As part of the Scorpion Regional Challenge event the morning flight complexities at the Scorpion open meeting at Northampton SC last weekend, were swapped for mass starts and a figure-of-eight course for the afternoon open races – the only consistency being the massive windshifts.

Local boy Dave Wade seemed to know where to find the patchy breeze, as he led from Peter and John Rose – now really mastering ‘Silverlode’ 1995 – straight out of the box. As the gaps increased, Steve Hackett and Maddie Martin of Sidmouth did well to stay near the leading pack, where Wade was busy just holding off the attentions of the Rose’s and Steve Walker/Barry Rawlins. Despite a last minute luffing and kite re-hoisting moment, this was the finishing order with seconds in-between.

In race two , John and Joyce Henderson turned the tables from race one by securing third from the Smith brothers, with John Wayling and Pete Wilson holding fifth. However, with Wade recovering from a costly OCS, Walker and Rawlins, on the pace all weekend, kept their nerve in the frustrating conditions to win from the Rose’s – giving them the open victory by narrowest of margins with third to fifth also on same points.

Overall Results

1st 1970 Steve Walker and Barry Rawlins (Pennine) 4pts

2nd1995 Peter Rose and John Rose (Chew Valley) 4pts

3rd 1991 Dave Wade and Peter Gray (Northampton) 8pts

4th 1902 John Henderson and Joyce Henderson (Notts County) 8pts

5th 1939 Adrian Smith and Rob Smith (Castle Cove) 8pts