Saturday started overcast and dry with a lack of wind for the 58 competitors from north of England and south of Scotland. An hour before the scheduled start the wind filled in across the bay, and the OD set off to set a line, though with some drizzle moving in, the wind eased, and direction started to swing.
The course was reset for an easterly breeze, and racing was underway after a short delay, and apart from three boats being caught OCS under the U flag, the starts were clear. The wind did swing slightly, but there was some good racing in the F1-2 breeze. Alistair/Helen Norris in RS200 from Leigh & Lowton took the honours, with Tom/Poppy Moss in RS Vision from Bass 2nd, and Sam Watson/Phil Hodgkins in VX One from Bass 3rd.
The course had to be reset again for the next race, but within 10 minutes of the start the wind had swung so much that the windward/leeward course had become reach/reach, so the race was abandoned, and restarted after resetting the course again for a NNW direction. Through the race, the wind eased and veered round to NNE. It was the RS200s that mastered the conditions with Chris/Evie Pickles from Bass winning, Brendan Lynch/Ellie Clark from East Lothian 2nd, and Ewan Wilson/Anna Sturrock 3rd.
There was a delay before race 3 while waiting for the wind to settle from the SE, and resetting the course again. Four boats were caught OCS and later advised there would be no further racing as the wind had eased yet again. Frustratingly, soon after the race was shortened, the wind started to bed in (roughly from the SE), but a long afternoon in cold and wet conditions meant no-one contested the decision to stop racing for the day. Graham Pristley/Artur Dembinski in VX One from Bass/Ullswater won, with Alistair/Helen Norris 2nd , and Brendan Lynch/Ellie Clark 3rd.
Overnight lead is held by Alistair/Helen Norris, with Brendan Lynch/Ellie Clark 2nd.
The forecast for Sunday was brighter, dryer, with lighter winds, and it started without any wind whatsoever, so racing was postponed for over an hour. When setting the course it was apparent that there were two winds; one was from the forecast NNW, and the other from the W. By moving the course further towards Scarness, generally, there was a merger of the winds with numerous shifts for the sailors to contend with as differing gusts came through.
The first two races of the day went smoothly, and were both won by Ollie Groves/Esther Parkhurst in a RS400 from Beaver. A shift during the start sequence of the next race resulted in a general recall, and the wind then eased, before veering the best part of 60 degrees, so the race was curtailed early, enabling one further race to be held. The first being won by Ewan Wilson/Anna Sturrock in a RS200 from East Lothian, and the next by Ollie Groves/Esther Parkhurst. Wind conditions throughout the day were mixed but offered good challenges/opportunities, with occasional planing conditions.
Overall, Alistair/Helen Norris were clear winners with a net 10 points, Ollie Groves/Esther Parkhurst 2nd, and Chris/Evie Pickles 3rd.
