The report that follows is again issued with the 'disclaimer' that I can only see the bit of the race immediately around me - I'm sure to have missed a lot of interesting incidents as a result - so apologies if 'your' incident is not featured.  It's always a great relief when others have the job in face !!  This will hit Y&Y etc  next week when Peter Barlow suplies a few of the photos he took on Saturday.

Sent: 01 May 2006 20:03
To: Blaze Forum; David Pye
Subject: Burghfield Open report

Thanks to all for coming to Burghfield - we enjoyed having you and look forward to seeing you out there in the rest of the season - even if you were struggling out there keep at it and it will come good in the end.  We did not get through all the training stuff by a long way and we are talking about another day at Burghfield, if there's demand, before the Nationals - on a Saturday with participants invited to join in as guests our club racing on Sunday (within the fast handicap fleet).  I promise we will only run it if we have enough wind !

So if interested let us have a few dates that don't class with Blaze opens etc and we will see what can be organised.

Mike '720'

Brewery sponsor saves the day at Burghfield Blaze Open !

It’s always good news when your class finds another sponsor.  It’s even better news when it’s a brewery.  This year the Blaze training open at Burghfield was sponsored by local micro-brewer Loddon Brewery – and mighty popular they are now amongst the Blaze helms (and a few others !) particularly as they will also be ‘assisting’ at the Warsash Nationals in June.

Anyway the meeting itself proved another resounding success for the class despite ‘difficult’ conditions.   The training under the direction of Steve Townsend was very informative and for a lot of newcomers this was their first Blaze meeting.  Most of Saturday was devoted to on and off water practice and briefings.  Participants had just about the right amount of wind as well and only a couple ended up waving their centreboards to the rest.  Sadly that was the end of any real wind for the rest of the meeting which was held in tortuous conditions.  Of the 21 who turned up only 18 decided to sail in the formal racing.  

The first race was held late on Saturday afternoon in a falling and very tricky wind.  Local Mike Lyons (720) led the fleet off but was soon in a windless hole allowing last years winner from Bala, Dan Partington (668), to effortlessly sail around him to a 100 metre lead.  Partington held the lead for the next 40 minutes before falling into another hole allowing <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Lyons</st1:place></st1:city> back in front.   Again the positions reversed on the last lap and Partington carefully covered Lyons and now Simon Beddows (570) and David Angwin (710) up to the line to win.  Behind this leading group came newcomers Tim Davidson (731) from RTYC in his brand new boat, and John Ainsworth (656) from Weaver SC. 

Sunday was to prove even more frustrating with the wind teasing RO and competitors alike.  In the second race <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Lyons</st1:place></st1:city> soon pulled away from Partington and covered the followers very carefully to the end.  Beddows was again a close third but was chased hard by Sunday entrant and respected light wind specialist Ian Foxwell (702) from Wilsonians.

RO Chris Martin delayed the third race for a time but eventually put the fleet on the water in what was to become the deciding race.   This race started in, for this weekend at least, a fantastic but very temporary breeze of F2.  Unfortunately this soon started to drop away up the first beat with Foxwell and Partington ‘powering’ (a relative term this) away.  <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Lyons</st1:place></st1:city> having got mired in a start line incident was back in the pack but slowly catching up.  The two leaders fought desperately for advantage with Foxwell perhaps just getting the better of it.   This fight allowed the pack to close up on them and eventually Partington got the wrong side of a shift allowing Foxwell away and Lyons to squeeze through.  A lap later Foxwell himself completely ‘parked’ next to the last mark allowing <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Lyons</st1:place></st1:city> to ghost around both him and the mark, eventually to win.  On this last leg positions were still changing and Partington was overtaken by Stuart Brown (713), fast improving in his second Blaze season.

The fourth race was cancelled and the ‘lure’ of the sponsors generosity drew nearly all to the bar.   Naturally the wind then filled in but by now the competitors hardly cared !  The association would like to thank both Burghfield for its excellent organisation and especially the Loddon Brewery – the real heroes of the day.

Results

1^st    Mike Lyons, 720,  4 points

2^nd   Dan Partington, 668,  7 points

3^rd   Simon Beddows, 570, 13 points

4^th   Stuart Brown, 713, 16 points

5     David Angwin, 710, 17 points

 

For FULL results follow the link detailed by David Angwin of look through the results on the Burghfield website.