Phantom Training Day and Open at Northampton Sailing Club
by Richard Nurse 22 Jun 06:26 BST17-18 June 2023
Northampton has welcomed the Phantom fleet for many years. This year was no different, even with a light but warm forecast the club welcomed seven boat for some mid-season training with local legend John "Titch" Wayling, not so local legend Simon Hawkes and current inland champion Rob Cook.
After a day of looking at boat set up and some low speed boat handling. The local curry was brought in and enjoyed along with a beer or nine.
Now onto Saturday the main event of the weekend fourteen boat rigged ready to go for the half eleven start how once a float the weather was not play and the wind was abandon the reservoir for just over half an hour then as if by magic 8 knots came and PRO Isaac Marsh got racing under way on the club favourite of the inverted P course. Half way up the beat the wind speed halfed and then filling lightly from the right caching some out. The fleet made sort work of downwind legs and the wind back in place the second beat the was shorted after 2 laps with Burton SC Duncan Adams setting up his store for the weekend with race win with local Magic Mike Webster in hot pursuit and Shustoke member Jim Hopton chasing hard.
With the ever changing wind the race team madly trying stay on top some how manage to lose the ground tackle from a gybe mark. So as the RIB dashed to replace it the fleet was once again under AP. The delay was long, and once again the fleet got away. The fleet sailing around as tight group it would John Harrison of Rudyard Lake that would take the gun with Jim second and Duncan third.
It was then a dash for the shore and lunch in the sunshine.
Lunch was followed by a move down the lake with complete race course to try and improve the reach angles. A move that seemed to work in the third race at least with wind bending as it came down the arm of the reservoir. It would once again be Duncan who round the windward mark first, but he would over heat and swim around his boat at Gybe mark still give himself enough time to show his skills as he slid back into the lead with Jim second and John third. Race four the last race of the day and Llandegfedd sailor Simon Lennane would round the windward and first hold the casing fleet of until Jim would squeeze at the last minute with Duncan once again third.
Saturday night and the bar would sell a couple of beers and some food to the resting sailors.
Sunday would dawn with rain and more wind than fleet expected. Once the rain cleared, the air was left sticky.
Northampton Phantom Open - photo © Richard Nurse
Once again the wind would not play and at the ten thirty start time the wind was all but disappear then come back in and then fleet would be off. Taking off from his super Saturday it would Duncan that lead at the first mark but Northampton's Richard Nurse would find the ladder he was looking for and take 6 places on the second beat and he and Duncan would sail downwind together with Duncan round just in front but Richard would once again find the ladder and just take the Gun with Magic Mike third.
Race six and with another move around the lake and once again, the fleet was off. After lots of close racing it would once again be Duncan that would take the win, Mike second and Richard taking third on the beat to the finish.
The final seventh race and fleet would start only to see Duncan miss the start and tack to the lighter right and side to then find the lift that would give him and 150m lead at the first mark that he would hold till the finish, after lots of place changing in the pack it would the Josh Hyland of Chase SC taking second and Mike third.
For the second Midland event in a row, the clear winner was Duncan, which he celebrated with a quick pencil jump off the side of his boat to cool down before be presented with a brand new trophy hand made by Mike Webster, who was second and Jim competing the podium.
--------------------------------------------------------------