Restronguet Sailing Club Club Championships in June

Saturday started well and continued in similar conditions, improving for the sailors rather than dying away. Race Officer Geoff Taylor set the courses for the three races to maximise sailing under the ten to sixteen-knot wind from the north.

This is one of the preferred directions for most of the sailors as it gives consistent breeze and flat water.

One sailor speaking on Sunday said he ached all over from wrestling with the controls and recovering from several upsets! Yet, he was back on Sunday for a potentially tougher afternoon.

Chris White the Turbo winner in his Moth at considerable speed (Image: Ian Symonds)

On Sunday the wind remained predominantly from the north but was stronger than the forecast of twelve to fourteen; sailors estimated it be sixteen to eighteen with gusts of twenty / twenty-two knots. As race one concluded there were retirements for several reasons.

These ranged from exhaustion, breakages, and wind simply too strong and gusty to the time-honoured ‘discretion being the better part of valour’.

Race Officer on Sunday was Bob Warren who again set the course to get the best of the wind and give the sailors a fair test; the wind recorded was twelve to twenty from the north.

Chris White dominated the turbo fleet in his foiling Moth, he won four of the six races, coming second in two; dropping one second place left him with an unpassable six points to the second boat twelve.

Peter Knight in his B14 was that second boat with George Cousins’ Musto Skiff third. Nine turbo fleet boats sailed over the weekend, a splendid turnout of raw speed.

Darts and a B14 prepping for the racing (Image: Ian Symonds)

In the catamaran fleet, Andy Aston and Emily Duncan won out with three firsts and two fourth places. Four Darts competed but only Andy and Emily completed the weekend.

Four asymmetric (RS200s) competed; Henry Hallam and Ashley Hill achieved a clean sheet of six firsts, and Kyle and Maddie made all the second slots. Congratulations to Henry and Ashley for another superb effort.

Sydney Turner and Oliver Beck tied up first and second respectively in the Laser fleet very neatly. Conditions did make managing a standard or radial rig somewhat challenging according to Oliver.

Very well done to our magnificent Mirror fleet, who in the slow handicap grouping not only launched nine boats and crews but many also stuck to the task for all six races.

Our winning pair of helm Felix Heffernan and crew Martin Egan won four and came second in two so with only six points were unassailable. Huw Beverly-Jones and Matilda Ward had to be satisfied with a second but still had two firsts, two seconds and a fifth. Torin Derrick and Kees Vos came in third with only four points more than second place.

Lily and Kitty at speed in their 29er (Image: Ian Symonds)

Three Firefly crews contested just on Sunday. Sophie and Alan Hulbert first, Liz Evans and Ben Lumby second, Guy English and Becca Scouse third.

The RS Aero fleet fielded eight boats to start with on Saturday but by the third race on Sunday, only three remained racing with none in the fourth race. Final racing results are on the club website.

A weekend of remarkable sailing and with no rain although the superb wind for sailing from the north was not exactly warm. Most sailors were wrapped up in very close-to-winter kit.