Burghfield Blaze Open 18/19 April 2009
The Blaze travellers series kicked off at Burghfield SC on the weekend of 18/19 April. Over recent years the BSC event has evolved into the class training open where the emphasis is on the transfer of boat specific skills. 25 helms entered with 22 of them competing in the Open racing towards the end of Saturday and on Sunday.
The conditions were ideal for practice and training on Saturday with 10-12mph and sunshine. Two sessions of on the water practice either side of lunch were run with a number of short practice races organised. Mid afternoon arrived and RO Andy Angwin set a lenghy first formal race. This was led from almost start to finish by Chris Holman of Pembroke YC , closely followed by Nick miller (Glasson SC) and Andy Elliott (Rotherham SC) in his brand new epoxy boat plus local Simon Beddows who came back well after a first beat incident . The conditions were best described as tricky with constantly shifting winds. This not only allowed Beddows back up but for Mike Lyons (BSC) to sail round all but Holman into second.
Most of the fleet retired to the local pub for the evening wondering what the weather would throw up next day. Sunday was lighter but similar to Saturday. Race two saw Tim Davison (Medley SC) and Lyons lead the fleet off from the pin end benefitting from a lift up the left hand side of the beat. Lyons got cleanly away but Davison was caught by Miller, Holman, Elliott and others before coming back through later in the race. Race 3 was similar with Davison and Lyons repeating the opening of the previous race. Lyons, at one point 250 metres clear was overtaken at one point by several of the pursuers who arrived with the wind. However at the finish a lap later the order was Lyons (by a boat length) from Miller, Ross Prytherch (Pembroke SC) and class returnee Andy McIvor (Blackwater SC).
The final race was very different with the light shifty conditions constantly rearranging the fleet. The first beat saw Roger William and Paul Helmsley of the host club fly away by going right up the course while much of the fleet sat in their personal wind holes over the main part of the lake. Beddows pulled through to dominate the race chased by Hemsley and McIvor. Last lap however and the wind gods allowed Lyons an unlikely win as he pulled through to get the inside edge on Beddows round the very last mark.
The CA would like to thank Burghfield SC for providing both sun and a bit of wind and for all the visitors for attending. Not least Jerry Lowe who travelled al the way from Punta Verde, Chile to attend. Jerry and his Chilean partners are building the Blaze for the S.American market from this summer.
Positions:
Mike Lyons Burghfield SC 3 points
Nick Miller Glasson SC 8points
Chris Holman Pembroke YC 10points
Simon Beddows Burghfield SC 14points
Paul Hemsley Burghfield SC 16points
Tim Davison Medley SC 17points
Andy McIvor Blackwater SC 17points
Andrew Elliott Rotherham SC 17points
Roger Williams Burghfield SC 22points
Ross Prytherch Pembroke YC 24points
Stuart Brown Burghfield SC 28points
John Abbott Oxford SC 28points
Jerry Lowe Punta Verde, Chile 34points
John Player Wilsonian SC 36points
Mike Bell Burghfield SC 41points
Mathew Parsons Teifi BC 48points
Peter Horner Wilsonian SC 48points
Bob Yates Burghfield SC 50points
Steve Millington Colesmere SC 53points
Andy Connelly Burghfield SC 54points
Peter Barlow Burghfield SC 58points
Richard Ellington Burghfield SC 59points