Despite a wet and windy forecast, as well as a drizzly morning, Sunday turned out to be a great sailing day. A short postponement was all that was needed for the drizzle to disappear, the strength of the gusts to subside, and a few gaps in the clouds to appear.
Ever positive, OD Preston was raring to get proceedings underway only to find HE had left the OD bag ashore so the rescue crew were tasked with fetching it. It’s funny how they never seem to go flat out when you want them to!
The close reaches, and blustery gusts, were challenging for many (had Kayla’s arms stretched by the end of the race?), and too much for some, but it meant there was great planing conditions. Peter W started his day in a way that was to continue – capsizing, and getting into irons. Alastair may well have kept him good company in the capsizing stakes had he sailed his Vareo, but he took the cautious option and crewed for AJ while Sue preserved her energy for the afternoon pennant race.
With Poppy keen to maintain her lead in the Sandra’s Salver series, OD Preston just sent the fleet down as far as 11 (Surely he could be home by the time the race finished?). With a SW wind, the sailing conditions were as flukey as they come past 7, with sailing flapping and calm conditions occurring within seconds! Mike/Kayla led the fleet home winning with a six min lead on handicap. While retrieving his boat to shore he cooled off with a full immersion after slipping off the foredeck. Kayla was too shocked to ask if it was cold in there!
Fortunately Jim/Poppy’s efforts were worth it as even taking a 3rd place behind Kayla and Sue, Poppy remains in the lead for Sandra’s Salver (Long may it continue!)
BL Series etc – latest
RNLI Pennant
Sandra’s Salver – latest