BOSHAM

Bosham Sailing Club is the place to be on Sunday, May 10, for would-be sailors.

From midday, the club are laying on a wide selection of boats for young and old to try for free – everything from beginners' dinghies to sophisticated racing machines and offshore cruisers.

"It's a follow-on to our highly successful open day last year when more than 80 visitors enjoyed a great afternoon on the water," said organiser Barry Colgate.

"We're hoping for kinder weather this year, and a bigger attendance."

Skippers will be on hand to show visitors the ropes, answer questions and discuss interests.

Being an RYA training centre, the club have good expertise on hand to help people find the right kind of sailing for them.

After a sailing trip, visitors will be able to enjoy a drink and a chat on the club terrace, overlooking the action on Chichester Harbour.

"Whether or not you're new to sailing, please don't be shy about coming along," said Colgate, keen to welcome visitors and new members.

"Just contact us by Thursday, May 7 to register that you'd like to come, by phoning the office on 01243 572341 or emailing office@boshamsailingclub.com."

FELPHAM

Fabulous blue skies and a light southerly wind made for good sailing at Felpham.

Race officer Tim Cutsforth set a sausage and triangular course rarely used at the club now.

Catherine Davies and Rachel Sutton (RS200) battled it out against Andy Farrer (Blaze), shifting positions several times.

Guy Mayger (RS700) pushed ahead in to the lead but went to the wrong mark, allowing Peter Jones (Blaze) to win on handicap with Farrer third.

The course was changed for the second race into a trapezoid.

Richard Bentley and Steve Pearce (Vago) pulled away with Jones and Farrer on their tails.

Mayger eased his way back into the lead, but was unable to beat Jones on handicap with Farrer third again.

The sailors lunched and waited for the tide to fall. It was worth the wait.

The wind had picked up slightly and an excellent course was set.

Bentley and Pearce had decided to sail individual Vagos.

They battled round the course with Bentley getting in front at the finish line. Jones had thought he had a good lead but Farrer came back by managing to point higher on the beat.

Jones held him off and went on to win from Farrer, with Mayger third.

CHICHESTER

A splendid entry of 52 flocked to Chichester YC for the Laser class open: 29 standard rig, 19 radial and four 4.7s.

They were treated to bright sun and a good if gusty wind to sail three races over a long course, notionally formed as a triangle-sausage formation.

The 4.7 fleet was small, but had good racing, with Emma Baker taking three wins and Anthony Parke two seconds.

In the radial fleet, Ben Elvin had three straight wins, David Carter two seconds.

In the standard rig fleet, Richard Horn began with a third, then had two wins, while Peter May, after an initial win, had two thirds.

Some 21 clubs were represented, and many sailors had come a long way. There was a wide range of experience and ability, but some visitors failed to take note of the tidal stream.

The entry from the home club was not large, and they failed to distinguish themselves. Leading CYC helm Charles Porter, though rewarded with a prize, did not feature among the leaders.

There were a number of retirements, as the tough conditions took their toll.
n The final three races of the First Breath series at Chichester were sailed in a moderate but variable breeze and bright sunshine.

There were 27 entries in three classes, including a large number of Solos in the medium fleet, and five Laser 2000s in the fast fleet.

John and Pauline Cox won the final race, and were second in the overall results.

On Sunday, three boats revolved at the head of the fleet: Andy Conway, overall winner, won the first race in his Blaze then sank to fourth; the Coxes had a second and a third, and Nick and Roger Elliman had a third, a win and another third. Behind the Ellimans in the second race were David and Yvette Thair in their RS500 Final Damnation – the first time they have featured in the top places in the series.

In the medium fleet, three Solos took the first three places overall – Ian Lissamore, Derek Jackman and Roger Millett – but did less well on Sunday.

Nick and Biddy Colbourne won the first race in their GP14, were second and third in the following contests, while Mark Harper went afloat for the last two races in his Finn, and had a third and a win.

Lissamore scored a second and a win.

DELL QUAY

Sailors from as far afield as Wembley and Jersey helped make up an entry of 30 boats sailing in the Laser south coast Grand Prix.

The standard rig fleet was dominated by Ian Morgan from Weston SC, who won all three races.

The battle for second was tight between Chris Russell from Stokes Bay and Malcolm Buchanan (Dell Quay).

Buchanan used skill and local knowledge to gain second in race one and third in race two. But a poor result in race three meant he just lost out to Russell.

In the radial fleet, the result was less clear cut with Jon Emmett of Weirwood winning the first race ahead of David Putt of St Catherines, Jersey.

In the second race, a win by Kerry Morgan from Weston left the final outcome dependent on the last race which Emmett won.

In the 4.7 class, Tom Britz from Royal Lymington YC won all three races with Jamie Diamond of Warsash in second place.

The prize for the youngest competitor went to Matthew Goodbourn of Burghfield SC.

In the start of Dell Quay's handicap series races, several boats were forced to retire after capsizes or gear failure.

The Bosun series race was won by Anne and Jim Norfolk (Laser 2000) with Rupert Pearn and Ian Upham (Enterprise) second, while the Captain series race was won by Roger Francis and Ranjit Verghese (Iso) with Nikki Buchanan (Laser) second.

* The Solo fleet has grown rapidly at Dell Quay so a race training day was organised, attracting 16 sailors. Dell Quay's solo fleet welcomes new members who'd like to sail a thoroughbred single hander. Send an e-mail todellquaysc@tiscali.co.uk