Allen 29er GP3 – HISC

The fleet headed down to Hayling Island for the halfway event of the Grand Prix series. With sun and wind in the forecast, they were all eager to launch. After a short briefing from the race officer and jury, sails started to be hoisted up the masts.

The fleet battled the tide on the transit to the race course which gave everyone a good opportunity to fine-tune their rigs to the tricky sea state. After a short postponement on the water, race 1 was underway. Santi and Kuba jumped the gun and received a UFD, the race was on for the rest of the fleet. Charlie and Sam crossed the finish line first to take a convincing win with Olly and Freddie in 2^nd.

Races 2 & 3 were also wrapped up by Charlie and Sam with Ella and Fliss taking a 2^nd and a 3^rd along with Alex and Max who took 3^rd and 2^nd in those races. Race 4 saw a different leader for the first time in the racing. Ella and Fliss took the win with Rob and Ollie not too far behind in 2^nd.

After a couple of cheese toasties had been consumed it was time for the Casino Night. Everyone fuelled up on the food provided by the club and then the Games were on. Everything from roulette to blackjack and even uno were played.

Sunday was breezy and with waves over a meter tall on the course, the decision was made to put a postponement up. This gave time for some intense games of table football which were then interrupted by a message from race management saying that racing was canceled for the day. Boats were packed up and the wings took to the water, making the most of the breeze.

A special thanks go to Allen for their continued support of the class and the sailing club for hosting the event along with all the volunteers who helped on the water and with the social.

Written by James Crossley.