Winter Series Race 1

Published 12:05 on 30 Oct 2022

Course 1-7-5-7 

It was more of the same for the sailors competing in Saturdays racing albeit with a slightly earlier start time of 11am. 

The first beat to Blackstone was closely contested in the tricky conditions with big gusts, big shifts and a sizeable chop to contend with.

Will and Mandy Henderson, sailing in the Lark, reached Blackstone first closely followed by John Burn in a Laser with Stephen Galvin and Dan Bridger in a Yawl and Esther McLarty in a Laser Radial close behind. 

Esther chose to make her way down the Portlemouth shore whilst the others crossed at Biddle Rocks, favouring the town side. After looking good initially, Esther had ultimately chosen the slower route to Snapes and the front three were now a fair distance ahead.

The loop in the bag was relatively straight forward but on the second long beat back from Gerston it was now blowing old boots. Fortunately for the racers legs the ebb tide was now at full force so progress back through The Bag was swift.

As they headed to the finish it was just a case of navigating the fastest way back round Snapes, easier said than done!

Stephen and Dan chose well opting for a wider line and sailed on to a well deserved 1st place.

Will and Mandy 2nd 

John 3rd

Unfortunately for Esther, problems at mark 5 led to her retirement form the race. 

Solos -

15 Solo sailors remembered the earlier Winter start time to line up into a gusty and shifty Southerly breeze.  

Tim Fells used his Aero 7 skills to drive out of the start line on the ebb tide, emerging alongside Tim Law at the Blackstone mark.  

Those who headed for the Town shore on the downwind leg closed the gap on the Tims, with Chris Cleaves in the buffer zone chased down by David Greening and Graham Cranford-Smith.  

Fells flew away on the downwind legs but two beats back across Widegates saw Law pull through, with Cleaves eventually powering past Fells.

Upon the return to the harbour fourth, Greening sailed out of wind off Snapes Point and with the anchorage becalmed Iain McGregor and Simon Dobson passed with the tide under them and caught onto the transom of a becalmed Tim Fells but he clung onto third with Dobson eventually overhauling McGregor to take fourth place.

Thank you to Simon Ballantine and the safety boat crews who were kept fairly busy all morning.