Tipsy Finale

Results available here. Thanks to Gerard Vanden Hoek for photographs.

An early 14 knot easterly breeze greeted the competitors and the 66 boats that turned out for the final weekend of the 2015 Crewsaver Tipsy Icicle series at Leigh & Lowton Sailing Club.

The top places in each fleet were already confirmed before the racing started but this didn’t mean the winners could relax as there was the matter of pride to sail for and further down the fleets, there was the chance of picking up a few places in the series to get ‘in the chocolates.’ As the fleets went afloat and racing started the wind dropped to around 9 knots but thankfully began to gradually increase back to around 14 knots midway through the race.

In the 13 strong Laser fleet it was Jack Hopkins (Delph SC) who carried on where he left off last week and, after a hard fought battle with Graham McWhirter (UKLA), he took the win. Behind them the series leader Mark Lunn (LLSC) had a stress free sail in third and Charlotte Greenhalgh (LLSC) was first radial rig home in fourth.

With his X1 crew ill, and the series already sewn up, Alex Morrison wheeled out and dusted off his Phantom to join the 6 other boats in the handicap fleet. This didn’t stop Alex Collins (LLSC – Supernova) taking the win on corrected time to cement his second overall position. A rusty Morrison had to settle for second with Martin Tubb (LLSC – Solution) in third and Steve Norris (LLSC – Phantom) in fourth.

Once again there was close racing in the 14 strong Solo fleet. Patrick Hamilton (Burwain SC) took an early lead but was reeled in by Phil Barnes (Budworth SC), Paul Heath (LLSC) and Tony Sampson (SCYC) and these four then battled it out for the lead. Hamilton held his nerve to take the win with Heath a boat length behind him. Barnes found himself the wrong side of a shift which dropped him to fourth as Sampson sailed through into third.

The easterly breeze allowed the race team to set a windward/leeward course for the crews of the 12 boats in the Asymmetric fleet and given the later strength of the breeze it was no surprise that the RS400s took the top four places. After two weeks away Hamish Gledhill/Simon Dowse (WRSC) returned and took the win from series leader Chris Pickles/Matt Sharman (Delph SC) Starting the race in fourth place in the series Richard Catchpole/Mark Atherton (LLSC) just managed to hold off their rivals for the coveted third spot, Caroline Exley/Jude Allen (LLSC), to finish third.

With many of the regular Topper and Optimist fleet away at a training weekend it would have left the junior fleet rather low in numbers however this weekend the club were proud to be hosting the RS Tera North winter training event and, even though their mean instructors had had them on the water since first light, the keen Tera sailors opted to join in the club racing to put into practise all they had been taught. This swelled the junior fleet to 20 boats and ensured a packed and competitive start line.

Unfortunately none of the Teras managed to break into the top four (no doubt they were too busy having tactical battles with each other within the fleet) and it was the ‘old’ faces at the front. The RS Feva XL of Matthew Leckie/Izzie Bristow (LLSC) took the win from series leader Samuel Cooper (WLYC – Topper) Third was Lorcan Knowles (LLSC – Topper) with Drew Gibbons (Redesmere SC – Optimist) fourth.

During lunch the calculators were out as to what result was needed to better a position and leapfrog the boat in front in the series. As this was going on the wind was dropping and the last race of the series was sailed in an average of 6 knots with gust of 11 knots.

In a race sailed in breeze that all fleets found to be a widely fluctuating in both strength and direction Lunn finished the series like a champion as he took first place on the water and in the series. The consistent McWhirter took another second on the water and second in the series. Hopkins had to settle for third on the water with Stuart Belfield (LLSC) finishing fourth and creeping into the overall third spot.

In the handicap fleet Norris took a large early lead but it was never a comfortable one as he was caught out by the vagaries of the wind. In the end Collins took another win to draw level on points overall in the series with the X1 but having to settle for second in the overall due to discards. After being OCS in the first race the Enterprise of Alan Johnson/Kaye Tickle (SCYC) was second, Morrison third (bit takes the series with Steve White in the X1) and Norris slipped down to fourth. Missing this weekend was the 420 of Mark Platt/Emma McCluskey (LLSC) who finished the series in third.

Heath took an early lead in the Solos but he too suffered the curse of the wind gods and was eventually overtaken by Hamilton and Barnes. Hamilton went on to comfortably win the race with Barnes in second, Heath third and a fast approaching Graeme Bristow (LSC) in fourth. In the end Heath took the series by just 1 point with Hamilton second and Steve Ferrington (WKSC) third.

After a one boat recall Catchpole/Atherton made sure of third in the series with a race win in the Asymmetric fleet. Gledhill/Dowse were the guilty boat, returned and sailed well to finish second on the water and second in the series. Exley/Allen finished third but dropped to fourth in the series. Jon Chapman/Wendy Martin (RS200 – Budworth SC) were fourth on corrected time, sixth in the series and first RS200 in the series. The series winners were Pickles/Sharman who in the last race on the last day of the series decided that this was probably the best time to record their worst result of the series as they finished ninth.

Same top four but in a different order in the junior fleet as Gibbons took the race win and second overall in the series. Leckie/Bristow had to settle for second while series winner Cooper was third and Knowles fourth but third overall in the series.

At the prize giving the overall top three in each fleet were presented with Crewsaver vouchers so they are able to choose their prize from our sponsor Crewsaver’s extensive leisure e-brochure.

Presentations were also made to volunteers and catering/bar staff that have once again helped make theCrewsaver Tipsy Icicle series so successful and, with a total of 193 boats taking to the water and starting at least one race in the series, making it the UKs largest inland winter dinghy series.

Full results from the Crewsaver Tipsy Icicle series can be found here.