Hectic day for sailors

TWENTY-EIGHT boats, including four double-handers, turned out for the Beccles Amateur Sailing Club Junior Open on Sunday.With a southerly gusting force five, conditions were always going to be challenging for the bronze, silver and gold categories.

TWENTY-EIGHT boats, including four double-handers, turned out for the Beccles Amateur Sailing Club Junior Open on Sunday.

With a southerly gusting force five, conditions were always going to be challenging for the bronze, silver and gold categories.

With two races each side of lunch, OOD Jonathan Blankley was certainly in for a hectic day.

Race one saw a few casualties throughout the fleet as the lighter helms struggled to keep control so a few retirements prevailed but nearly all got back on the water for the second shorter races which saw Katie McGuire and Rowan Curtis, both in Optimists, leading the bronze and silver groups and Mathew Deller and Ryan Langston in their Enterprise in front in gold.

Lunch saw the galley team in overdrive and families doing running repairs to boats for the afternoon schedule. Morgan Rusted cruised round the three marks to win the third bronze race and Jake Smalls and Charlie Folkard, both in Toppers, were unlucky to lose out again to Rowan Curtis in his Optimist Bittern.

The third gold race saw a dramatic capsize after helm Hugh Braidwood fell overboard in front of spectators on the Suffolk bank after a sudden gust hit their Enterprise, leaving crew Oliver Baylis powerless to recover leaving the remaining Enterprizes and Toppers battling it out.

Overall first place in the Scrumpy Tankard for the Bronze fleet was secured by Morgan Rusted in a club Optimist after another faultless sail in the fourth race and although Jake Smalls in his Topper Tip Top persevered through the gusts for his first win of the day, a well-earned second place went to Rowan Curtis who then claimed the Asti Trophy this year in the silver group.

Jake Shipley and Poppy Roll needed a win in the last gold race with their Enterprise but their hopes were dashed when a mistimed gybe saw them over in style whilst chasing Matthew Deller and Ryan Langston, who went on to win and take the Mascall Trophy for the gold fleet.

A presentation by veteran member Audrey Mascall then took place by the clubhouse who congratulated BASC for a very successful day and then Commodore Richard Deller acknowledged the great efforts of all who helped out, especially the rescue and galley teams and the juniors who took part. BASC three-day Open Regatta starts this Monday, August 3.