International 14 Perry Pot at Itchenor Sailing Club - Day 1

International 14 Perry Pot day 1 © Caroline Gosford

Sunday was a classic Perry Pot weekend to start off the series. Clear weather with the air temperature starting to drop for the year, the water having not dropped off quite yet but more importantly the breeze was 13-17 knots perfect twin wire conditions.

Race Officers Katie Nurton and Caroline Gosford (fresh from her presentation of the Jeremy Pudney Memorial Trophy for services to the i14 class, the most well deserved trophy of the night) kindly set a short windward leeward course with three laps and three races to test boat-handling and make sure the crews were ready for fast hoists and a tricky starboard rounding.

Race 1 - Started with a strong left to right tide and a short line for eight boats. Martin Jones and Harry Kennedy had a strong start a boat length down from the committee boat going fast but couldn't quite convert the start into a lead at the windward mark, rounding second letting Glen Truswell and Ed Fitzgerald inside them on the windward lay line.

With a fast beat Julian Pearson and Freddie Covell were hot on the heels in third place with the top three not changing places for the remainder of the race.

Race 2 - Another tight start line showed Glen and Ed leading off the start line with Martin and Harry close behind, with Pete Bromley and Simon Horsfield showing great speed rounding the windward in third... but an unfortunate capsize at the leeward mark causing problems, an encouraging speed for a first sail together as a new pairing.

Glen and Ed managed to convert their lead into another race win, with Martin and Harry on their heels waiting for a mistake that never came. Julian and Freddie coming home with another third.

International 14 Perry Pot day 1 - photo © Caroline Gosford

Race 3 saw a slight extension to the course and the last leg now being a race home to the Gallon Line finish. Martin and Harry managed to convert another strong start into the lead at the windward mark holding Glen and Ed off until the last windward mark. There, for the race home, Martin and Harry set and then gybed unfortunately missing the lay line to withies to get into the Itchenor channel. So with suicidal bravery they three-sail reached along the edge of the channel with the spring tide meaning that they avoided a ground-induced pitch pole.

Glen and Ed, who gybe set at the windward, had closed to within a boat length of Martin and Harry and managed to overhaul them 200m before the finish.

Overall an exciting start to the Perry Pot!

Day 1 Results: