Builder: Ericson Yachts
Designer: Bruce King
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2nd Dart Pro-Am training at Grafham Water Sailing Club
Author: Bob Carter
The second race of the Grafham Pro-Am training programme got underway in the afternoon of Sunday 3 March. 8 Dart 15s lined up with one Dart 16 on a mild afternoon with a force 2-3 Westerly breeze. The canny Grafham Cat sailors had done their duty at the Alexandra Palace Dinghy Show on the Dart 15 stand on Saturday so that they could go sailing on Sunday. The amateurs (Ams) were paired up with the Pros (or hot shots), who were to help them round the first lap and the course was a large trapezoidal course with a port biased start line.
In pole position on the start was the Dart 16 of Tom & Stu Tinner being coaxed into a good start by their Pro, Chris Black. Keith Ball was in hot pursuit under the watchful eye of Bob Carter and the other boats were a little further back. The race officers (Assymetric experts John & Ginney Evans plus Dave Chadwick) were noticeably bemused by the pairing up of competitors and the shouting and coaching which was going on in the middle of the, usually serious, Grafham Club Racing.
Keith Ball stole the initiative with an early tack and was first to the windward mark, closely followed by the Tinners on the Dart 16. The unencumbered Steve Petts (he had no Pro nor Am) was next after the first two pairs. The reach was fairly uneventful but there then followed a long-long straight downwind run. Keith Ball was away in the lead, but the different angles sailed by the Dart 16 was a real challenge for coach Chris Black and the bellows could be heard across the water when the broad reaching angles were less than perfect. This gave Frank Sandells guided by hot shot, George Carter, the opportunity to make big gains by running straight down wind. Martin Holmes also made up distance with Philip Howden nagging him on to go faster at every opportunity.
At the end of the first lap it was Keith Ball closely followed by Bob Carter who had a healthy lead. Steve Petts was third but Frank Sandells had caught right up with George Carter egging him on to go faster all the while. Next was Martin Holmes and Phillip Howden and finally the Tinners and Chris Black.
With lap 1 duly completed the Pros were released from their charges and the race was on to the finish. This gave the Ams further opportunity to learn as the experts sailed by and the Pros had to make sure the exercise had not harmed their result which still count in the series.
In the main justice was done as George Carter got back to first place, just ahead of Bob Carter. Steve Petts probably gained most as he was 3rd above his ranking followed by Philip Howden and Chris Black. Then came the Ams in the following order: Tinners, Keith Ball, Martin Holmes and Frank Sandells.
Once again everyone felt they had learned from the exercise and that it was fun. Mixing the fleet up like that for a lap and then having to recover the situation avoids the precession, which often occurs and even the Pros are enjoying it.
The fleet now look forward to the last event of Dart 15 Winter Traveller Series, which is at Grafham on Sunday 10 March and the next pro Am training race on 7 April.
Event Photos: (© Bob Carter, click thumbnail for full picture)
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