This year Dittisham Sailing Club is experimenting with new ideas, so last Sunday's first race was a pursuit.

As the name suggests, the slowest boat starts first and the fastest last and after one hour of racing the one who is ahead is the winner, the next second and so on.

This generally makes for exciting competition with plenty of overtaking. 

The Solos started before the Lasers, but after a very short time a wind shift enabled most of the fleet to sail through the Solo fleet.

The leading Laser was Sam Mogridge, who caught up Mike Bennett and John Wynn in their Devon Yawl, overtook and was out o sight before they knew it!

A battle developed for second and third between Bennett, James Dodd in a Phantom and Barry Kenyon in another Laser.

There was much place-changing in the gusty wind, which was moving the whole time, making it imperative to tack on the shifts. At the finish Mogridge was easily first, Dodd second and Kenyon third, with Bennett fourth. 

The second race, Early Summer Points 5, was one of the newly introduced fleet races. The wind had veered so race officer Richard Allen had the windward mark moved to give a better beat.

In the Lasers a battle developed between Sam Mogridge and Paul Honey with the latter staying close until the finish.

In the Laser Radials Josh O'Brien beat Martin Thomas with Jennie Richardson, third. 

In the Solo fleet Jonathan Weeks and Bob Thomas were very close to one another coming to the bottom mark, with Thomas just ahead of Weeks.

Thomas tacked on to port and stayed left while Weeks stayed on starboard and went right.

At the finish Jonathan Weeks earned a good birthday present by winning the race by a short head from Bob Thomas.

In the Handicap Fleet Mike Bennett's Devon Yawl was sufficiently close to James Dodd's Phantom to beat him into second place. Rod Diver and Sue Thomas, in another Yawl, were third. 

The next racing at Dittisham is on Sunday, May 12, at 10am.

 

Results:

Pursuit

1 S Mogridge. Laser. 2 J Dodd, Phantom. 3 B Kenyon, Laser.

 

Early Summer Points 5

Lasers. 1 S Mogridge, 2 P Honey. 3 P Mogridge

 

Laser Radials 1 J O'Brien. 2 M Thomas. 3 J Richardson

 

Solos 1J Weeks. 2 B Thomas. 3 D Bewick

 

Handicap Fleet 1 M Bennett & J Wynn, Devon Yawl. 2 J Dodd, Phantom. 3 R Diver & S Thomas, Devon Yawl.