The Flying Fifteen competition and a beautiful summer’s day brought a big gathering of boats to Grafham Water Sailing Club.
The meeting was open to all vintages of boat with competitors in the classic, silver and open fleets although the star of the show was one dating back to 1949 and sailed by Elliott Hall and Iain Brown from Burton SC.
A variety of courses were sailed with really close racing in the open and classic fleets, places changing on a very regular basis.
In the open fleet Dave Philpott and Pippa Chapman from the home club took the honours in race one and two but they came in behind club-mates Simon Kneller and Ashley Painter in races three and four, with the latter taking the overall prize on countback.
The classic fleet also had some close action with the IRL boat of Bryan Willis and John McPeake of County Antrim Yacht Club taking the overall win from boat builders Brett and Ben Dingwall who deserve a special mention as they’ve worked on so many Flying Fifteens over the years.
The Silver Fleet were also represented and their numbers will be boosted next year.
The PRO also ran four races as they looked to take advantage of the better wind forecast.
Malcolm Hall and Martin Nelson sailing the silver fleet Flying 15 GBR2864 said: "We really enjoyed sailing in the classic and silver fleet, it has a really good sportsperson feel to it.
"We were pleased to score a third in the first two races and finished mid fleet overall. A nice result for a boat that has been in retirement for the last five years."
The fleet heads off to the Royal Northern and Clyde Yacht Club later this month for the class National Championships.
Grafham Water Sailing Club is hosting 14 open meetings this year for many different classes of boat.
Memberships are still available for the 2021 season and for more information either ring 01480 810 478 or go to the website at www.grafham.org
Alternatively follow the club on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pg/grafhamwatersc
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here