Comet Duo World Championships at Cransley Sailing Club

Comet Duo World Championships 2017 © Helen Britton / Sophie Guyett

Comet Duo World Championships 2017 © Helen Britton / Sophie Guyett

Sunshine, force 2 slightly shifty winds and 8 Comet Duos - the perfect combination for the 2nd World Championships of this class which despite only 175 being built (the last nearly 20 years ago) is still active and is particularly suited to smaller waters like Cransley.

With 6 locals and 2 visitors (Stephen Linton/Gerry Mogg from Hawley Lake SC and Nigel and Ann Ford from Oulton Mere SC) there was a friendly huddle at the hugely starboard biased startline in Race 1.

Last year's winner Nigel Austin and his new crew Charlie Guyett (103) failed to break through the resilience of Peter Stein (99) and John Linnell and Emily Britton (90) and was nearly beaten by Jane Townsend (73) who sailed a blinder.

The remainder of the fleet (Sarah Austin/Sue Bull, John Townsend and the visitors) were still finding their feet but with close racing and much changing of places all enjoyed a fantastic lunch of chicken casserole with an air of anticipation still in the air.

Lunch provided Nigel and Charlie with a chance to rig the boat properly (mast shrouds horribly uneven and the original blown out sails were a feeble excuse though), and the 2nd race saw the fleet start much cleaner (albeit John and Emily were horribly lee-bowed by Nigel and Charlie which clearly put them off their stride).

The result saw a return to winning ways for 103 and with Peter in second, it meant that the final race was the decider. However in true Cransley style, the fleet retired for afternoon tiffin on the veranda before that - very civilised, not a sniff of a protest in the breeze!

The third race saw Stephen and Gerry master the conditions before being overhauled by Nigel and Charlie, then Peter, and John and Emily. Despite the winds being ideal, there was an occasional freak gust and usually it saw John Townsend fill up with water, but cruelly one such blast tipped his wife Jane over in front of him, shame on you sir for leaving her in the water at the mercy of the fishermen as she drifted towards their swims!

A great days sailing was had by all though. If you have a Comet Duo why not plan your fitness regime to peak about the beginning of July 2018 for the next championships, we'd love to see you!

Overall Results: