1st event of 2013
On the weekend of the 16th &
17th March the British A-Class association held the first Ranking
event of 2013. It was hosted by Datchet Water Sailing Club on a reservoir next
to Heathrow airport.
The fleet had 3 new boats racing along with
the regular competitors including myself sailing the new VISION from
CatamaranParts.nl and a new Hammer sail.
The conditions on the Saturday were around
10 knots on average but with sharp gusts around 18 knots the racing was
extremely tactical. Making sure you were in the correct position on the race
course was the most important factor in the racing. After Day 1 I was leading
scoring 3 firsts and a second with Sam Newton on a DNA second (3 x seconds and
1 first) and Bob Fletcher in third on his Flyer.
Sundays conditions held the same pattern
with a slightly lower average wind speed and was even colder. The race officer
realised the sailors were still cold from the previous days racing and got our
4 races completed in quick succession, which I am sure all the competitors were
grateful for! Again I scored 3 firsts and a second giving me the overall win.
Sam Newton was always close to me on the course again earning 2 second places
and a first. In race 3 he had a collision which was not his fault and had to
retire however, managed to find the spare parts he needed and made it out for
the final two races.
For me it was a good start to the season.
All my equipment was new and I could immediately see the advantages in my new
sail and the boat, as always, was more than up to the task. Once again I would
like to thank the Marine travel company for continuing to support me through
the 2013 season and also to MarinePool who supplied me with the Clothing to
keep me race fit through the freezing conditions of the weekend.
Off to Minnis Bay now for some much needed
training for the next couple of weeks aiming towards the defence of my French
title at the beginning of May.
Chris Field
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