Northampton Ent Open

So, first the day changes...Sunday to Saturday, then it clashes with Southport 24hr race...then we forget to read the start time...not the usual 11am star, but a bizzare 12pm... we get there about 10am, with 1 other boat... not looking good, get bacon sarnie and coffee, find out we coulda waited in bed an extra 1/2 hour... hey ho... time for some more boats to arrive...

So, 45 mins later, more coffee downed and boats are arriving.. cool, only 11 boats in the end by hey its the people ther that make an event not the buggers gettin drunk in Southport, or sitting @ home watching grandstand wiht the papers....

So we paid our £15 and rigged up.... yep fifteen quid, for a 1 day open that didnt start 'till 12pm, with only 11 competitors... standard prizes etc etc... not good, we really need to regulate these things a non-championship one day event with no food or entertainment provided cannot be priced over a tenner, ever... non-championship 2-dayers, fine 15-25 squids is reasonable, and the old 2-day champs, £20 nicker upwards depending on evening meals, entertainment etc... Northampton... do the sums better next time :-)

So, the day.. forecast, big winds, grey skys... woke up walked the dog, big winds and blue skys Koooool!

So race 1 good blow, looks fun, get out there and its pretty OK, not as breezy as we thought but fun anyways.. we got an OK start, by the top of the beat Martin & Ray are 1st round the top pin, well done guys, were just behind and the P&B boyz just behind us... after that it was fairly tame, a couple of good reaches, some nice white water, we overtook Martin, so did the P&B's... we held them off, top of the last beat they got dumped on my Martin..

1st Ant & James
2nd Martin & Ray
3rd P&B boyz - Pete 'n Steve

So, lunch (we had to buy it)... I ate all the pies... james had a burger.. wind died off, picked up a little bit by the race time...

P&B boyz, doin spme publicity shots on the way out, decided that maybe synchronised swimming may be the way forwards after the last beat in the 1st race.. splash, in they went :-) on camera... cant wait 2 see those!

we wondered about a pin end port-tack flyer.. decided against it 'cus the line was so short even with just 11 boats... the P&B buggerz went 4 it and it worked...! Nice move guy...but, rather than slam us when they passed us they went off left and we got past them.. into the lead, and we held that for the rest of the race... again, nothing spectacular happend, some nice gusts late rin the race and a couple of good screamers, enjoyed that...

1st Ant & James
2nd P&B's
3rd ...damn cant remember..sorry if it waz you!

3rd race, well we decided to stay out for practice, had a good start.. forgot to arse ourselves to hike out so ended up 4th round the top mark after skiddin our way up the beat! finished the next lap, sodded off hard right up the next beat just to wind people up..fun! then we went in, showered boat away..hung around tooo long, prize giving,

WE WON...Yay!

Speach, thanks - me off home, James of drinking in Southport....

Cheers Jamesy...top crewing!

See ya all at Hollowell???