14/07/2019
Beccles open meeting Beccles Amateur Sailing Club

Fresh from the meeting at Oulton Broad.

Northerly winds greeted the 5 visitors and 2 local boats at the Beccles Streaker open on the river Waveney, on the Norfolk/Suffolk border. The fluctuating NW/NE breeze making it difficult for the Race Officer to set the line.

Race 1 got underway without a hitch, with Ian Bradley getting away first, closely followed by Chris Smith and Mark Langston. The strong gusts veering through the trees, made the progress to the second mark quite demanding which caught Chris out and dropped him back to fifth behind Veronica Falat and Peter Matthews. Ian Bradley led to the fourth mark and was so chuffed with the lift he got off the moored dredger,  he sailed right passed it, only realising his mistake when the following boats sportingly raised the alarm. This allowed Mark to take the lead for most of the next lap, until the wind dropped on the run, which allowed Veronica and Peter to gain and pass, as it filled back in again. Some frantic tacking to the line created a close finish but the positions remained the same.

Race 2 saw a huge shift at the start making it almost impossible to cross the line on starboard. Chris took advantage of the port end bias and got away first followed by Peter and Veronica. Mark, on the other hand, was headed on the bank and became stuck for a good 10 seconds. Phil and Matt too seemed to have got caught out by the wind shift and also struggled to make the start. Chris again found the passage to the second mark challenging and was passed by Peter, Veronica and Ian. As Chris tacked onto starboard, Mark got a huge port lift that took him past Chris and the mark and into fourth place. As the race progressed Ian moved up another place to pass Peter and worry Veronica but did not quite manage the top spot.

After lunch, the OOD made a course change and set a course that had an outside/inside loop. Unfortunately Ian didn’t spot the start line change and was found over at the horn. Despite this, he managed to chase the fleet and gradually made his way back to the front to pip Veronica to the line. Mark followed up into third with Peter fourth.

This meant that the honours went to Veronica for first, Ian second and Peter third.

The visitors appeared to all enjoy the challenging conditions and couldn’t wait to do it all again!

 Final results as below: