Jazz Player hits all the right notes in gritty triumph

KETTERING Yacht Club secretary John Dryden and his young crew of Jazz Player notched up a hard-fought and close Division 1 victory in the Combined Clubs Winter Series on the River Derwent.

Derwent Sailing Squadron set a challenging course for the 55-boat fleet, starting with a short beat upriver to the first windward mark for three of the four divisions that resulted in many close port-and-starboard encounters.

Apart from owner/skipper Dryden, who is also a member of the DSS, the crew of Jazz Player are mostly young former Laser sailors from Kingston Beach Sailing Club.

Despite a late start and spinnaker problems on the reaching leg in the 10-knot north-westerly breeze, Mike Pritchard’s Cookson 50 Oskana took line honours.

Handicap placings went to Jazz Player by just 13 seconds on corrected time from the modified Farr40 2 Unlimited, (Greg Prescott) and MBD36 Whistler (Drew Latham).

“We had close racing with the two Melges 32s, Crusader and Cockwomble, after an early encounter with Oskana at the weather mark …. but on corrected time we won,” John Dryden said.

Cockwomble was having its first race for new owner Andrew Smith, placing fourth on handicap.

Bellerive Yacht Club member Mark Ballard scored his first win of the series with 42 South in Division 2, while Zephyr (Ian Johnston) was second and The Doghouse (Ambrose Coad) third.

In Division 3, Dave Willans’ Masrm 30, Trouble, had an outright win in the 17-boat fleet. Hydrotherapy (Jim Thorpe) was second and Just Jones (David Wyatt) third.