Event 2 
Venue: Covenham S.C., Louth
Date: 24 June 2007

Flaming June in Covenham

Clear blue skies, temperatures hovering around the 20 degrees C mark and all embraced by a constant F3-4 breeze – now that would bring the competitors out in force, and who knows we may even top the 50 entries mark.. The signs however on the preceding day were not good – overcast skies, no wind and spasmodic torrential downpours, coupled with the odd thunder storm

Sunday dawned and showed little sign of improvement. The drive down from Durham to Covenham did little to whet the appetite as the prospect of paddling races loomed large against a back drop of motionless trees and overcast skies. With the sailing club now only a couple of miles away there was the first sign of a light breeze and pulling into the car park shortly afterwards, lo and behold the Covenham crew had even surpassed their organisational efforts of last year and had provided wind!

Ideal conditions

With the appetite stimulated and competitors already beginning to fill the car park, things were looking better already. A quick discussion with host club organiser Derrick Hall and it was decided to lay two separate courses using two distinct areas of the reservoir. The direction of the wind was in the main cross-shore which was going to be ideal for the 3.5 & 4.5m fleets, while it would also provide an opportunity for some upwind work with the 5.5 & 6.8m fleets.

With host club Covenham Cyclones (Smart Life), eager to maintain their winning start to the season they would have to face the stiff challenge of a full strength Pugneys Pirates (Tushingham Sails) team and the emerging talent of a very young North Lincs Invaders team both intent on taking home the overall Team trophy.

Impressive numbers and impressive performances

With a total entry of 42 competitors and a record entry of 21 in the 3.5m fleet, competitors were briefed by their respective race officers and courses explained. The sheer number of entries in the 3.5m meant separate starts for both them and the 4.5m fleet, while the 5.5 / 6.8 / and 6.8T fleets combined to form one large fleet.

With Race Officer Chris Hall and his team keeping up an amazing tempo, the 3.5 & 4.5m fleets completed 5-6 races before lunch, (which just goes to show the benefits from having an early start). In the 3.5m class Tom Harding (PP), Robert Griffiths (NLI) and Joel Peacock (PP) set the early pace recording top three placings, although they were pressed hard by Nicola Dinsdale (PP) who took a couple of thirds.

Performances in the 4.5m class were equally impressive where Luke Raistrick (PP), Kieran Burley (CC) and Emma Laybourne (NLI) consistently posted top three results, despite early pressure from Emma Brown Bolton (PP) who took a first in race 1 and Max Bushell (PP) who sailed well to take second in race 4.

In the combined 5.5 / 6.8m/ 6.8T fleet, consistent performances by Mark Sutton (PP), Andy Thompson (CC) and Joe Moore (CC) saw them each record almost consistent first places in the first three races with only Kieran Henderson (CC) stopping Andy Thompson taking 3 bullets in the 6.8m fleet. The last race before lunch saw blackening skies and a sudden increase in wind speed with competitors planing around almost the entire course.

With the darkening skies heralding a heavy downpour, lunch proved a convenient break and provided an opportunity for a carbohydrate top-up.

Covenham Cyclones show their strength

The afternoon’s racing continued at a steady pace with competitors keen to maximise their time on the water. With the 3.5 & 4.5m fleets completing a total of 10 races the early pace-setters, continued to demonstrate their consistency, although good performances by Jordan Howram (NLI) saw him take 2 thirds in the 3.5m fleet, while an equally good result in race 7 saw James Snowden (CC) improve upon his performance to take a third place.

In the 4.5m fleet, Luke Raistrick (PP), Kieran Burley (CC) and Emma Laybourne (NLI) sailed consistently well to take the first three places overall, despite sustained pressure from Max Bushell (NLI) and Emma Brown Bolton (PP)

Mark Sutton (PP), continued his domination of the 5.5m fleet taking a further 4 bullets ahead of Isaac Cooper (CC) and Mathew Earp (PP), while in the 6.8m fleet Andy Thompson (CC) just managed to keep ahead of team-mate Daniel Hufton to take first place by 1 point, with another Cyclone, Kieran Henderson taking third. Tom Dickinson made it a clean sweep for the Cyclones by taking first in the 6.8T fleet ahead of Joe Moore (CC), and Josh Brown Bolton (PP).

Centre Principal, Judith Templeman very kindly presented the individual awards, prior to the announcement of the overall winning team, which again saw a close run contest between Covenham and Pugneys. However it was Covenham who took the trophy on their home patch by 2 points to make it 2 wins out of 2 with two events to go – the tension mounts!

Team winners - Covenham Cyclones 

Report written by:
David Dobsom
T15 CO - North Zone

We are the Champions!
West Kirby Warriors
T15 Champions 2008

Congratulations!

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