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A total of
SIX
rounds will be sailed, with
SIX
races being sailed
EACH
week, best
FOUR rounds
to count.
The same yacht must be sailed in each round, unless mechanical problems cannot be repaired at the lakeside. |
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ROUNDS 1 +
2 Slightly behind schedule, the 2019/20 Winter Series got underway in a strong wind which tested five skippers all using their B rigs. Collisions were plentiful, as boats were difficult to control around the buoys. Brian Hartley won the honours for the day by winning three of the six races. A good performance from George Younger resulted in him taking second place after two race wins and Paul Beardshaw took third place for the day. There was a welcome return by Dave Johnston who suffered some rigging damage in the strong wind and had to retire before the final race. Round two was held on a slightly calmer day but still with a good breeze – albeit swirling in the usual Bridlington manner. Brian started off well by winning the first race ahead of Roger Monks and his new MX16. Brian, George and Paul shared the wins equally in the six races but the ten points went to Paul with Brian finishing in second place and George in third. ROUND 3 Round 3 of the Frostbite Series was held on a bright and breezy day albeit with a temperature befitting the Series name. An unusual course was set from the start at Buoy 7 to Buoy 3. From there it was on to Buoy 4 and returning to Buoy 7 after rounding Buoy 6. Brian Hartley again started strongly by winning the first two races ahead of Paul Beardshaw with Roger Monks and Phil Parsons taking the third places respectively. Roger had a mixed day as he is still getting to grips with the settings on his new boat. The third race saw George Younger take command of the fleet and winning that and the fifth race whilst gaining second place in the fourth. This good form saw him secure the runner up spot for the day behind Brian with Paul in third place after some poor places in races 3,4 and 5. Stuart persevered and secured a couple of fifth places whilst Dave Johnston had to retire from the last half of the round after a repeat of the failure of his jib slide. ROUND 4 This Tuesday was a lovely, sunny Spring morning with a moderate breeze and seemed ideal for a good day’s sailing in Round 4 of the Frostbite Series. A course was set from the start at Buoy 7 to Buoy 2 avoiding the becalmed water at Buoy 1. From there we sailed to Buoy 4 and returned to Buoy 7 via Buoy 6. After two laps the finish was at the usual line at Buoy 8 . Current Series leader Brian Hartley got off to his usual strong start by winning the first race ahead of Dave Johnston. Dave then won the second race ahead of Paul Beardshaw. Roger Monks was third ahead of Stuart Axon who has been in a great position before inexplicitly colliding with the finish line Buoy letting Roger and the others to overtake him before he could complete the necessary penalty turn. Now full of confidence, Stuart sailed the perfect race in the third by leading from start to finish and claiming his first win of the Series. A start line collision and entanglement between Brian and George Younger saw both those boats out of contention although Brian did recover somewhat to finish third. After the coffee break and a slight course change avoiding Buoy 4, Brian had to retire for the day with a sail winch fault which prevented him from sheeting in or out. George had a partial failure too - presumably both as a result of the coming together in the previous race. Roger Monks won the fourth ahead of Paul and Stuart. Paul won the last two races and claimed the maximum points for the day. Dave Johnston ended up in the second spot and is beginning to return to his normal form whilst Roger now getting to grips with his new boat finish third for the round ahead of Stuart who would have been well clear of him had he avoided that buoy in his excitement. Nevertheless, well done Stuart on your best day for a while. A set back for Brian today but don’t forget that only the best four rounds count in the end and the competition is still wide open. ROUND 5 It was a windy day today, and quite exciting with a warm but strong swirling wind blowing from the West. The course this week started from between the podium and Buoy 7, diagonally across the lake to Buoy 3. From there it returned to buoy 7 after rounding Buoy 5 in the NE corner. Stuart Axon repeated his great form from last week and won the first race ahead of Brian Hartley. Paul Beardshaw won races 2 and 3 with Stuart 2nd in Race 2 and Brian 2nd in Race 3. Control was difficult around Buoys 3 and 5 as the wind swirled through the gaps in the trees. After coffee a slight change was made to the course and Buoy 5 was missed out being replaced by Buoy 6 thereby cutting out the troublesome corner. Roger Monks was the victor in Race 4 ahead of Dave Johnston but Paul won the final two races securing the maximum points for the day with Brian ending up in second place. Special congratulations to Stuart Axon for finishing in third place – which I believe is his best result to date! Its all change in the results table again as the best four rounds are taken into consideration. With George away for a couple of weeks, it’s going to be a battle between the top two boats for the title in the last round.
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