Winter Series : Race 3 Handicap Report

Published 10:03 on 26 Nov 2023

Course X-1-X-1-X-1

There was a real feel of winter as a light dusting of frost glazed some of the dinghy covers on the tank.

A frost usually indicates clear skies and light winds, and this was certainly the case on Saturday.

Only two boats took to the water: Sian Hodges in her Laser 4.7 and John Burn in his Merlin Rocket, with first-time Merlin crew Charlotte Simmonds.

A large gap quickly formed on the first downwind leg, with John and Charlotte able to make better headway against the building flood tide. From here, they continued to stretch their advantage and, with the corse shortened, crossed the line to take the bell.

Sian persevered, but with the little wind there was now dropping to nothing, she struggled to make progress against the tide. Sian decided to end her suffering and made for the boat park, although this in itself was challenging.

By John Burn

Photos By Lucy Burn