Bala Blaze Open May 2002

The Bala SC Blaze Open meeting was held over the May Bank holiday weekend
4-5 May. The event overlapped with Bala SC's May Regatta and the GP14 inland
championships so the weekend was a well attended, 70 boats, and lively event
with excellent live music supplied in the form of the rock band THE BUMWIGS
courtesy of the GP's. The weather was particularly pleasant and was dry with
plenty of sunshine on the Sunday.

Two races were held on the Saturday. The wind for the first races was light
and exceptionally variable in direction and swung round through 360degrees
during the course of the race.Despite the conditions John Beare, the race
officer, laid a suitable course that kept the fleet in the best of the wind
and with good beats. Ralph Jones was first to the windward mark immediately
pursued by Mike Lyons and Dave Evans, a close chase between the two followed
for the whole of the first lap with Mike eventually passing on the beat of
the second lap. Having gained the lead Mike used good tactical sailing to
maintain it and held the lead for the remainder of the race. This was a
format which was seen through most of the remaning races with Mike
eventually gaining the lead over the other competitors and holding them back
with tactical covering making good use of his knowledge as class technical
officer to show the rest of the fleet well tuned boat speed.

Racing on the Sunday was in bright sunny conditions and a steady F3
northerly wind. Mike Lyons again led the way for the first race but a
failure of navigation gave Dave Evans followed by Ralph Jones a chance to
break away but it was a short lived lead and Mike used his upwind skills to
quickly regain the lead. Mike retired from the final race and first and
second place was a closely fought contest between Dave Evans and Ralph Jones
with Dave prevailing in increasingly breezy conditions and Oliver Daniels
having his own close race came in third.

Results

1st M Lyons 654 Burgfield SC,
2nd D Evans 655 Calshot SC,
3rd R Jones 667 Bala SC,
4th O Daniels 615 Sutton in Ashfield SC

Thanks to Ralph Jones for the report and to Kathryn Jones for taking the photos.