ISO Gala - Eastbourne Sovereign SC (16th & 17th June 2001)
Bank of Scotland ISO Gala, Eastbourne, June 16/17 The Bank of Scotland-sponsored ISO open was held on the June 16th/17th at Eastbourne Sovereign S.C. A force 5 southerly whipped up an impressive shore-break, making launching difficult. The shore-break proved just that for two boats, one of which broke a mast and the other bent a rudder as the breakers slammed the boats onto the shore.
In the first race, Andrew Gould and Vicky Lewis led round the first mark. John Gill and Juliette Daniels gybed off immediately, heading inshore out of the tide. This proved a superb tactical move. They rounded the leeward mark in an unassailable position a hundred yards ahead, and held on to the lead for the whole race. Gould and Lewis chased hard in second, followed by Mike Perry/Pete Lindley (Team RWO) and Mike Lillywhite/Dave Valentine. The strong wind against tide pushed up some interesting waves making the kite drop a nerve-racking experience. Race 2 and Gould/Lewis showed true National Champion style and took the lead from the start. They never looked back. Perry/Lindley followed close behind, with Gill/Daniels coming in third. Ian and Katie Keam-George did well to repair their broken rudder in time for this race, and came in fourth, pushing Lillywhite/Valentine into fifth. In the wait for the 3rd race, the waves got the better of Dave "chunder" Valentine. Despite having the whole of the English Channel to choose from, he managed to throw up in the boat! Onto Race 3, and Gould/Lewis again took the lead from the start. The 'Chunder chugabug' team of Lillywhite & Valentine had plainly benefited from the crew's sudden loss of weight, arriving taking 2nd at the windward mark, only to put in an unexpected capsize. The Keam-Georges took advantage of this misfortune to claw their way into 2nd, followed by Perry/Lindley and Gill/Daniels. Despite their capsize, Lillywhite/Valentine recovered to finish fifth with the Bowens in sixth.
The day ended with a Hawaii-five-oh meets Baywatch re-enactment. The only way to land was to get on a big breaker and head straight up the beach at speed. There the Baywatch crew would be waiting, ready to lift both boat and crew out of the water onto a waiting trolley. The locals made it look easy, but the beach party did a superb job in getting all the boats in without any damage. The day ended with the usual excellent Eastbourne barbecue supported by the Bank of Scotland.
Day 2 and a northerly wind totally transformed conditions. The wind was now incredibly gusty and shifty, but the waves had died right down, making launching easy. Race 4 and Perry/Lindley arrived at the top mark in front, only to be caught by a sudden windshift that forced them onto the windward mark. Tacking off on to port to clear themselves, they were immediately confronted by the rest of the fleet arriving on starboard. In the ensuing confusion, they managed to take out the front runners. Pete Lindley afterwards described having to do a 1020 degree turn to exonerate themselves (presumably their guilt levels were such that a 720 degree turn was not enough). Out of the mayhem, Gould/Lewis popped out ahead, despite having to do a 360 turn for hitting the mark. The others following in a trail of destruction, one capsized, with everyone trying to avoid the pile up. Somehow, Perry/Lindley still clawed back into second place. Gill/Daniels took 3rd and Lillywhite/Valentine staged a dramatic recovery from last at the windward mark to finish fourth. A local Eastbourne boat helmed by Bob Bowen finished fifth. Race 5 and Gould/Lewis slipped away into the lead and remained unchallenged. Perry/Lindley in Team RWO took on a port tack start and weaved their way through the fleet to 2nd. The race for third place was close. Lillywhite made a superb downwind challenge to dive inside for a gybe-drop at the leeward mark. However, Gill/Daniels regained this on the beat to finish third.
In the final race, Perry/Lindley were lining up for a port-tack flyer at the start. However, they found themselves blocked and with some great shouts of bear away and then a 'BIG' bear away from the crew, they had to duck the entire fleet. A lucky windshift from Gould/Lewis gave them a commanding lead over Perry/Lindley by the finish. The Bowens sneaked temporarily into 4th slot with Lillywhite/Valentine breathing down their necks. Unfortunately this was short-lived, and once again Lillywhite/Valentine team took their usual 4th position. Gill/Daniels again finished third.
Overall, the Bank of Scotland trophy for the event was won convincingly by Andrew Gould and Vicky Lewis, with a string of five firsts.
A tough weekend all-round caused the total collapse of some crews, and thanks must go to the Whitmore/Smiths and the rest of the Eastbourne Sovereign S.C. race crews for providing some excellent courses,timely rescues and close racing!
