Frozen Toe races prove aptly-named at Chichester

Sailors who turned up at Chichester Yacht Club for the second Sunday of the Frozen Toe series were greeted by a chilly breeze which built during racing.
By The Newsroom
Published 2nd Dec 2010, 17:41 BST
Updated 8th Jun 2018, 00:36 BST

Race officer Derek Jackman set a course heading up to Dell Quay with a shorter course for the slow fleet.

In race three in the fast fleet, after a good start, Brian and David Earl in the Javelin got well away from the fleet, chased by the RS300s.

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The RS400s of Jason Kirk and Scott Dawson and Nick and Roger Elliman continued their battle, swapping places during the race with Kirk getting ahead while Elliman broke a shroud.

Jason Buchanan (RS300) won on handicap, beating the Javelin into second place with Mark Newton (RS300) third.

In race four the Javelin again got ahead on the water with the RS300 setting the pace on handicap, with the RS400s again swapping places further down the ratings.

Buchanan won ahead of the Earls and Luke Mapley (Blaze).

Some 33 boats joined the medium fleet, including 14 Lasers.

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The Finns of Ed Thorburn and Mark Harper had a good tussle at the front of the fleet. The Colbournes were as usual showing how it should be done in their GP14, having a good race with the Lasers, with Eric Sharrad getting ahead of Charlie Porter and Ian Payne. Among the Laser 2000s, John and Pauline Cox were well ahead of the competition.

Winners were Nick and Biddy Colbourne ahead of Harper and Thorburn.

In race four a Laser capsized just before start, making the starts tricky for some, but the Coxes still got a good opening well ahead other Laser 2000s.

Ian Payne and Jimmy Carter got ahead of the other Lasers and the Finns. Later in the race the other Lasers caught up with them with Payne, taking third just ahead of Porter and Eric Sharrad. The Colbournes were again first with Thorburn (Finn) second.

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In the slow fleet the RS Feva of Paul and Jack Fisk, the only boat helmed by an adult, got away chased by Toby Schofield (Laser 4.7), with the Feva keeping up the pace to finish first.

At times the faster Optimists of Lucy and Julia Mellers were keeping up with slower Toppers, with Lucy taking second place and Julia third.

Leading Toppers Ben Thompson and Ross Watkins had a close race with Thompson finishing well ahead.

In race four, Schofield in a Laser 4.7 got a flying port start. The RS Feva of the Fisks again got away. This time, the Laser 4.7s were determined not to be left behind with Schofield finishing second and Thomas Anderson 3rd.

The next races take place this Sunday (Dec 5).

DELL QUAY

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Temperatures hovered just above freezing at Dell Quay as competitors broke the ice from their boats for the first two races in the Frostbite series.

Bill Dawber (Solo) led the 18 starters off the line but at the windward mark at Fishborne Graham and Lucy Dalton (Laser 2000) had the lead.

Down the long run, Malcolm Buchanan and Warwick Hoddy (RS 400) pulled away from the pack. A comparatively short planing reach to Bowling was followed by a tricky beat back up the harbour again with Buchanan and Hoddy ahead by two minutes as they passed the quay.

Behind them, two more RS 400s, Peter King crewed by John Nash and Bob Marshall crewed by Mike Savage, and a Fireball sailed by Chris Turner and Greg Byron, were in a fairly tight group just ahead of Dawber, the Daltons and Ben Hoddy (Laser Radial).

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After a final leg up the harbour and back to the quay, corrected times saw Dawber win comfortably on handicap, while Ben Hoddy was second ahead of the Daltons by just two seconds, with Buchanan and Warwick Hoddy fourth.

The second race was again led by Dawber in a tight start.

First to the windward mark were Buchanan and Hoddy, who then sailed away to another good lead on the 
water.

The run down harbour saw close racing between Dawber, the Daltons and King and Nash, with discussion over who was sailing their proper course as each strove to improve their position.

The two RS400s took line honours with Turner’s Fireball third but, on handicap, Dawber had gained another first place with second place this time going to the Daltons and Ben Hoddy several seconds behind.

Fourth place was again filled by Buchanan and Warwick Hoddy.

The next races in the series, which is open to competitors from other clubs, will take place this Saturday.