GILL SERIES 2 AT TRENT VALLEY
Stormy skies at Trent Valley The weekend of 12/13th May was the 70th anniversary of the first National 12 open meeting at Trent Valley, and was so well attended 70 years later that six flights had to be arranged. This meant every race counted and overnight there were several boats vying for the top position with two wins apiece. After racing on Saturday, Kevan Bloor of Alverbanks sails (now part of Evolution) gave an interactive demonstration of how N12 sails are built, with the opportunity for competitors to make their own scale models.
Mike Day & Lewis Ibbotson
On the Sunday the river was very busy with motorboats, narrowboats and the local Scouts in canoes, kayaks and Toppers, making navigation exciting at times. Heavy rain brought gusty conditions and a few competitors went swimming, while others were heard to wonder why they were on the water instead of inside the warm dry clubhouse with a cup of tea. The overall top positions came down to the final two races, with Steve & Joanne Sallis (with three wins) battling it out with Graham Camm & Zoë Ballantyne (with four wins) in one flight, while Mike Day & Lewis Ibbotson managed to stay ahead in their race to also get a total of three wins. Also spotted on the water were Derek Davis in his new boat (almost measured) and John & Alison Cheetham showing promising signs of speed in their new purchase, Pillow Fight.
John & Alison Cheetham in their new purchase
Thank you to the Merlin fleet (who sported two helms, a crew for Mike Day, and supplied the race officers and bar staff) and to GILL for their support.
Results 1st Graham Camm & Zoë Ballantyne,
Babel Fish 2nd Steve and Joanne Sallis, Dilbert 3rd Mike Day & Lewis Ibbotson, Flipside
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Graham & Zoe planing at Trent Valley Photos: Kevan Bloor |
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