Comet Trio National Championship
The Comet Trio National championship was held at Exe Sailing Club 21-23 August and attracted 22 entries including visitors from Shustoke, Paignton, Hawley Lake, Cody, and Sutton Bingham. The
Comet Trio is a 15ft two person racing dinghy and the biggest class at the club mainly because it is robust and sea kindly. Just as well because over the 3 days extremes of weather were encountered.
On Friday the wind was Southerly 15-17 knots and against the tide which produced a very rough sea.
This stress of weather soon took its toll. Keith and Hazel Lawson in Daisy broke a kicker, Bill Gott and
Don Blackett in Dash capsized near the windward mark, recovered from this only for the jib halliard to snap, and Guy Farrant and Marilynn Booker in Go with the Flow broke the rudder tiller, so these had to retire. Meanwhile up at the front Iain Horlock (past champion) and Charlotte Jones in Red
Alert revelled in the conditions, surfing down the waves on the planning reaches. Past champions
Symon Garratt and Graham Sykes in Abigail Rose also liked these conditions and gained a 2 nd place.
New boy on the block was Alex Horlock with Josh Geare in Pooh who gained 3 rd in race 1 but won race 2. Visitors Adrian and Tracy Padro from Shustoke S.C. gained a creditable 4 th in both races.
Saturday’s weather was the other extreme; little or no wind. Race Officer Tim Graham managed one race. It was Martin Luce and Richard Soper in Tatu that popped out of the start line and lead all the way to his first National win, on a course that after an hour had to be shortened due to the dying wind. Tony Brewster and Mike Davies in Tamsyn II gained 3 rd place. Back at the club competitors and helpers enjoyed an excellent Trio dinner followed by lots of silly games organized by Fred and
Debbie Woodcock (sailing Wild Thing).
Overnight there was heavy rain and Sunday broke with no wind. Fortunately after a short postponement a gentle SW 8-10 knots of wind filled in with lots of shifts and holes. At this stage the championship was wide open so these conditions were perfect to sort out a worthy winner. Past champions Andrew and Caroline McAusland in Piglet came back into form and secured 2 wins. Past champion Bob Horlock and Colette Horlock in Exe’t’sea gained a creditable 2 nd in race 4 and visitors
Stuart and Rory Bush from Shustoke gained a 3 rd in race 5. But it was Alex Horlock with Alex Collins who dominated with a 2 nd and 3 rd place. So after 5 races completed, the class has a new champion in Alex Horlock, displacing last year’s champions Andrew and Caroline, beating brother Iain Horlock and Charlotte Jones 3 rd and parents Bob and Colette Horlock 4 th , quite a family affair!