Winds gusting 8-15mph, a cloudless sky and temperatures touching 24 degrees welcomed 12 Phantoms to Peninne Sailing Club's 2012 Phantom Open.
Winscar reservoir is very full at the moment, allowing the OOD to set a technical course featuring a long tiring beat up the whole length of the lake, a run most of the way back down, a shorter beat then three reaches which tested everybody.
In Race 1 Andrew Wilde in 1291 was first up the beat, followed by Mark Weston. A shift at the mark allowed Ed Thomas to get past the home boat of Adam Perry. By the end of the run Richard Sims had also got past Adam into 4th place, which is how the race stood at the end of the first lap. Over the next two laps Wilde consolidated his lead, whilst Thomas moved into second, despite missing his toe straps at one of the gybe marks and taking a bracing dip, leaving Weston third and Sims fourth. There was close racing through the rest of the fleet with the long beat allowing for several place changes between Perry, Hawkins and Dingsdale.
A sausage casserole lunch followed in the sunshine and gathering breeze.
After lunch, in Race 2, it was Wilde again at the windward mark, followed by Thomas again, with Dingsdale and Weston in hot pursuit. This time it was Weston's turn to miss the straps and drop back a couple of places. Wilde and Thomas led again after the second windward leg with Sims, Perry and Weston having a close battle for third. Sims eventually won out, finishing third. Weston nipped passed Perry on the final leg and took 4th.
All credit to the leaders who both sailed Race 3, with Thomas briefly taking the lead from Wilde. However, by the end of an increasingly windy race, which caused a few hairy moments for some gybing down the run, normal service was resumed with Thomas and Sims following Wilde home.
Andrew Wilde won all three races and the top home boat overall was Adam Perry in fifth.
The winner, Andrew Wilde, thanked the Race Team for setting a great course and the Galley Team for proving hot food all day. The prizes were presented by Pennine Sailing Club's Commodore, Richard Benson who noted another big Pennine weekend turnout, with 26 boats on the water
