Leigh & Lowton Sailing Club

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

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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 3rd November 2013 – Final Results

Position Helm Crew Boat Type Sail No Club
1 Steph Wingeatt Topper 44777 LLSC
2 Harvey Martin Bobby Hewitt Feva XL 1389 LLSC
3 Olivia Cuthbert Optimist 6091 LLSC
4 Alex Morrison Phantom 1344 LLSC
5 Paul Allen Jude Allen RS400 1395 LLSC
6 Lee Thomas Laura Richardson GP14 14901 Southport
7 Wayne Atherton Angela Sweeney Miracle 3383 LLSC
8 Andy Davis Solo 5465 Blithfield
9 Solo 5473 Hollingworth
10 Harvey Leigh Optimist 5414 LLSC
11 Dave Walker Finn 6 York Dales
12 Christian Day Sophie Richards National 12 3526 LLSC
13 Mark Platt Topper 44388 Bolton
14 Richard Catchpole RS300 541 LLSC
15 Ian Halwood Solo 5384 Nantwich
16 Lewis Coop Optimist 5735 LLSC
17 George Graham Topper 44443 LLSC
18 Stuart Belfield Laser 189082 LLSC
19 Glyn Purnell Laser Radial 201073 LLSC
20 Louise McKeand Cathy Partington RS200 1256 LLSC
21 Martin Parker Liam Parker RS400 1298 LLSC
22 Bill Kenyon Andy Dawson RS400 725 LLSC
23 Lucy Yeates Jamie Catchpole 29er 2121 LLSC
24 Terry Flannagan Dave Thompson Scorpion 1934 Pennine
25 John Devlin Connor Sherlock Laser 2 10118
26 Steve Hunt Steve Critchley Merlin 3701 Pilkington
27 Mark Dingsdale Phantom 1131 LLSC
28 Eamon Cuthbert Ashley Southwell Enterprise 20754 LLSC
29 Chris Barnes Laser 198575 LLSC
30 Ty Burrows Laser 180667 LLSC
31 Gareth Williams Jen Turner National 12 3496 LLSC
32 Mark Cuthbert Supernova 1006 LLSC
33 Oliver Blackburn Laser Radial 82474 LLSC
34 Chris Scott Laser 149413 LLSC
35 Hannah Bristow Maddie Bristow RS Feva XL 4610 LLSC
36 Brian Holt Solo 4276 LLSC
37 Chris Helsby Solo 3735 LLSC
38 Mike Barnes Laser 174699 LLSC
39 Oliver Kent RS Tera Sp 1390 Rippon
40 Izzi Bristow Topper 42062 LLSC
41 Larcan Knowles Topper 4.2 8914
42 Paul Brotherton Int Moth
DNF Sian Talbot Optimist 5911 LLSC
DNF Eloise C-McBride Optimist 4751 LLSC
DNF Iain Wilkinson James Wilkinson Miracle 3480 LLSC
DNF Michael Simms Solo 5302 Carsington
DNF Ritchie Allen Solo 5185
DNF B Spagin Solo 4884
DNF Gill Talbot Simon Talbot RS Vision 1629 LLSC
DNF Paul Graham Laser 122174
DNF L Scott Laser 178315
DNF Andy Tunnicliffe Michelle Tickle RS200 824 RWYC
DNF Jez Entwistle Phantom 1388 LLSC
DNF Gav Benbow RS100 454
DNF Stuart Halman Gill Greenacre RS400 1289 LLSC
DNF Roy Thomason Ryan RS400 1285 LLSC