A busy weekend hosting the RYA Junior Championship had over 150 helms competing in nine fleets with seven races scheduled.
The morning SE breeze veered to the SW mid morning, but when the course mark laying was nearing completion, the backed to the SE again with a light 2-4kts. Some repositioning was necessary before racing got underway about noon.
Most sailors were well behaved on the starts, with only a few single recalls which resulted in the use of the U flag for some fleets on later starts. The wind faded substantially for a short while during the first race of some fleets, but quickly came back and strengthened, and, fortunately, there were no more major wind shifts.
There was one brief light shower, but the sun eventually broke through the clouds around 4pm, and the wind faded soon after, so subsequent starts were postponed until Sunday.
Sunday started with a poor forecast but a typical SE katabatic (so we’re led to believe) wind which was likely to fizzle out at noon! The championship race course was set up to the south end of the main bay and into the narrows near Scarness.
Racing was underway as scheduled at 10.30 with winds from 3-8 kts, but soon after high noon, with the wind too light to start more races, the AP was raised. It would be another hour before the wind returned, fortunately from a similar direction, and racing got back underway.
By the 2.35 deadline for the final start signal, there was only one of the 35 races in the championship that could not be raced.
Overall the competitors were were well behaved at the starts, with only one general recall, and a handful of single recalls.
A busy weekend, with a lot of racing and time spent on the water, proved to be very enjoyable and successful, and, no doubt, will have many competitors sleeping on their journey home!