Cat Open, 15 June 2003
Report
Hastings & St. Leonards Sailing Club this weekend hosted the combined Dart 16 and Shearwater catamaran national travellers trophy events, kindly sponsored by Southern Carpentry Limited.
In the Dart 16 fleet seven visitors took the fleet to a healthy fifteen boats. On Saturday the first race was greeted by sunshine and southeasterly force 2 winds. After a close start and tense racing right up to the end, confusion at the finish caught saw some of the boats out. Local sailors Malcolm & Janet Greenhill took the race victory from start to finish followed by Mike Ager & Chris Brook from Thames Estuary with Ben Daigneault and Hugo Jobling from Eastbourne finishing in third.
After lunch the last two races of the day were held in similar conditions in race 2 with stronger gusts of low force 3 for race 3. It was again a good start this time with Roger & Jane Sinnhuber taking the early lead and race win followed home by two local boats. Malcolm & Janet Greenhill took second place followed by another Hastings boat John & Matthew Wiseman in third. Race 3 saw this slight increase in wind making even more close racing again for the sailors. It was Roger & Jane Sinnhuber again with a win closely followed by Mike Ager & Chris Brook in second with Ben Daigneault and Hugo Jobling finishing in third position.
In the Shearwater fleet eight boats joined the five locals for some very close racing in two races with Dan Tindale crewed by Lee Saunders taking two straight wins for first overall. Following in the final placing were Alan and Jenny Howland in second and locals Neil Struys crewed by Charlotte Duck in third.
After a great party on Saturday night the two fleets awoke to a marvellous sunny Sunday, which made the boats look very pretty on the beach where they stayed all day because the wind forgot to arrive so racing was abandoned. The Hastings Dart 16 fleet were very happy with 6 out of the top 10 places but the Hastings Shearwaters will need a little more light wind practice!
Top 3 Dart 16 Places
- 1st = Roger & Jane Sinnhuber - Shoreham S.C
- 2nd = Malcolm & Janet Greenhill - Hastings & St. Leonards S.C
- 3rd = Mike Ager & Chris Brook - Thames Estuary Y.C