DF95 Winter Series event 3 at East Kent Radio Sailing Club
by Peter Jackson 31 Jan 07:52 PST
30 January 2025
An early start from Rob Owen in 479 - DF95 Winter Series event 3 at East Kent RSC © Peter Jackson
Event 3 of East Kent's 2025 series saw blue skies and wind to max A rig level, dropping later. Adrian Tomlinson stamped his authority on the ten boat fleet from the first race, with seven wins, punctuated only by a second as Mike Brand took his first win from Colin Honour.
Peter Jackson went out with a rudder servo failure. Jim La Roche, Mike, Alan and Colin shared the other podium spots. By lunch Mike lay second ahead of Jim and a consistent Colin with four thirds and three fourths.
Jim then took a bullet in race 9, from Alan Hounsell's third podium and late arrival on the scene Rob Owens getting one of just two podiums in third. As the wind eased back Adrian returned to the front and Spencer Pope plugged in a third from Alan's third second place. Jim then put in a string of seconds and a third, building to a win in race 15 as Mike's challenge fell away with a string of scores between fifth and eighth.
Peter, with just 3mm of rudder throw, has some starting practice and led some races for a lap. By race 12 he'd worked out how to sail with nearly no rudder and 'great circle' tacks, holding first to the finish, from Adrian and Jim. Three third place finishes followed, but one a DSQ for rounding both gate marks!
Colin Honour struggled for a while but then fished with first, fourth, second to pull him ahead of Alan who faded away, finishing with scores of 6,7,6,5,6. Rob Owen's penchant for early starts helped to keep him comfortably out of the chocolates. Adrian could cruise around for the last five races, getting only one win.
The other three bullets went to Colin, Jim, and then to Mike in the last race. But that win was only enough to bring Mike back to three points behind Jim in second place overall, a massive 20 points behind Adrian, who sailed very well but whose boat is booked into the scrutineers for the next event.
New member Simon Thornton's first go at radio sailing went well, nipping at the heels of the fleet.
Results:
1. 30 Adrian Tomlinson
2. 57 Jim La Roche
3. 875 Mike Brand
4. 62 Colin Honour
5. 380 Alan Hounsell
6. 479 Robert Owens
7. 32 Spencer Pope
8. 211 Peter Jackson
9. 20 Paul Woodward
10. 65 Simon Thornton