MERLIN ROCKET RESULTS
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Results / Inland Championship

Blithfield S.C.
24/09/2016 - 25/09/2016
Silver Tiller: O
Multi-Day Silver Tiller: Sunday
Vintage:
Regional:
Classic:
Blithfield SC hosted the Merlin Rocket Inland Championships, sponsored by Nautilus Yachting, over last weekend. 48 boats made the trip for what the various meteorological models were indicating to be a fresh weekend.
The first race on Saturday was a benign affair in terms of wind strength, but with an oscillating pattern that tried the patience of the committee boat team as it swung around. After several postponements - some fleet inflicted - the race got away. What had seemed to be a port biased line was turned totally inside out by a huge swing to the left bringing the starboard side of the course into play very late. One or two of us were breathing a sigh of relief at this point, though the violence of the shift caught out an unfortunate blue boat who capsized on the windward mark! Race 1 Windward mark carnage
A pack of around 12 boats broke away at this point, not to be caught by the bulk of the fleet. Within these groups places were changing, being on the wrong side of the larger wind shifts was not the place to be!
The race was won by Chris Jennings and Pete Horn, with Caroline Croft and Beka Jones second and Matt Biggs and John Hackett third.
Towards the end of the first race the ferocity of the gusts had been increasing with each squall. After another big shift to the left and back again along with the inevitable restarts the race got underway in what were now strong conditions. Once again playing the shifts correctly was all important, and you could lose huge amounts of ground by being on the wrong side.
This race was won by Dave Winder and Pippa Taylor, with Richard Whitworth and Tom Pygall second and Simon Potts and Ally Martin in third.
A number of teams (Correspondant included!) had had enough after this race which peaked at 28kts. However the conditions in the third race looked to be more like the first race, the gusts being both less frequent and less meaty.
Another new team - Chris' Gould and Killsby - took the bullet in this race with William Warren and Chris Robinson second and Dave Winder and Pippa Taylor third.
So ended the first day. This must have been the most open the Inlands have been at this stage for quite some time, with top 5 places in each race occupied by almost totally different people. Now however was pig roast, party and beer o'clock as the weary fleet took to the clubhouse. Blithfield SC being in the back of beyond there are no neighbours to annoy which has upsides and downsides. The body language from some of the fleet indicated that the upsides had been exploited fully and the downsides were only now becoming apparent!
However this was serious business and there were two more races to get in on Sunday. If Saturday had proven shifty, Sunday promised to be if anything more challenging and with the forecast straight off the far shore short beats would be the order of the day - how wrong this was!
Race four got underway after one postponement, the breeze still being reluctant to settle with sizeable gusts. The right hand side of the course was again the place to be, though at least with the wind straight off the shore it was feasible to come into the windward marks on starboard this time. Race four was won by Simon Potts and Ally Martin, second were ageing rockstars Jon Turner and Richard Parslow, and third were Richard Whitworth and Tom Pygall. Overnight leaders Chris Gould and Chris Killsby were caught by the flag of doom.
Race five saw the whole series wide open with four different race winners and nine different teams recording top three places; this is one seriously strong fleet! The wind gods had not finished with us yet as an unforecasted swing to the west once again set the cat amongst the pigeons on the start line. Once reset the race got underway, a very long corner to corner first beat with what turned out to be more than a shade of left bias as the wind swung back towards what was forecast.
Andy Davies and Alex Warren - till now luckless having won one race but being black flagged - made no mistake this time and did a horizon job to take the win. Simon Potts and Ally Martin clinched the title with a second place and defending champions Chris Gould and Chris Killsby third.
So well done to Simon and Ally whip put together a fairly consistent series in what were anything other than consistent conditions.
Thank yous are due to Gareth Cauldwell and his team in the committee boat, who must have worn themselves out pulling that anchor up and down! Thanks also to everyone at the club who contributed to making the champs the event it was, especially to Steve and Gill Leney who did all the co ordinating work behind the scenes.
