The fireball fleet attended their annual open at Hayling and where greeted with blue skies and a 15 – 18 knot North Easterly breeze. Excellent Conditions.
The course was set about a mile south of the entrance of Chichester harbour and the fleet got away first time. Vince Horey and Andy Thompson where first to the top mark followed by Angus Hemmings and Steve Chesney, these two extended away from the fleet and finished in this order, with Simon and Jackie Lyton third.
Race two again was lead by Horey who pulled away from the fleet to win by a comfortable distance. Hemmings was second again with locals Keith Walker and Rhys Pickett claiming third place.
Race three again saw Horey lead at the windward mark, but he did not have it all his own way this time, whilst Horey was covering Simon Lomas-Clarke and John Platt going right on the second beat, Hemmings took the chance to go left and pass both teams. Horey gave chase down the next run and was looking for an overlap at the leeward mark forcing Hemmings to carry his kite until the last possible moment and still going up to windward due to a jam. Horey took his chance to pass, only to sail over his own spinnaker sheet forcing him to stop and re thread the sheet. Lomas-Clarke grabed the chance to pass both boats, but it was Hemmings who recovered to re take the lead and the race with Lomas-Clarke in second and Horey third.
Sunday dawned with pretty much the same conditions but a little lighter until the start gun went when almost instantly the wind increased to 20 knots, with most of the fleet on light settings. Again Horey lead at the windward mark and two sailed the first reach in front of Walker and Ross Keaney and James Ward. Again Horey extended and went on to win with Walker second and Lomas- Clark pulling though on the last beat to claim third.
Most of the fleet went up their masts to adjust their spreaders and rake their rigs for race five. The fleet split and it looked like Horey’s group on the left were going to be first to the mark, but the boats to right got the lift and pressure into the windward mark and Nick Rawling had a good lead round the windward mark being chased by Keaney and Horey. Keaney almost rolled Rawling at the gybe mark but could not break the overlap and got stuck in Rawlings wind shadow after the gybe. Horey rounded the mark and rolled over the two boats and went on to extend thought out the race to win by the largest margin of the weekend and take the meeting. Lomas-Clarke pulled though the fleet to finish second with Lytton in third.
Horey and Thompson opted for an early shower and sat out the last race. Lytton had traded his wife for a heaver crew for Sunday and dominated the last race leading from start to finish, Mirror National Champion Kearney finally held a race together to claim a comfortable second with Walker rounding off a good day with a Third.
Overall Results
1st GBR 15020 Vincent Horey Andrew Thompson King George S.C. 7 Points
2nd GBR 14791 Angus Hemmings Steve. Chesney Hayling Island S.C. 14 Points
3rd GBR 14847 Simon Lytton Jackie Lyton Hayling Island S.C. 15 Points
4th GBR 14628 Simon Lomas-Clarke John Platt Hill Head S.C. 15 Points
5th GBR 14946 Keith Walker Rhys Pickett Hayling Island S.C. 18 Points
6th GBR 14976 Ross Keaney James Ward Exe. S.C. 23 Points
