Catapult on the Rocks!
Report by By O O’Day
It may sound like a cocktail but in fact the catapult on the rocks was Pete Barlow’s blow up toy Catamaran which had suffered gear failure. He was pulled off by Dermot and Joanna Shimmin, our trusty safety boat drivers; not an easy task as the tide was falling.
As a result of all this activity, racing started a few minutes late. This, combined with the building wind, meant that only two short races were possible for the remaining 8 crews.
Both races were won by Mike Pridham in a Laser Radial, the first convincingly, the second by only 7 seconds after a collision with Russell & June Collister in their RS 200 which resulted in a capsize for Mike and penalty turns for the Collisters.
There were plenty of other capsizes with Ali Hinds the most spectacular as she approached the leeward mark in the second race. Simon Pressly and Ben Swindlehurst were also having moments in their Lasers, while John Dowling & Terry Holt did well to keep the Wayfarer upright. Roger & Helen Cave were glad of the keel on their Stratos and Richard Baker’s windsurfer went like a rocket but tacking proved near impossible in the cross swell resultant of the previous days gale.
Results. Race 1. 1. Pridham. 2. Collisters. 3. Hinds. 4. Dowling/Holt.5 Swindlehurst. 6.Caves. 7.Pressly. 8.Baker.
Race 2. 1Pridham. 2.Collisters. 3.Pressly. 4.Dowling/Holt. 5.Swindlehurst. Rtd Hinds & Baker.