The day started with constant rain, dark clouds and little wind. Nobody was looking forward to the prospect of heading out to compete but the wind was set to increase throughout the day so we were looking forward to some exciting racing.
Race 1 started at 12 noon in about 15 knots. There was a lot of close racing with many position changes, especially in the top half of the fleet. In the end Emma and Rachel Grayson narrowly took victory whilst Matt and Ben Lulham-Robinson took second and Sarah Richards finished third. The top three boats finished within 5 boat lengths of each other which shows how close the racing was.
After lunch the wind had picked up even more and we were launching our boats in 25knots of wind which was a challenge in itself! A few of the boats had, rather sensibly decided to opt out of the afternoon races as the strong winds proved too much for them.
Race 2 was physically challenging with a gusty wind keeping us on our toes! Another close race was set to be won by Sarah Richards with crew Will hide standing in for some extra ballast. It all went wrong on the last beat up to the finish when the spinnaker got stuck under the boat, allowing Matt and Ben to take the win. Sarah and will ended up second with Emma and Rachel taking 3rd.
The final race of the day was the hardest because everyone was tired from the previous races. Matt and Ben pulled away throughout the race but on the last couple of laps the two boats in 2nd and 3rd caught up. Matt and Ben held Sarah/Will and Emma/Rachel off to take the final victory of the day to secure the overall win. Emma snatched 2nd place from Sarah by 30 cm on the finish line (according to the OOD).
The event was a great success for the first Mirror open meeting at Derwent Reservoir since 1999 hosted by an extremely welcoming and helpful club.
Matt and Ben Lulham-Robinson
