Classes enjoying a great turnout included the Swallows, with 15 boats competing for the Shippam Challenge Cup race in National Swallows. The Commodore, as race officer for the day, set a start line near Baker as a rather shifty and fitful sea breeze filled in from the south south west. The course was a proper harbour tour starting with a big beat out to Calvert.
The line had a bit of port bias but it was Skua and Archon who led away from the starboard end and out of the flood tide first. At the tidal break at Thorney point it was Skua slightly ahead with Gwaihir and Spectre finding clear wind lanes. The next decision point was after Copyhold and Gwaihir opted to go hard left to the East Head shore whilst Skua went hard right to the Winner Bank. Had Gwaihir not overstood who knows what would have happened, but it was Skua still ahead for the reach down to Channel.
For a while the leaders looked to have sailed out of the sea breeze into a no wind zone as they came to the buoy, but a puff filled in in time for them to get away. After a fetch to Freddie Brooks and a spinnaker reach to Ellanore, there was a second beat up to Dunes, before a final run home to Park and the Gallon line. At the finish Skua held off Gwaihir to take the win and the very fine Shippam Challenge Cup, with Spectre ahead of Osprey for third and fourth.
The Shippam Challenge Cup was presented by the family made famous by Shippam’s Paste, and family members won it in 1929 and 1930. Results: 1 Skua. Harry and Prue Roome, and Helen Williams; 2 Gwaihir. Mike Wigmore, Charles Hyatt, and Keith Bliss; 3 Spectre. Jonathon and Sophie Pudney. Gemma Carter; 4 Osprey. James Hartley and Rob Sutherland.
No comments:
Post a Comment