen DoddsChris KilsbyNottingham‑10527
5th3673Caroline CroftBeka JonesBlithfield2‑868
6th3687Matt GreenfieldHannah GreenfieldChew Valley6‑20410
7th3702Duncan SalmonHarriet SalmonWembley‑144812
8th3564Rob KennaughMatt SmithMidland7‑9512
9th3735David WinderPippa TaylorHollingworth Lake‑176713
10th3764Tim FellsOli WellsSalcombe410(RET)14
11th3716Steven LeneyGillian LeneyBlithfield97‑1216
12th3746Dan WillettPete NicholsonBrightlingsea512(RET)17
13th3583Colin AndersonSean AndersonRedditch8‑161119
14th3744Chris MartinOliver MacLeanMidland‑2014923
15th3774Jon TurnerRichard PeterslowLyme Regis1211(BFD)23
16th3745Paul DeanNikki Della PortaWembley‑23151025
17th3575Richard CookeRussel HallWembley11‑231425
18th3733David WadeKatie Hannah WrightNorthampton1313(BFD)26
19th3730Paul HollisL ScattBlithfield19‑211332
20th3651Colin BrockbankIsaac KatzWembley‑22191534
21st3740Pat BlakeJill BlakeCookham Reach1818(RET)36
22nd3165David CroftRosemary CroftRYA1622(RET)38
23rd3682Jon StewardAnnabelWembley21‑251738
24th3671Piers LambertAndy BinesBrightlingsea2517(BFD)42
25th3668Mark SmythMartin HughesWembley‑27271643
26th3602Anthony RickabyMayuri ShahWembley‑26241943
27th3561Kieran O'FarrellPhilip BerkeryWembley‑30281846
28th3523Gary StewartAlexander StewartWembley29‑302150
29th3727Mark StockbridgeEddy AtkinsRanelagh2426(BFD)50
30th3622AtwellAndersonWembley‑31312051
31st3717John GreenMinesh PatelWembley‑32322254
32nd3535Joe ShawBarbara CurranWembley‑33332356
33rd3634Richard CoulterChris HillFishers Green2829(RET)57

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