We’ve had a report from Ripon Sailing Club on their first DF65 open event which was held last weekend.  Sounds like they had fun, which is what it’s all about!

Ripon Sailing Club hosted its first ever DF65 open meeting on Saturday 9 January. The Club has a keen and enthusiastic fleet of DF 65 owners, all of whom are either current or former dinghy sailors.  As a result they all know how to sail but not necessarily how to get the best out of a radio controlled model yacht. The forecast was not particularly encouraging and as predicted it did indeed rain until lunchtime but then the sun came out for a while.  Ten visitors joined four local DF65 sailors for what turned out to be a most enjoyable day’s racing.

Anybody who has ever sailed at Ripon SC will know that though the Club has an attractive lake and excellent Clubhouse the wind can be somewhat unpredictable if it is not from a favourable direction. Fortunately it was southerly, probably the best direction possible, and though it varied in strength during the day, as the rain came and went, it varied for everyone at the same time.  This does not always happen!  With a course set in the narrower part of the lake right next to the Clubhouse  sailors were able to get a good, elevated view of the all of the buoys from the firm footing of the patio – a definite benefit given how wet and potentially slippery any grass surfaces are after the wet winter we are experiencing.

Twelve races were sailed and there was no doubt as to the winner of the event, with John Tushingham (Keighley) winning all the races he sailed. Though he was challenged a time or two he was never under any real threat. In the first race local sailor Jim Haddock led for almost the whole of the first lap of a two lap race until he took the leeward mark the wrong way and 8 places melted away while he unwound himself. The only other real challenge for the lead in the following races came from Chris More (Scarborough) who lead until the final, short beat in one race, only to be overtaken in the last few yards. He was though a clear 2^nd overall races with a string of 2^nd and 3^rd places to his credit. Behind these two several people had the odd good race (often interspersed with the odd shocker) and the best of the rest was Norman Rowley (Weecher) who was consistently in or close to the top three to take 3rd overall.

Results are on the Club’s website here: Results