Results / Bloody Mary Pursuit Race Queen Mary SC - 07/01/2012

This was sailed at Datchet Water Sailing Club over the weekend of Sept 3rd / 4th. The entry was down on last year because of its proximity to the national championships but the small fleet had 11 hard fought races in a weekend of continuous sunshine and breeze. Rob & Jan Martin got off to a good start with 4 bullets. That Rob had spent the last 5 days sailing at the nationals probably helped considerably. Chris and Jill Jordan led race 2 only to be passed on a shift that looked like a down draft from an aeroplane whilst Chris Rowlands and Steve Middleton led race 4 to within 2 boats length of the final mark. Surprisingly the wind increased as the racing went on into the early evening and Chris Rowlands and Steve Middleton broke the pattern in race 5 with a comfortable win, which with seconds in the 2nd and 3rd races put tem comfortably second. Rob & Jan Martin came back to take the last race from Ian Bullock and Rachel Saunt who lay 3rd overall at the end of the day. Simon and Emma Sydenham finished the day well with 2nd, 2nd and 3rd ro also be in contention in 4th place overnight. In all the races there had been a lot of place changing as the wind shifted up to 30 degrees each side of the mean and gusts rolled down the run giving opportunities to the boats behind. Sunday started in a little more wind, say 8 to 10 knots which again increased during the day. The race officer recorded one gust of 22 knots. The course was swung a little making the beat longer and this was very much to Chris Martin and Matt Dry�s taste. They won the first race by a big margin form Rob & Jan Martin. The second race went to Rob & Jan Martin this time from Simon and Emma Sydenham who were showing good consistency in the shifting breezes. In the third race, which was being closely contested by both Martin teams and the Sydenhams, Ian Bullock appeared from under the water tower on the final beat to sail into a big lead which he never relinquished! This also signalled a change in wind direction. The course was shifted as the wind gusted. The next race saw a tight battle between all the boats. Rob & Jan Martin won by taking 5 places on the final run as the leaders manoeuvred for the final leeward mark. The racing was really that close. The final race saw Chris Martin overhaul Chris and Jill Jordan to win their second race of the day. In the 11 races there were 4 different race winners and 6 of the 9 competitors had 2nd positions to count. In the end, Rob & Jan Martin won. Chris Martin & Matt Dry did just enough on Sunday to move up to second just one point ahead of Chris Rowlands & Steve Middleton. Ian & Rachael were fourth, the Sydenhams 5th and Chris & Jill Jordan were 6th. I suppose that the final disappointment was that they didn�t give a club prize. We all had fantastic racing in an event that was really well run, but if Burghfield hadn�t gone there would have been no event. Lets hope that the class can re-group next year and that the Club Championship grows back to the event that we know it can be.