Enterprise Open at Deben Yacht Club

Visitors from six clubs joined two home boats for an event which qualified for both the Broads and Eastern Areas aggregate trophies. After the poor weather conditions of the past two seasons we were greeted by wall to wall sunshine and no wind! However PRO Robin Parsons, at his 10.30 briefing, confidentially predicted a sea breeze would kick in between 11.30 and 12; if he had then professed to be the Emperor of Rome no competitor would have batted an eyelid.

At 11.35 ripples appeared on the Deben and burgees flickered and everyone wanted to know what lottery numbers Robin used, by the time the fleet got to the race area a steady force 2/3 was blowing and this held throughout the event.

Race one got away and all the fleet went to the right hand side of the river apart from John and Philippa Adcroft who went left. At the first mark they held a commanding lead that they never lost and were followed home by Phil and Laura Bevan who had broken away from the pack.

Race two and the Adcroft’s Rive Gauche had been sussed with the whole fleet heading for that bank. At the first mark it was the Bevan’s followed by the Adcroft’s who increased their lead over the fleet, this being the result of the race.

Going into the third and final race it was all square and all to play for. Brian and Linda Cumming lead at the first mark and although pushed hard by the Bevan’s they held on to their lead, the novelty factor in the final race was in the fact the race officer finished the fleet on the club line which involved all the fleet sailing over a submerged island which lead to centreboards and rudders pinging upwards in most alarming fashion, however all the fleet made and with the Adcroft’s being back in the pack the meeting went to the Bevans.

Overall Results:

1st 22439, Phil & Laura Bevan (Grafham Water S.C)
2nd 22558, John & Philippa Adcroft (Deben Y.C)
3rd 23049, Brian & Linda Cumming (Dabchicks S.C)
4th 23163, Richard & Maureen Denny (Snettisham Beach S.C)