Solo Open at Leigh & Lowton Sailing Club

Leigh & Lowton Solo Open © Stuart Van Den Hoek

Sponsored by Winder Boats and Impact Marine

Twenty Solos enjoyed champagne sailing on the Northern circuit at Leigh and Lowton SC on an increasingly sunny autumn day.

The wind was strong to overpowering that was a test of boat speed with the odd fresh gust and holes of greatly changed strength and direction that threw some snakes and ladders into the mix. A long beat was set by having the start line almost on the shore and a windward mark on the starboard side of the wind; whilst a variety of downwind legs kept us away from the main beat and the other fleets with a number of gybes to keep things interesting.

There were three fleets with Albacores and Lasers on staggered starts on the same course and Race Officer Dave Southwell set a hard pin end bias to help keep the fleets back which must have worked as there was only one general recall (the Lasers) in the 4-race event. Even the port tack flyer specialist Innes Armstrong couldn't get through the crowded line and the initiative for all races lay with those who squeezed in their first tacks to get fast up the beat with its longer port tack.

In the first race Nick Hornsby hit the port side hard and led the pack with good wind out of a bay. Close behind were Phil Barnes and Willie Todd (all the way from Largs). These three pulled clear during the race until the following pack of Innes, Steve Denison and Andy Carter sailed the correct course downwind after all Solos had followed all Lasers around an unnecessary extra downwind mark on the first lap. Whilst no places directly changed Willie capsized and Nick fell back into the pack leaving Phil winning his first race from Innes and Steve in very close order.

In the second race, held back-to-back, the Race Officer changed to a windward mark further right which removed the influence of the bay and being in sync with the shifts dominated until close to the mark with a small right shift dominance. Steve Denison led and gradually extended to break well clear by an impressive margin. Behind him a significant battle developed between Phil and Andy. At the last gybe, Phil was just ahead but in a strong gust looked to have been knocked flat after the gybe, Andy nearly death-rolling to keep clear and sat on the tiller with a cracking sound. Both survived and Phil held second by a boat length at the finish.

Leigh & Lowton Solo Open - photo © Stuart Van Den Hoek

An excellent lunch from the professional caterers restored the competitors, many of whom had been enjoying the open water swimming on offer, though none signed up to the club's Open Water Swimming Group afterwards! Andy got a new tiller, and we all went again for two more back-to-back races on the same course.

Race three was again tight at the first mark, eventually Andy got clear and extended a good lead. Behind him Phil battled it out with Phil and Willie, with Nick and Chris Gillard in the mix too.

It was all to play for in the last race as Phil, Steve and Andy had all had a win. Phil and Andy had an epic tacking duel then a drag race up the next beat whereby Phil held onto the lead, and whilst Andy got ahead downwind, Phil came back on the last reach to take the lead and the race into the finish a couple of boat lengths ahead for the overall event with his second race win. Steve finished third which gave him the same points and results as Andy, who came second overall by beating Steve in the last race.

In the middle of the fleet there were three Norris family boats, the experienced Solo sailor Stuart edging out brother Ian. Both had their moments with good upwind speed, as did Dave Kelsall and Paul Owen from LLSC.

Overall Results: