2011-05-11 Central Issue – Enterprise Fleet report

There are two new boats in the fleet this year.  Peter Ganderton has upgraded the multi series winning Tacamahaca to a much newer Different Shade,  complete with a centre main system.  Rob Beaton has returned to the fleet after a 10 year sabbatical in a JJ built Ent,  also with a centre main but with a centreboard mounted block.    Both are ‘coming to terms’ with this new system and have been seen scrambling around and pushing the limits of roll tacks.
This weeks race was a close encounter with plenty of boat on boat action.   The breeze was between West and North west with the start of the neap flood tide coming at the start of the race.  The course was a Westerly favourite – LKEV.  Which,  if you have a course card to hand is,  South Mallard (as the start speader),  Dunstone,  Melampus,  West Mallard.

Neil Oxton and Peter Ganderton started lower down the line with a tighter fetch to South Mallard.  Rob Beaton started higher up so was pointing lower but with further to go.  Neil was first round followed very closely by Rob and Peter.  Peter somehow,  because I am sure this is physically impossible passed Rob and Neil to leeward on the leg to Dunstone to lead up the first beat to Melampus.

Rob put in a clearing tack on port and tacked back on a lift to take the lead by 10ft from Neil.  Neil dipped by 4ft to pass behind.   By Melampus Rob had a 40 metre lead from Neil and Martin Bevan now in third.  Peter was experimenting with centre main sheet issues at this point.

Neil excelled in the marginal planing to West Mallard and closed the lead from 40 metres to 4.  By the bottom of the second beat Neil was right on Rob’s transom and put in a long clearing tack whilst Rob headed out to the better tide.  This tidal option paid off as Rob extended his lead to 50 metres which he held to the end of the race with Neil in second and Martin Bevan in third.

Enterprise Restults: http://www.halsraceresults.com/crs/crs.aspx?DSKey=666