Contenders at Pevensey Bay
14 Contenders made to trip to Pevensey for round 7 of the Traveller Trophy.
Saturday dawned to a cloudless sky and a F6 shrieking through the dinghy park from the NE making the waters edge a little agitated.
Race officer Gary Pearson called for a show of hands and racing was binned for the day, nothing to do but bimple, bask in the sun and avoid the bar until a socially acceptable hour which seemed to vary widely. Curry was eaten with copious Harveys real ale then an earlyish night with threats of a 10:30 start and 4 races.
Sunday presented itself with slightly less wind still stuck firmly in the NE but now with leaden skies and damned cold for June.
The race officer announced his intentions and left purposefully leaving competitors to mournefully bulk up on champions breakfasts.
After a short delay tallies were released and 10 Contenders were hurled afloat by the beach party, when all were assembled racing quickly got under way.
Race 1, 15-20 Knots with big big seas.
A clean start despite the last of the flood threatening to push boats over the line, Stu Jones quickly slotting into the groove with Carl tagoe snappig at his heels. Chris Boshier and Ed Presley battling for 3rd. Tagoe boat on boat with Jones but tacks to soon for the layline allowing Jones a fast rounding and unassailable lead. Just behind Presley holding Boshier off for first triangle but a bungled tack on the second beat allows Boshier to claim 3rd.
Further back the conditions were preying on the vulnerable and elderly with Pete Dives opting for an early retirement plan due to a busted traveller.
Race 2, Breeze building.
Another clean start on slack water with Jones again powering away and Tagoe in pursuit, Boshier gets the better of Tagoe on the first beat and is holding 2nd up the next beat only to gybe like a girl on the wing mark and let Tagoe and Presley through to claim 2nd and 3rd respectively. James O'Leary follows Dives for an early bath when he tries to use his sail as a fire door and is returned to the beach with a rip from leech to luff. Breeze now gone more northerly and screeching through at 25Kts, even colder.
Race 3, 20-25Kts, slightly flatter.
Obvious port end bias sees Jones and Presley go with port end fliers and Tim Humphries following off the pin while the rest plan some sort of suprise attack from the wrong end. Jones goes left with less tide and flatter water inshore making a more comfy ride, Presley and Humphries settling in behind. Boshier follows Dives and O'Leary ashore with a busted kicker leaving Tagoe to press home the surprise attack. Sneaking up the second beat with superior boat speed Tagoe errodes the gap and rounds onto the run a boat length behind Humphries, half way down the run Humphries buckles under pressure and hands over 3rd place to Tagoe when his gybe causes a spot of horizon trouble.
So frooty were the conditions that only 6 finished the 3 races:
1 Stu Jones 1,1,1
2 Carl Tagoe 2,2,3
3 Ed Presley 4,3,2
4 Tim Humphries 6,7,4
5 Alistair Hodge 8,5,5
6 Tony White 9,6,6
All competitors were greeted ashore by a crowd of wetsuited club members assembled to lift boats over the munching shore dump.
Thanks to Pevensey Bay for hosting the event in difficult conditions and providing a small army of volunteers to make sure everyone went home in good condition.
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