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| On the hottest weekend of the summer so far, twenty-three competitors homed in on the Royal Southern Yacht Club's Hamble waterside to contest the 2009 Motorboat Open Weekend, supported in its tenth year by Michel Herbelin UK, Motor Boats Monthly, JGW Direct, Marina Marbella, Swordsman Marine, Sea Start and E.P.Barrus. The event included the inaugural Inter-Club Team Trophy competition and it was the host Club that took the honours. |
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| In blustery easterly wind conditions, the fleet, ranging in size from the Crownline 25 of Andy Watson & Sue Wilkes to the Fairline Squadron 52 of Chris Davis, embarked upon the Marina Marbella Poker Run. Having first solved clues giving them the locations of five buoys, competitors then covered a 30 mile course within the Solent to collect their 5-card poker hand from them. |
| The Chris Craft of Rex Harvey & Anna Sawford was the only retirement, with malfunctioning engines, but when played later in the day, top honours and the Tarrant Shield went to Watson & Wilkes [RSrnYC], Martin Bedford's Fairline 36 [RSrnYC] and John Kernan's Nimbus 340 [RSrnYC]. |
| Following an al fresco lunch aboard in the Folly Reach, competitors were faced with another testing 32 miles of choppy Solent waters, as they contested the Swordsman Marine Predicted Log. John Gilbert's Broom, Colin Storm's Nelson, Paul Hooper's Triana and Harvey's Chris Craft were all non-starters and Steve Darbyshire's Sealine retired before half-distance but the remainder completed the course in good order, returning to the Hamble clubhouse for tea. |
| Divided into two divisions by age, the Classic Division was won by John Skuse in his Fairey Huntsman who received the Fairey Trophy, from Mark Rhodes's Fairey Swordfish and Paul Harlow's Fairey Swordsman. In the Modern Division, the Pandora's Box was won by Billy Foulkes & Les Williams in the latter's ACM Dynasty, from Chris Davis in the Fairline 52 and Royal Southern Vice Commodore, Mark Inkster, in his Nimbus 34. The winner's margin of error was less than 4 seconds in 32 miles. |
| The third and final element of the competition comprised the Sea Start Solent Safari, something between cryptic crossword and Crypton Factor without the assault course, requiring competitors to solve clues and answer questions on the Solent, Southampton Water and rivers Itchen and Test. Best on the day was Chris Clayton's crew aboard the veteran offshore race boat Gee, from Mark Rhodes in his Fairey and Steve Darbyshire's Sealine. |
| At the end of the first day, the inaugural Southern Inter-Club Team competition was proving to be a tightly contested battle between the Fairey Owners Club, Royal Southern No. 3, Nimbus Owners Club and the Nelson Owners Club. |
| However, with two Fairey boats failing to take the line on day two and Harvey's ill luck on day one, it was the Royal Southern No. 1 team of Martin Bedford [Fairline], Andy Short [Broom] and Fred Ward [Sea Ray] who came through to take line honours with a healthy 525 points, from Nimbus Owners Club [508], Royal Southern No. 2 [491], Nelson Owners Club [287] and the Fairey Owners Club [261]. |
| Commodore of the host club, John Beardsley, and Valerie Gauntlett, co-owner of sponsors, Michel Herbelin UK, presented Michel Herbelin watches to element winners Andy Watson, John Skuse, Billy Foulkes and Chris Clayton. |
RSrnYC Motorboat Open Weekend 2009 Results |
| Marina Marbella Poker Run |
| 1st. |
Andy Watson / Sue Wilkes |
Summersuze |
24 points |
| 2nd |
Martin & Diana Bedford |
Moon Shadow |
23 points |
| 3rd |
John & Marion Kernan |
Mercator Too |
22 points |
| Swordsman Marine Predicted Log - Classic |
| 1st |
John Skuse |
Xanthus |
22 points |
| 2nd |
Mark Rhodes |
Spitfire of Hamble |
21 points |
| 3rd |
Paul Harlow |
Catalyst |
18 points |
| Swordsman Marine Predicted Log - Modern |
| 1st |
Billy Foulkes/Les Williams |
Blue Angel |
24 points |
| 2nd |
Chris Davis |
Indian Summer |
23 points |
| 3rd |
Mark Inkster/Yvonne Curtis |
Mrs. Chips |
19 points |
| Sea Start Solent Safari |
| 1st |
Chris Clayton |
Gee |
180 points |
| 2nd |
Mark Rhodes |
Spitfire of Hamble |
160 points |
| 3rd |
Steve Darbyshire |
Smitten |
155 points |
| Southern Inter-Club Team Trophy |
| 1st |
Martin Bedford/Andy Short/Fred Ward |
Royal Southern No. 1 |
525 points |
| 2nd |
John Wigg/Mark Inkster/John Kernan |
Nimbus Owners Club |
508 points |
| 3rd |
Billy Foulkes & Les Williams /
Rex Harvey & Anna Sawford/Chris Clayton |
Royal Southern No. 2 |
491 points |
| 4th |
Chris Davis/David Hutchinson /
Andy Watson & Sue Wilkes |
Royal Southern No. 3 |
457 points |
| 5th |
Trevor & Jennie Blaber/
Graham Newton/Colin Storm |
Nelson Owners Club |
287 points |
| 6th |
Mark Rhodes/Paul Harlow/Michael Wills |
Fairey Owners Club |
261 points |
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| Report: John Walker. Images: Mark Inkster, Lucy Burn |
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