Catapults at the Grafham Cat Open

 

Gareth Ede finished the season in emphatic style with six wins out of six at Grafham Water Sailing Club's Medium Handicap Catamaran Open event, which cemented his claim on the 2023 Jon Montgomery Travellers Trophy.

Sparkling conditions of sunshine and a Force 3 to 4 wind over the weekend of 14-15 October made for a great hull-flying finish to the 2023 Catapult TT and Personal Handicap Series for the six Catapults who made the trip to Grafham. Nigel Denchfield, the Race Officer, packed in four races on the first day to make the most of the conditions, especially as the wind forecast for Day Two was not so promising. It meant there had to be a quick turn-around between races, and thanks to efficient race management that was achieved. All six races were run over three laps of a square course.

Jon Montgomery Travellers Trophy results The Grafham Cat Open was the last event in the Catapult 2023 Series. Gareth already had a healthy lead over second placed John Terry in the Series, and his six wins out of six at Grafham emphatically sealed his claim on the Trophy. The Blue Pennant for the event win and the Yellow Pennant as leader of the TT Series are becoming fixtures on his forestay. The other podium places in the Series went to John Terry (2nd) and George Evans (3rd).

Gareth's two wins in the Medium Handicap Fleet also secured him third place overall for which he received a pair of Gill sunglasses as his prize.

Overall Results:

Pos Helm R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 Pts

1 Gareth Ede ‑1 1 1 1 1 1 5

2 John Terry 2 ‑3 2 2 2 2 10

3 George Evans 3 2 3 3 3 ‑5 14

4 Chris Phillips ‑5 4 5 5 4 3 19

5 Stuart Ede 4 ‑5 4 4 5 4 19

6 Syd Gage 6 6 6 6 (DNC) DNC 31