Bala Sailing Club Easter Regatta

Bala Easter Regatta © John Hunter

Bala Easter Regatta © John Hunter

The Bala Easter Regatta got off to a fine start with a total of 42 boats entering the four fleets; asymmetric, fast handicap, slow handicap and junior.

Saturday's weather was a shifty southeasterly ranging from force 1 – 4, providing testing conditions which produced a few capsizes, but on the whole all in glorious sunshine, so a far cry from last year's Easter Regatta which had to be cancelled due to snow. Easter Sunday gave us a deterioration in the sunshine and temperature, but improved wind conditions with a reasonably steady north easterly blowing down the lake.

Bala SC also welcomed a visiting fleet of six Scorpions for the Scorpion Welsh Championships, sailing as part of the fast handicap fleet, and demonstrating excellent mastery of the Bala conditions. In addition, a small fleet of Miracles had a good run in the Miracle Open, operated as part of the slow handicap fleet.

In the asymmetric fleet local sailor Dan Partington, in an RS Vareo, celebrated his birthday on Saturday in style by taking the first two races, and then took two further bullets on Sunday to consolidate his win overall. T and C Hand from Sutton in Ashfield pursued closely for second place in their RS200.

For the fast handicap fleet the 2014 Easter Regatta will be remembered as the domination of the Scorpions. Different courses were set for all six races by Race Officer John Haywood, but for the top four visiting Scorpions this presented no problem at all, they thrived on it. Challenges to the Scorpion domination were made by a Bala SC RS300, a Rutland/PDSC Hornet and two Flying Dutchmen from C H y Felinheli and WLYC but at the end of the day all were unable to break through. Top spot went to Peter Gray and Rachel Rhodes from Staunton Harold and second place to Andrew McKee and Chris Massey from Doveston SC.

Bala Easter Regatta - photo © John Hunter

The slow handicap fleet was dominated by Ian Dobson and Gemma Marshall from SMVC in their GP14 who calmly took three firsts and two seconds to win overall, and in second place, showing consistency over the two days, were David and Josephine Herbstritt from Shotwick Lake in their Miracle.

Bala Easter Regatta - photo © John Hunter

The junior fleet of six sailors, all from Bala SC and all in Toppers, benefited from a shorter course nearer the clubhouse with on-the-water race coaching from the dedicated junior training team. The most experienced sailor of the group, Jake Jamieson, was only present on Sunday where he took three firsts, but that left room for less experienced sailor Ed Walker to shine through over the two days with a impressive performance of firsts and seconds to take overall first place. All the junior sailors were rewarded with chocolate treats during prize giving for such a great effort all round.

Position of the month candidate, junior helm Lewis Brailsford, during the Bala Easter Regatta - photo © Bala SC

Overall Results: