Guy Fawkes Pursuit – Juniors take top three positions. Results, pics and race report

Steph Wingeatt (Topper LLSC) wins the Guy Fawkes Pursuit.

Leigh & Lowton sailing club launched its 2013/2014 winter series in grand style on Sunday 3rd November with the Guy Fawkes pursuit race run by  OOD Howard Green and his able assistants who, by using the full length of the water, gave the competitors 3 beats per punishing lap and had the results posted before the last boat came ashore.

Among those who entered were the current Solo inland champion Michael Sims (Carsington SC), Andy Davis (Ex Solo national champion and Merlin Rocket guru – Blithfield SC) and Paul ‘wheres my mast?’ Brotherton (Olympic 470 & 49R helm and coach) sailing an International foiling moth.

The overnight gale in the North West may have put a few people off but the 56 boats that attended arrived to a blustery and challenging F5 breeze from the west with heavy rain.  With numerous early capsizes it kept the rescue crews very busy but as was forecast the wind moderated as the race went on but there was the occasional gust that caught the tired and unsuspecting out and resulted in a few retirements.

After almost 3 hours of full on conditions the fleet were finished on the water and so it was that the first three places were taken by those junior sailors who started early and used the early breeze to good effect.  The eventual winner, with a two leg lead after some early amazing pace in the big breeze, was the current Topper national squad sailor Steph Wingeatt (LLSC)  Second was the new  Feva XL ‘dream team’ pairing of Harvey Martin & Bobby Hewitt (LLSC).  Clinging onto third, after a capsize on the last run, was Libby Cuthbert(LLSC) in her Optmist who managed to hold off the first senior sailor home, Alex Morrison (LLSC) in his Phantom.

It was certainly a good spectator day for those who didn’t sail as they watched Paul Brotherton foil around the course in his Int Moth but only after he had gone home to pick up the mast he had realised he had forgotten once he tried to rig up.  Although sailing extremely fast it was the dying breeze during the last couple of laps scuppered his chances.

So in the end we had 56 boats on the water and the  top 8 boats were all from different classes with the juniors taking the top 3 places.  At the prizegiving Steph was encouraged by the crowd to make a speech during which she thanked the race team, the tireless work of the safety boats and of course the ‘world famous’ Leigh & Lowton galley team who kept everybody feed and watered during a long day.

Next Sunday (10th) marks the start of the Leigh & Lowton SC Revett series running for 5 weeks until the 8th December.  Full details about this, the New Years day pursuit race and the 2014 Tipsy Icicle series plus how to get a heavily discounted entry for the series can be found on the club website via the link  http://leighandlowton.wordpress.com/2013/11/04/20134-winter-series-winter-racing-package-available-online-60-discount-on-daily-entry-price/     so come and join us for the UK’s biggest winter dinghy series

Leigh & Lowton SC – Guy Fawkes Pursuit 3^rd November 2013 – Final Results