Southeasterly gentle winds and sunshine sent the Burnham Week fleets down the Crouch, where they enjoyed close racing and, due to the Race Officer planning, a mass finish – while the dinghies competed in the highly coveted John Torrance Trophy.
The class 1 & 2 race consisted of laps around Clarks, Crouch and Ron Pipe and was won by Phil Collard’s Cobra, in their bid to collect all the bullets for the week, followed by Digger Harden in Sorcerer, whose try to use “the big boys kite” on the way back to the moorings didn’t go exactly as planned.
The class 5, local handicap with spinnakers, on the same course as the class 1 & 2, saw the return of Jack Mills’ Outlaw, in the shape of a chartered Royal Corinthian Yacht Club 707 with a distinctive art piece duck-taped to the cuddy, and was won by Richard Taylor’s Rondo, sitting top overnight, followed by John Saunders’ Jeannie, the new Outlaw and the Corinthian Otters’ 707.
The class 6, local handicap without spinnakers, following class 5, saw Richard Moore’s Ophelia snatch the win from Philip Harbott’s Mantra and move top of the results table overnight, with Daryl Mylroie’s Eclipse sitting second, after a 4th place on the day.
The Dragons race, with a course consisting of laps around Clarks, Inner Crouch and Ron Pipe, had Mark Wade’s Avalanche take an early lead they managed to defend to the end, with Peter Marchant’s Beauty and the Beast finishing second, making both boats draw on points going into the up river race on Thursday. READ MORE
