Phantom open Meeting - Cotswold Sailing Club
The Cotswold Sailing Club Phantom Class open meeting was held on Saturday 26th September. Despite a poor weather forecast, giving little hope of any wind , 9 competitors turned out. Unfortunately they were greeted with a beautiful lake and mirror like conditions. After some tuning chat, back chat and general chat and a few cups of tea, the fleet retired to an early chill con carne lunch, followed by apple pie or treacle tart, fantastic!
A slight, and I mean slight breeze was felt and the first race was started just after 13:00. A very fickle wind meant that at the last minute the line could not be crossed on a Starboard tack. At the gun the fleet left the line on port. By the end of the first lap Hawkes had established the lead, closely followed by Heuson, T.Fastnedge and Tuskin. The first three places remained the same for the rest of the race although there were many place changes within the fleet. Young found himself at the back of the fleet after suffering a poor start and a penalty turn for hitting a mark. Fountain and A.Fastnedge moved up through the fleet after picking the right side of the second beat. The race finished with Hawkes 1st , Heusen 2nd and Fastnedge 3rd.
The second race started with slightly more wind. Gavin Young almost needed to hike. Again the wind changed during the last few minutes and the first beat turned into a starboard tack broad reach. Young got away from the starboard end of the line but was beaten to the first mark by Fountain who had started at the port end and sailed a tighter faster reach. The rest of the fleet was close behind. Young and Fountain pulled gently away with Young taking the lead during the windward leg. By the end of the first lap Young was first, Heuson second and Fountain third. Again many place changes occurred due the fickle conditions. Hawkes sailed up through the fleet from 4th to 2nd, Heuson slipped to 4th. The penultimate lap saw Young tack into irons whilst Hawkes and Heuson closed the gap. The race finished with Young 1st. Hawkes 2nd, Fountain 3rd and Heuson 4th.
Despite the wind, the day was enjoyed by all who attended. A warm welcome was made to the visitors and CSC would like to thank everyone who supported the event. The competitors thanked everyone involved in the day including the RO, safety boat crew and galley staff.
Wine was presented to the top 3, with 2 spot prizes being presented to Tony Fastnedge and Mike Tustin
The final results were:
Name Sail Number Club Race 1 Race 2 Points
Simon Hawkes 1359 Chew Valley 1 2 3
Simon Heuson 1275 Lyme Regis 2 4 6
Gavin Young 1283 Cotswold SC 7 1 8
Tony Fastnedge 1313 Lyme Regis 3 5 8
Peter Fountain 995 Cotswold SC 6 3 9
Alex Fastnedge 1112 Cotswold SC 4 7 11
Gordon Keyworth 1271 Wimbleball SC 8 6 14
Mike Tustin 1325 Bowmoor SC 5 DNF 24
Sean Underswwod 11 Cotswold SC 9 DNS 28
