Streaker Ramblings - Bosham SC -23/07/2011

Bosham is a ‘local’ club for us so we did not have to leave until 7.45am, with bright blue skies, a light breeze and no hint of rain on our journey down to Chichester Harbour. Having arrived and found no access to the ‘Green’ we drove to the dinghy park and rigged the boat, then drove back down to the quay, dropped it off and took the car to the car park on the other side of the village.

By the time the briefing took place at the club house there were nine Streakers present. The courses being well down the harbour all set off by about 10.30am on a pleasant and uneventfull ½ hour sail, down past Cobnor, then Itchenor and into the Thorney channel. The committee boat moored fairly close to the East Head buoy and the first chosen course was a triangle/sausage affair heading back the way we had come down from Bosham.

The first start, on a fairly short, heavily port biased line was almost chaos as some three Solent Sunbeams – rather large keel boats – decided to charge straight through our line seconds after our gun had ‘fired’.  As it happened there were no actual collisions but apart from it being appallingly bad manners on their behalf it rather up-set our start. Thereafter it was Paul Burgoyne (Tamworth SC), who had attempted a port hand start, who went into the lead. Close behind him was his father John (Tamworth SC) and then Dave Cockerill (Emsworth SC). Tucked in behind these three was Alan Simmons (Lancing SC) then Gary Hogan (Haversham SC), John Smith (Bosham SC), Michael Camps (Bosham SC) and bring up the tail end Richard Felstead (Lymington TSC). By the finish Paul.B had pulled out a fair lead over his dad John.B  but Dave.C was close behind.
Race two, over a similar type course – adjusted for a swing in the breeze further to the west and this time 2 courses long – went off without hitch this time. Dave.C was first away and although challenged by both the Burgoynes held his lead to the finish.
Alan.S was not far back on the leaders but was overtaken on the fourth beat by Michael.C and was unable to get fourth spot back. Behind Alan it was Gary.H, then John. Richard.F improved by one place on the previous race whilst Hugh.G took over the tail end spot. In second spot in this race it was Paul.B again ahead of John.B.

A break was then taken – afloat – for lunch before the final race. Yet again the course was swung to compensate for the wind directional change – much further west this time and over towards the Emsworth channel and again two long triangles and two long sausages. This time it was John Burgoyne who won the start and chose the correct way to go up the first beat, not far behind was Paul.B and mixing it with him was Alan.S. Richard.F had begun to get the hang of things, perhaps it was down to the slight increase in wind strength but for a while he was ahead of Alan. Behind this pair Dave.C was not – initially – making waves.

In the final windward beat, close to the top mark, Dave.C squeezed past Alan.S into third place. John.B held off a late challenge from Paul to take top spot in this race. Next home was Dave.C then Alan.S then Richard.F followed by Michael.C, Gary.H (who was disqualified for failing to go through the course gate at one point) John.S and finally Hugh.G.
At the end of the racing there was a zippy ½ hour sail back to Bosham – good job somebody knew the way as Alan would have sailed on up towards Dell Quay instead of turning left opposite Itchenor. A long, but very pleasant, day with some 6.1/2 hours on the water.
At the prizegiving it was Paul Burgoyne in first place ahead of dad John – who would have won had it not been that all races counted – with Dave Cockerill in third place.

Results (Unofficial):-

1^st Paul Burgoyne, 2^nd. John Burgoyne, 3^rd. Dave Cockerill, 4^th Alan Simmons, 5^th.Michael Camps, 6^th. Gary Hogan, 7^th. Richard Felstead, 8^th. John Smith, 9^th.Hugh Garety.

   

PS. Appologies for lack of photos – the sailing was way out of sight of the club and Bett declined to go afloat.

PPS. Whilst I did not in the end attend, I had intended to go to Deben, would have thus been able to get results and make a ‘blog’. However I am still awaiting info from the club – I do not even know who the prize winners were!