Harken Solo Inland Championship at Rutland Sailing Club - Day 1

James Boyce leads on day 1 of the Harken Solo Inlands at Rutland © Will Loy

The rain echoed through the double layered pop up tent, the rustle of autumnal leaves signalling some significant breeze and providing the impetus for me to crawl from my blow up mattress into daylight. The sight of me emerging from the Gore Tex womb feet first clearly alarmed a neighbour's dog enough for it to retreat back to between its masters legs.

46 competitors have made it to Rutland Water to contest the Harken Inland Championship, a number well down on previous years and it would be worrying if not for the fact that this has been a hugely busy season with three major Championships in the last 3 months alone. Hall passes have been cashed in and a few usual suspects are either injured or have prior engagements at other events. This does not diminish this event though and there is some major pedigree here with names such as Davis, Boyce and McCarthy prominent in my personal pecking order.

The forecast for day 1 is 10-12knots from the north which is a very unusual direction for Rutland in September.

Race 1

Pin end favoured and a clean start with Mark Lee nailing the start. Roger Bennett and Grafham Water's Dave Lucas also popped out of the line but Ian Walters will want that start back. The wind direction meant a shorter than normal track and the fleet were tightly bunched as they came into the top mark. Add to that the topography of the venue and the abundant selection of trees covering the windward shoreline and you have a recipe for big shifts. Shane McCarthy made the best of the final shifts to round first with James Boyce sneaking inside of a tardy rounding from Lucas. Andy Davis and Martin Honnor completed the top five with Mark Lee snapping at their heels. I did say in my promotional piece that the corners paid.

Boyce took the lead by the bottom of an uneventful triangle but McCarthy worked back into the lead by the top of lap two. The telling moment came here with Honnor and Boyce getting embroiled in a discussion on mark rounding and what constituted water there of. This allowed McCarthy to squirt out into a comfortable lead and also gave Davis a gap in the door to go through which he took by the bottom of the run. Nation's Cup Champion Boyce was not done yet though and regained his composure to work back up to second by the gun with Davis, Honnor and Lee completing the top five. Dave Lucas did penalty turns for a rule 42 infringement which wiped his previously cheerful smile from his now bemused face but did a good job of recovering to finish sixth.

Andy Davis in second overall on day 1 of the Harken Solo Inlands at Rutland - photo © Will Loy

Race 2

The breeze was holding at 10-12 knots and the fleet were once again away cleanly and Mark Lee again bossing the pin end. Class President Doug Latta was in the second row and diving to leeward of the leaders in a bid to get a clear lane. Boyce and Steve Ede were in good shape while Oli Davenport, Davis and Honnor did their best to work their Solos over the top of them. The shifts, when they came were large which produced a concertina effect of sails as they tacked in unison and at the top mark it was another one of the Grafham posse, Ewan Birkin Walls who led with Davis and Davenport on his transom. Lee was next around from start specialist Latta who clearly found the turbo button after that start. As the old adage applies, 1. Better to make a bad start at the right end than a good start at the wrong end.

The breeze had dropped slightly but Birkin Walls was not to be thwarted, applying adages 2 and 3, "take the tack that takes you closest to the mark", and, "stay between the mark and your competitor" to hold on to the win from Davis and Davenport. Boyce made a pretty miraculous recovery to finish fourth with Mark Lee again fifth. Andy Fox was on the naughty step for a rule 42 infringement but anyone who knows Foxy will acknowledge he has not a clue how to cheat so he must have just been reaching for a pie.

Oli Davenport in third overal on day 1 of the Harken Solo Inlands at Rutland - photo © Will Loy

Race 3

Clean away again, forever putting to bed the notion that the Solo class are inept at them. Stephen Graham and McCarthy made the best starts at the pin end and but it was Davenport who led in to the top mark on the starboard lay line, just being denied "first to the mark" bragging rights by Boyce who was totally committed to the port lay line and tacked in a magic pocket just under him. McCarthy, Honnor, Walters, Lee, Lucas and Davis completed the top eight. Sorry to whoever was ninth around, get quicker. The shifts near to the top mark were as erratic as the recent scenes in Parliament and the swings from both sides were as large. The wind pressure had increased and this produced some wide eyed, open mouthed expressions and heroes became zeroes and back in the space of 50 yards. Boyce, McCarthy and Davenport exchanged leads throughout the race with Davis not quite able to bridge the gap to the top three, gambling on a corner was just not going to happen.

So, at the gun it was Davenport who took the bullet with Boyce second, McCarthy third, Davis fourth and Honnor fifth.

James Boyce is our overnight leader with a 1 point lead over Andy Davis and he is 2 points clear of Oli Davenport in 3rd.

Martin Honnor is first Veteran in fifth with John Dixon (Septimus) a creditable 17tt with Brian Taylor (Grand Master) 21st. Sue Taylor is our first and only lady in 35th. The forecast for day 2 is not particularly good, the light winds could spring a few surprises if racing takes place.

Results after Day 1: