















A nifty bit of footwork saves the day.
A gusty south westerly met Arden Sailing Club members for the start of the Autumn
Handicap series of races. Officer of the Day, Keith Stevens, decided due to the windy
conditions to split the fleet into two flights starting 5 minutes apart.
The Enterprises and Solos got off to a good start with Niall Campbell and crew Jane
Smee sailing an Enterprise taking the lead. The second flight was not so smooth.
Relative novice Robin Evans sailing a Comet took a capsize 4 minutes before the start.
In the gusty wind he was not able to right the boat and decided to seek help and
not race. At virtually the same time, probably hit by the same gust, Tricia Wood
also sailing a Comet capsized. This time however Tricia being a more experienced
sailor managed to step over the beam of the boat, which was now lying on its side,
and pull it back upright. With a nifty bit of footwork she climbed back into the
boat without even getting wet. Malcolm Colledge got off to good start in his Comet
and stayed in front of Tricia for the whole race. Malcolm achieved 6th place overall
with Tricia only 40 seconds behind in 7th place.
Overall the race was won by Niall and Jane. Stuart Stephen and daughter Caroline
also in an Enterprise came second with Ralph Evans Solo third. The Enterprise of
Alan Salerman with crew Ray Trace came next narrowly beating the Solo of Alan Browning
who capsized during the race and lost valuable minutes.
As there was only one race, the day finished with everyone sat on our warm sunny
terrace enjoying a late lunch
Anyone interested in dinghy sailing can contact Keith on 01684 833061 or you can
visit our website at ardensc.org.uk. Arden Sailing Club is situated in a beautiful
location overlooking Bredon Hill on the banks of the River Avon at Defford near Pershore.