Note – The practice race on Sunday 15th August for the Plycraft Trophy was not sailed due to strong winds
Day reports by Frank Chapman
Day 1 - Rampant Lady Home First
Unabashed and almost reveling in extraordinary windshifts, Alf Hawksworth and David Mager in Rampant Lady won the first points race in The National Championships at Filey.
They finished 30 minutes ahead of Hugh Carter in Chaotic, the wind dropping to almost negligble proportions when they crossed the lineafter 3½-4 hour sail during which the windat first veered 90 degrees and later went round 180 degrees.
The Royal Tay entrant, Alex Flett, in ‘Cough, led JM Pepson sailing Lady J, and Rampant Lady to the weather mark. Zephyrus and She’sabee turned in their wake and last year’s runner-up, Ken Robertson, in The Other Man’s Grass climbed from 11th to 3rd at t he leeward mark.
When Rampant Lady crossed the linet he wind almost dropped on the fleet. Robertson was second at the time but the tide carried him off course, enabling Chaotic to beat him for second gun by 11 minutes.
First Points Race (Bell Trophy)
1st Rampoant Lady (A Hawksworth, Chase)
2nd Chaotic (H Carter, Lymington Town)
3rd The Other Man’s Grass (K Robertson, Mounts Bay)
4th ‘Cough (A Flett, Royal Tay)
5th She’sabee (J Littlewood, Filey)
6th Darcy (A MacKay, Steel Company of Wales)
Day 2 - Lotus Eater Tries Hard
Nobody was able to catch Ken Robertson and Raymond Jebbett in The Other Man’s Grass once they had taken the lead from the previous day’s winner, Rampant Lady, on the first reach in the National Osprey Championships yesterday.
Nigel Paige in Lotus Eater made them work hard for victory, however, and had to be covered on the remiainingbeats after picking up three places on the same reach when Alf Hawksworth in Rampant Lady went to far up to weather protecting his wind.
Peter Agnes in Vulcan also crept up a place but eventually Robertson, Paige and Hugh Carter in Chaoitc could not be denied their top three places from he first dead run.
Second Points Race (Ian Proctor Trophy)
1st The Other Man’s Grass (K Robertosn, Mounts Bay)
2nd Lotus Eater (N Paige, Starcross)
3rd Chaotic (H Carter, Lymington Town)
4th Mustard (B Jackman, Filey)
5th Vulcan (P Agnew, Mounts Bay)
6th Schhh… You Know Who (S Brown, Southwold)
Day 3 - Robertson and Jebbett Consolidate
Ken Robertson and Ray Jebbett , in The Other Man’s Grass, gained their second consecutive win the National Osprey Championships at Filey yesterday, and are now comfortable overall leaders with Chaoitc, Schhh… You Know Who and Lotus Eater his main challengers.
There was hardly enough wind to please heavy crews, but Robertson wrested the most out of the weak North Easterley to lead at the weather mark accompanied by Rampant Lady, New Moon and Schhh… You Know Who.
Rampant Lady held on until the gybe, then faded, New Moon holding second place on the second and third beats before astute Sydney Brown in Schhh… You Know Who progressed well up the left and swung in front at the buoy at the end of the fourth beat.
Vulcan hit Pschitt while in the first half dozen at the initial gybe and Lotus Eater, second on Tuesday combed usefully from seventh to third.
Third Points Race (Martini Trophy)
1st The Other Man’s Grass (K Robertson, Mounts Bay)
2nd Schhh… You Know Who (S Brown, Southwold)
3rd Lotus Eater (N Paige, Starcross)
4th New Moon (J Marsh, Steel Company of Wales)
5th Sagittarius (R Gale, North Devon)
6th Maiden Over (P Meade, Sussex SC)
Day 4 - Chaotic has last gasp opportunity
Winning yesterday’s fourth race in the National Osprey Championship at Filey has given Hugh Carter and Tony Pritchard in Chaotic a last-gasp chance at winning the title. They start today’s last race 1¼ points worse off, with discards, than Ken Bobertson in The Other Man’s Grass who finished fifth.
This was a nerve-racking race for, after Carter had finished, the next five boats came up to the line in close company having difficulty in making headway against the tide as the wind dropped.
Nigel Paige, in Lotus Eater, at last crossed for second place and is now third overall with Blue Moon scrapping ahead of Concorde, which claimed back two places on the last lopp, Robertson clawing over next just ahead of New Moon.
The rest of the fleet of 104 had a tantalising time attempting to cross and there were several collisions and retirements only a few feet from the line as the boats lolled together in the massive swell.
Fourth Points Race (Marlow Trophy)
1st Chaotic (H Carter, Lymington Town)
2nd Lotus Eater (N Paige, Starcross)
3rd Blue Moon (N Eynon, Steel Company of Wales)
4th Concorde (C Bryant, Mounts Bay)
5th The Other Man’s Grass (K Robertson, Mounts Bay)
6th New Moon (J Marsh, Steel Company of Wales)
Day 5 - Fourth Title for Robertson
The National Osprey Championships finished in feverish vein yesterday when Wally Gardiner and Richard Hartley, in Ogopogo, led in 49 finishers from 85 starters in a Force 5 North-Westerley.
