Marblehead GAMES 5 event and Halfpenny Trophy at Guildford Model Yacht Club, Abbey Meads
by Martin Crysell 22 May 21:24 NZST
18 May 2024
Marblehead GAMES 5 event and Halfpenny Trophy at Guildford © Mark Mortimore
A small but enthusiastic fleet of eight skippers assembled at Abbey Meads lake in overcast conditions, but with an ideal northerly breeze blowing straight down the lake, although it did have a tendency to go a bit easterly at times which made for some tricky beats.
It was good to see a re-appearance of Shaun Wyeth in the fleet after a gap of some 23 years after he won the Radio Marblehead National Championship in 2001. He was encouraged to start radio sailing again by his son Lewis, who has recently become a very enthusiastic Marblehead sailor.
Peter Stollery set a straightforward windward-leeward course with a gate at the leeward end and this stayed satisfactory for the whole day.
The racing got off to a good start for Peter, who narrowly won the first race from Nigel Barrow with Barrie Martin in third. Nigel then won the next three races leaving Peter in second and at this stage Shaun Wyeth had got a third and Oliver Stollery a fourth, but Lewis Wyeth did really well with a good win in Race 5.
Peter then went on to win the next three races to take him to the top of the leaderboard at lunchtime just edging a two-point lead over Nigel with Lewis in third place.
David Cole who had winch problems in the first race had gone home to fix it and got back to Abbey Meads in time for the start of the afternoon racing.
Race 9 was a Stollery lockout with Peter carrying on his winning ways, but with Oliver chasing him into second.
For Races 9 to 13 his winning streak was interrupted in Race 11 by a delighted David, who also went on to win the final Race 16 from Nigel, as the wind finally died away to nothing.
Barrie also finished well with two wins in Races 14 and 15. As we started that 16th race within the last minute of the cut off time the wind started to leave us, so it was a good time to stop.
The third GAMES event 6 in the GMYC Marblehead Summer Series will be for the Series trophy, the Nylet RM Challenge Trophy to be sailed on the 15th June.
Results:
1st Peter Stollery, Guildford, UP - 18 points
2nd Nigel Barrow, Frensham Pond, GRUNGE - 28 points
3rd Barrie Martin London MYC, STARKERS SQD - 38 points
4th Oliver Stollery, Guildford, F6 - 55 points
5th Lewis Wyeth, Gosport, STARKERS CUBED - 64 points
6th Shaun Wyeth, Gosport, STARKERS - 64 points
7th David Cole, Hampton Court, GRUNGE - 77 points
8th Mark Mortimore, Guildford, UPROAR - 92 points