Lark Open Meeting at Shropshire Sailing Club

Start line action Mark rounding action Photo © Lark Class

A beautiful spring day at Whitemere and a very warm welcome from Shropshire SC met 19 Larks for the club's first ever Lark open meeting on 16th March.

Race One got under way in a force 1-3, with Shropshire's PRO, Dave Turtle, testing the travellers' powers of observation and memory by using just about every mark on the water! Chris and Rachael Jenkins led to the first windward mark, followed closely by Peter Cook and Janet Exelby, with their new Speed Sails, and Richard Dowsett and Ruth Johnson hot on their heels. Dowsett/Johnson, however, pulled through the Jenkins and Cook/Exelby and steamed away. By the finish, they had pulled out a considerable lead, with Cook/Exelby in second and John Billington and Sue Mellor pushing up to third.

Sunshine and a light breeze remained for the 2nd race after lunch, which saw Richard and Jenny Bennett lead to the first mark, with Dowsett/Johnson and Emma Harris and Becky Priest following closely behind. The Bennetts led for the first two laps, hotly pursued by Dowsett/Johnson and Harris/Priest. Harris/Priest, sailing low on the run, caught them both and overtook Dowsett/Johnson on the following beat. They then chipped away at the Bennetts' lead, overtook them and lead to a comfortable finish. The Bennetts', losing some of their earlier speed, were overhauled by both the Billingtons, who had climbed through the fleet, and Dowsett/Johnson who finished in 2nd and 3rd respectively.

Race 3 saw Harris/Priest lead from the start to the finish, but not without a close battle with Cook/Exelby. Dowsett/Johnson fought for third with Simon Cox and Anna Hotchkiss, who had sailed an impressive race to come up from the back of the fleet. The finish became tight as the breeze eased away and Cook/Exelby closed in on Harris/Priest, but Harris/Priest held on to take the meeting, with Cook/Exelby and Dowsett/Johnson finishing in 2nd and 3rd in the last race. Having tied on points, Dowsett/Johnson took second overall due to their win in Race 1, with Cook/Exelby in third.

Our sincere thanks go to all the members at Shropshire Sailing Club for hosting this very successful event and for giving us such a warm welcome.

Overall Results: