Congratulations to Leigh and Lowton for putting on such a great inaugural long distance race, Sunrise to Sunset, in place of the cancelled Southport 24 hours.
Last year, 2021, Toddbrook and Combs combined juniors entered two boats in Leigh and Lowton’s 12 Hour Long Distance race. Based on that experienced we were able to recommend the club and the event to the wider membership. Uptake was slow at first but in the end we entered three boats. Two GP14s and an Enterprise.
Thirty-three members took part in all, sailing the three boats for 17 hours. We divided into a ‘very high expectation team 1’, a ‘high expectation team 2’ and a ‘not so high expectation team 3’. The ‘very high expectation team’ in a GP14 narrowly led the field for most of the day but after 17 hours of sailing were hauled down and literally pipped on the line by the Leigh and Lowton boat, to come in second. The ‘high expectation team’ came in a creditable fifth in an Enterprise and our ‘not so high expectation team’ came tenth overall.
On the other hand, we won most of the best prizes.
We won a prize donated by the GP14 Association for the fastest 14th lap which was a large plaque and a bottle of Bell’s Whisky.
We won the Fastest lap after three o’clock (the afternoon tea prize) a plaque and a lovely sponge cake.
The fastest lap after six o’clock (the race to the bar prize) which was a box of beer and a plaque.=
And we also came second in the master’s race after 7o’clock
Richard Abendstern and Mark Jacobs tied for the prize for the wildest hair although this was dependant on when exactly the judging took place.
The biggest lesson learnt was perhaps – don’t step back without looking…
A really good spread of ages took part from Oisin aged 10 to Roger aged 78. Ten juniors raced (half girls), ten, ‘ex-juniors’, (again half were women) and thirteen seniors. There were two parent child pairs on the water (Nick and Abby and Ed and Oisin), three more, not in the same boat (Victoria and Linda, Mark and George and Richard, Jane and Clare). Lewis Lupton also took time from his TV filming schedule to sail. But the star of the event was the green dog from last year. Whoever’s dog it is, it is brilliant at football.
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