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2009 at Stone SC Stone SC

2009 Nationals report Nationals 2009

Weston Cat Open

3-4 November 2007

28 cats assembled for an unseasonably warm and sunny open meeting over the weekend of 3-4 November. With high pressure established and daytime temperatures exceeding 20C it was weather for sunbathing rather than sailing. The wind was a fickle and shifty F1~2 on Saturday during which 3 races were sailed and on Sunday, lack of wind led to sailing being abandoned for the day.

Saturday

Race 1 F1~2 NW

The start was only possible on port, quite a few boats were over the line at the hooter but the bulk of the fleet got away cleanly. John Wade and Julius Mach were in the midst of the fleet of A class, F18’s and Tornadoes on the first beat. Iain Rogers was either trying to find his fags or was still bolting his tiller bar on and started at the back of the fleet – Iain likes a challenge. The course was upwind – downwind to suite the asymmetric cats which made up the majority of the fleet. The asymmetric boats stretched away on the downwind leg with Wade and Mach never more than a few boat lengths apart. On the final run to the finish, Wade got the best of the very limited wind finishing ahead of Mach and Rogers.

Race 2 F1~2 N

Rogers got the jump at the start this time and the three Unicorns were in close company during the first lap with Wade gaining a slight advantage. Wade went inshore on the beat for the second lap while Rogers stayed out in the river. They both met at the windward mark but again Wade managed to make the most of the shifty winds on the downwind leg to finish ahead of Mach and Rogers.

Race 3 F1~2 NE

The whole fleet got away cleanly with Wade getting a slight advantage. On the 2^nd lap Wade was crossing to the windward mark and got a very bad wind shift while Mach and Rogers got a lift up to the windward mark. Mach rounded 100m ahead but then chose to go inshore out of the tide on the downwind leg. Wade decided to risk the tide in the hope of better wind and was rewarded by solid breeze all the way to the finish. Mach found the wind was totally unreliable inshore and could do nothing but watch as first Wade and then Rogers sailed down the middle of the river to finish ahead of him.

After the racing and a glorious sunset, Weston SC entertained everyone with a BBQ and an impressive firework display.

Sunday

Wishful thinking saw the 3 Unicorns lead the dash to the start line despite an extended postponement. Wade and Rogers armed with GPS’ were determined to invoke the wind, and in a valiant attempt, Rogers made the committee boat only to find that racing had been abandoned through lack of wind.

Wade finished 16th overall, probably the best the Unicorn’s could expect in the conditions with an upwind downwind course and a fleet made up predominantly of asymmetric rigged boats.

Helm Boat Race 1 Race 2 Race 3 Overall Wade 1092 1st 1st 1st 1st Mach 1091 2nd 2nd 3rd 2nd Rogers 1084 3rd 3rd 2nd 3rd

John Wade

1092 Silent Wings