Winds in the region of force 5 greeted competitors to Bewl Water for the Phantom Open on 25th April 2009. Race officer Phil Gower set a trapezoid style course with an extra sausage leg that confused several of the visitors. Tyler Harmsworth from Shoreham had no such problems and won the event convincingly with three firsts.

In race 1 his fellow club member, Steve Popple, was a close second before sailing the wrong course and retiring, thus giving second place to Allen Burrell from Thorpe Bay. Crhis Shelton from Downs was handed third when Robin Hobson from Shoreham also sailed the wrong course.

A problem with a drifting committee boat delayed the start of race 2 but again Harmsworth took an early lead from Burrell and Hobson. Shelton recovered from a slower first lap to finish fourth.
After lunch, a reduced fleet of seven started the final race. Harmsworth again lead off the line and Shelton held off Burrell for the first lap before being overtaken. Hobson sailed a steady race to finish fourth with another Shoreham member, Alistair Glen, just behind in fifth. The final visitor from Shoreham, Bob Hammond, followed the earlier example of his mates by sailing the wrong course before he too retired.
The Bewl boats did not trouble the leaders too much! Your scribe had an injured foot so lent his boat to Bob Barriss's son Simon. Simon lasted rather longer than his dad and was in front of Bob when Bob retired. However he eventually found the conditions and an unfamiliar boat not to his liking so he too retired. An ex-Bewl member, Peter Cook completed all races and finished seventh.

Paul Beasley had a fifth in the fisrt race  bur retired cold in the second and sat out the last whilst Ken Daniels fiinished the first race but then broke his tiller extension and undoubtedly had an interesting sail back to shore without one!

So Harmsworth won, Burrell was second and Shelton third.

Overall Results:
Position   Helm                 Boat  Club                Points
1            T Harmsworth    1340  Shoreham SC       2
2            A Burrell            1301  Thorpe Bay YC     4
3            C Shelton          1211   Downs SC           6
4            R Hobson          1293   Shoreham SC      7
5            A Glen               1225   Shoreham SC     9
6            B Hammond       1237   Shoreham SC    12
7            P Cook               1125   Bough Beech    13
8            P Beasley           1312   Thorpe Bay       18
9            K Daniels            1115   Fishers Green   20
10           S Popple            1317   Shoreham         26
11           S Barriss            1167   Bewl Valley       26
12            R Barriss           1244   Bewl Valley       26
Report from Roger Brown
photos cane be found on BVSC website but under Solo open as it was a joint event