Ken Robertson, in The Other Man’s Grass, and Hugh Carterin Chaotic, both retired, but discarded this race and finished first and second overall, respectively. This is Robertson’s fourth Osprey title.
On the first heavy-weather day Cornishman James Curnoe resolutely farmed a lead to the weather mark, with Mike Corbin in Lucky Star, next best ahead of Rampant Lady, which was doing well with light occupants.
Ogopogo climbed from fifth to second on the first triangle and took the lead on the first loop, holding on by 30 seconds for victory.
It was tough going, however, with gusts toppling Ospreys on a steep sea, and excitement and endeavour lastiung two hours from the moment pathfinder Ian Roxborough magnificently opened the gate.
But he then saw his mast buckle before him from the pull of the spinnaker as planed among the leaders on the first reach.
Fifth Points Race (Saundersfoot Trophy)
1st Ogopogo (W Gardiner, Glasson)
2nd Zephyrus (J Curnow, Mounts Bay)
3rd Lucky Star (M Corbin, Lymington Town)
4th Grannie Smith (T Bushell, Southwold)
5th Wanderin Star (T Powell, River Towey)
6th Schhh… You Know Who (S Brown, Southwold)
Overall
1st The Other Man’s Grass 9½ points
2nd Chaotic 14¾ points
3rd Lotus Eater 23 points
4th Schhh… You Know Who 25 points
5th Mustard 30 points
6th Pschitt 34 points
Overall Report from Yachting & Boating Weekly August 26th 1971
Robertson Retains Osprey Title
There were two winners in the National Osprey Championship at Filey last week – Ken Robertson in The Other Man’s Grass and Filey Sailing Club. Robertson steered his way to his fourth Osprey title: Filey Sailing Club made a masterly success of the first National event.
The fleet of 113 was the main attraction at this Yorkshire holiday resort all week and spectators certainly had plenty to see.
Thanks to a fighting challenge by Hugh Carter and Tony Pritchard, in Chaotic, the overall result was in the balance until the last race but the boisterousness of the last day, though enlivening the proceedings “dampened” prospects of a tight finish.
Carter, with as much gumption as any of the flee, could only hoist himself to 25th when he retired after the first triangle and loop. This left Robertsonclear for the title and he would have finished about 15th but for being caught on port(only because his boat filled up at an inappropriate time) a few hundred yards from the finishing line.
The race was shortened by the final loop with Ogopogo the first hero home, Wally Gardiner and Richard Hartley from Glassonfinishing the week in style.
As a matter of fact, after the practice race blow-out on Sunday the first points race was a tantilising drifter won by one of the personalities of the class, Alf Hawksworth in Rampant Lady, by as much as 40 minutes from Chaotic which crawled in 11 minutes ahead of The Other Man’s Grass for second place.
It looked as if nobody would finish the shortened course and beat the adverse tide for a while but eventually Cough, She’sabee and Darcy (one of the baots with resolute ladt crews) were next in.
There was not much devil in the next day’s race for a two-hour postponement was required until race officer Trevour Winship cleverly whistled up an Easterly breeze in which Robertson, crewed by Raymond Jebbett (who was crew to non-defending holder John Matthews) mowed round the course in The Other Man’s Grass from the first gybe to the finish.
Lotus Eater nibbled at his heels with Nigel Paige making his new boat go well. Chaotic was third ahead o f Mustard, Vulcan and effervescent Schhh… You Know Who.
Another win by Robertson the next day certainly seemed to make this a one-man show but Sydney Brown, in Schhh… You Know Who, was climbing nicely from fourth and had closed up a little over the cautious Robertson by the end, though the two-minute margin shows the extent of the victory. Again, Lotus Eater, was within hailing distance, third, ahead of New Moon, Sagittarius and Maiden Over. This was a poor race for Chaotic which rallied to ninth.
But back with a bounce came Chaotic in the fourth race leading all the way with Robertson this time making too bad a start to climb to no better than fifth. Second again was Lotus Eater ahead of Blue Moon and Concorde.
This win put Carter within 1¾ points, with discards, of Robertson, who had struggled with the rest of the leading pack challenging Carter to cross the line when the wind dropped and they faced a strong flood tide.
There was something of a last-day anti-climax in the title fight as Chaotic and The Other Man’s Grass made modest progress in the tempestuous seas on the first seering beat. There was a big swell, big gusts and some big dips as boats were knocked over as they tottered on the top of the crests. There were many bent masts, good for Proctor but bad for Prudential, as they bent under pressure of bursting sails, not just by turning over and hitting the worm-casts 20 feet below.
James Curnow, in Zephyrus ploughed round the rough-furrowed course first for a spell but lost the lead on the first loop to Ogopogo. They held out for those positions with Lucky Star, Grannie Smith, Wanderin Star and Shhh… You Know Who getting the next battle honours.
Overall Top Six - (Full Results)
1st The Other Man’s Grass (K Robertson, Mounts Bay) SC 9½ points
2nd Chaotic (H Carter, Lymington Town SC) 14¾ points
3rd Lotus Eater (N Paige, Starcross SC) 23 points
4th Schhh… You Know Who (S Brown, Southwold SC) 25 points
5th Mustard (B Jackman, Filey SC) 30 points
6th Pschitt (T Mucklow, Mounts Bay SC) 34 points
