Leigh & Lowton Sailing Club

New Year’s Day Pursuit

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Results LLSC NYD pursuit 2013 The GJW Direct Insurance (GJW) sponsored Winter Season continued at Leigh & Lowton Sailing Club on Tuesday 1st of January 2013 with the famous New Year’s Day Pursuit Race and, wow, what a fabulous day’s racing with 15-20 knots of breeze. Any hangovers were well and truly blown away in a tough day’s racing with high quality entrants from around the North West, National and World Champions doing battle with the up and coming youngsters to create an intriguing scenario. The OOD set a great course around the flash and everyone was well stoked by the galley prior to launch time.

Three brave Optimists went at 12.40 with 2 hours 50 minutes to race ahead of them, with 10 Toppers next off of the 72-strong fleet. The Fireballs set off at a lick, quickly overhauling some of the fleet and the RS400s looked strong contenders from the outset. The 29er of Curtis Mearns and Jamie Catchpole looked good but Daniel Budden’s Topper was the new kid on the block, putting in a great performance to keep a substantial lead going into the final stages.
Budden’s lead proved to be not quite enough in the end as the Fireball of Neil Marsden & Graham Nelson overhauled him in the final stages, while the 29er overtook 5 boats in the last few minutes to claim 3rd place. Jonny McGovern held on to preserve his 4th place in the RS200.
With the junior winter regatta and the winter series starting up next weekend, we are looking forward to more of the same as the UK’s biggest winter series kicks into gear! The Tipsy Icicle Series commences at the Club on Sunday 6th January 2012 at 12 noon.

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Overall Results:
1st Fireball – Neil Marsden & Graham Nelson, Blackpool & Fleetwood YC
2nd Topper – Daniel Budden, Redesmere SC
3rd 29er – Curtis Mearns/Jamie Catchpole, Leigh & Lowton SC
4th RS200 – Jonny McGovern/Sarah Williams, Hollingworth Lake SC
5th RS400 – Dave Exley/Nigel Hall, Leigh & Lowton SC
6th RS200 – Matt Mee/Alistair Norris, Red Wharf Bay Sailing & Watersports Club
7th Fireball – Russ Cormack/Ali Cormack, Budworth SC