Many thanks to Rob Lennox (GBR 195) for the below report from Camel Week, held at Rock Sailing Club from 13th-19th August…
This year I sailed the D-Zero at Camel Week. The event attracted 66 dinghies ranging from a Mirror to a 505 to its blend of Average Lap and Pursuit races, one race per day for 6 days with 5 to count. One race per day sounds relaxing, but they were long races, 90 minutes for the first finisher in the average laps; and 120 minutes from the Mirror start (85 from the D-Zero start) in the pursuits. The latest 2016/17 Great Lakes handicap numbers were used.
Rob Lennox at Camel Week
My week started brilliantly with a win in the Brea Buoy cup race, beating quite a few boats with lower GL numbers in the lightest wind of the week. As the wind built as the week progressed, I found it increasingly hard to do well on handicap against boats with trapezes or, in the case of the Blazes, racks. I was fortunate from a results point of view, even though I like racing in strong winds, when one day was blown off leaving 2 races to be held on a lighter wind last day.
On the last day I managed a 2nd to an RS200 and a 9th. Remarkably, there were 6 different race winners in the 6 races and I finished 4th overall behind a Blaze, an RS200, and a Fireball, with 2 Merlins rounding out the top 6.
Rob Lennox
Full dinghy results can be found here
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