Overall Results:
PosSail NoBoatHelmCrewClubR1R2R3R4R5Pts
13777MockinjaySimon PottsAlly MartinBurghfield63‑91212
23778Peer PressureChris GouldChris KilsbyBlithfield461(BFD)314
33743Pokin' the TurtleMatt BiggsJohn HackettBlithfield345‑6416
43703FaithlessRichard WhitworthTom PygallHollingworth/Parkstone/Whistable(DNF)263617
53658BernardChris JenningsPete HornBurghfield1847‑1120
63781The Force AwakensDavid WinderPippa TaylorHollingworth Lake14135‑2023
73774PantherJon TurnerRichard ParslowLyme Regis7‑982724
83684Keyser SozeAndy DavisAlex WarrenBlithfield175(BFD)4127
93673The OldieCaroline CroftBeka JonesBlithfield2‑2111141037
103568Misguided MissileSam KnightChris BouneBartley SC10137‑16838
113756RobertWilliam WarrenChris RobinsonShoreham‑18122151241
123564Avalon SunsetRob KennaughSam MottersheadMidland SC5(DNC)10131745
133754Didley PokeyJon GorringeNicola BassParkstone1210(DNC)91445
143549Unfinished BusinessMike CalvertJane CalvertAxe YC81121‑28949
153611The Phantom MenaceJen DoddsChris DoddsNottingham9‑1613111649
163730Blood Sweat & BeersPaul HollisBen HollisBlithfield1314‑18101350
173744Mylo XylotoChris MartinOliver MacleanBlithfield1117(DNC)121555
183687Mellow YellowMatt GreenfieldHannah GreenfieldChew Valley SC2015(DNC)17557
193712Oakey DokeyIan SharpsIan MartinBurghfield197(DNC)82357
203776Messy MontyAlan RobertsRob HendersonHISC‑232012191869
213727FragileMark StockbridgeCharlotte CotterRanleigh‑242416241983
223702Salmon en CrouteDuncan SalmonHarriet SalmonWembley21221723‑2583
233711SylviaSam ThompsonLeanne HibberdRNSA22(DNF)23202186
243583Back to the FutureColin AndersonBen EavesBlithfield28181526(DNC)87
253547Moondance AssasinTim MaleRebecca MaleBlithfield27272022‑2896
263566Pocket RocketJames WellsLiz WellsStarcross3023(DNC)2126100
273716Carbon FootprintSteve LeneyGill LeneyBlithfield151919(DNF)DNC102
283745OutnumberedPaul DeanRussell HallWembley‑3426252922102
293610NeedlemakersSam HirstCarl MartinSwarkestone‑3331273024112
303682Red WizardJon StewardAnnabelFishers Green‑3530243129114
313627SnorterAlex JonesLivvy BellCookham Reach SC31‑32262732116
323565ScallywagPaul KeelingMichelle KeelingBlithfield262914(DNC)DNC118
333674Autumn GoldMike AnslowMegan WardMidland SC‑4134283331126
343619Dark n StormyGuy BrowneTommi CluleyTrent Valley SC36282934(BFD)127
353634Ministry of PleasureRichard CoulterChris HillFishers Green3225(DNC)25DNC131
363567Fat Boy SlimMartin SmithKaren BestonBlithfield‑3933303830131
373587MistralHenry MasonBelinda MasonBlithfield‑4335323735139
383624Stab in the DarkPhil MasonPaula MasonBlithfield25(DNF)DNF18DNC141
393655Loosed CanonRichard ByneKaren HiresDraycote38(DNC)2232DNC141
403623Tantrums & TiarasDoug RankinPaul RankinBlithfield‑4436333538142
413586ShadowplayKieron MasonGeorge MasonBlithfield423831(BFD)33144
423704Factory MaidJemma HughesPhilippa DanielsThames40(DNC)343634144
433530Sir TopazMike CollesRobert SkinnerMidland SC4537(DNF)3937158
443585After HoursJohn FildesCharlotte FildesBosham37(DNF)DNCBFD27162
453753Apetite for DestructionMichael SimsRichard BrownCarsington SC16(DNC)DNCDNCDNC163
463695Shiny Happy PeoplePeter SlackJessica SmithBlithfield(DNC)DNCDNC4036174
473590Nice & SpicyPeter WainrightTracy Smith/Richard SmithBlithfield46(DNS)DNC4139175
483705Two Pints of LagerGeoff WrightKate WrightBlithfield29(DNF)DNCDNCDNC176

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