Sixteen DAC Sailors came along for some Scratch racing yesterday.

Although from the South East, the wind was manageable with minor interference from the adjacent trees. It did vary with a range of 7 up to 21 Km/Hr., (4 to 12 Knots).

A high tide gave us more scope to set a course to the East and not too far out.

The conditions were quite pleasant with an even overcast and a temperature of 22^oC

We chose B sails for the day, although in desperation I did try a C for a bit.

Starting was interesting as the Race Officer was on the pontoon with a clear view of the start line. We sailors in the control area on the Deck had a limited view of the line’s actual angle.

And the R.O. is always right!

Rob Lowndes got off to a nice start taking a win in race 1. Robin Tickner and Bruce Paterson showed good early form, winning the next two races. As the dust settled, Noel McPherson, Martin Thearle and Stephen Deane started their runs with some handy wins and placings.

Graham Brown completed his warmup with some places early and 3 firsts towards the end of the day. Graham won with 24 points. Noel McPherson had no difficulty with reading the course and featured well in all his scoring races. Noel totalled 27 points to come second overall. Robin Tickner secured the third step on the podium with his 30 points, all his finishes were 6 or better including a win in race 2. Martin Thearle continues to sail well. His name rarely seems to feature in “port/starboard/ contact” mentions, but he is always there in the front results. Martin completed the front foursome. There was a gap to the followers with Bruce Paterson, Judy Evans and Karen Paterson also having some nice finishes.

Race winners were Graham Brown 3, Noel McPherson 2, Robin Tickner 1, Martin Thearle 2, Bruce Paterson 1 and Rob Lowndes 1.

Graham Brown took the honours for the day to win 1st place on 24 points.

Noel McPherson finished in 2nd place on 27 points.

Robin Tickner finished in 3rd place with 30 points.

The Club Championship now has Graham Brown in front from Phil Stevenson and Martin Thearle.

Our next Sail day is Thursday 30^th October for a Scratch Event.

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