South Wales Osprey Series Overall

Mike and Pam Murray win the South Wales Osprey series © Mike Rice / www.fotoboat.com

The inaugural Osprey South Wales Circuit concluded at the Tata Steel SC regatta on 25/26 October. Five home boats were joined by visitors Terry Curtis and Peter Greig for this final event, with Terry and Peter showing the locals the way home in the first 5 races. For the final race local rock star DJ Edwards borrowed Jeff Hughes' boat to win that one. In the third race of a windy weekend, Andrew and Rebecca Jenkins decided to fly their spinnaker on a very tight reach. This bold decision ended with them lassooing the gybe mark with their spinnaker sheets which destroyed the mark. This caused much consternation for the handicap fleet following who found just a few bits of floating wreckage to round; the largest parts of the mark being in Andrew and Rebecca's boat!

The South Wales Circuit started at the Welsh and Midland Championships at Tata in May and was won by Jeff Hughes with more than a little help from DJ Edwards at the front end, after a close battle with Alec and Nick Willis. The second event was the Tenby regatta and Round Caldey Island race at Tenby where there is also a healthy fleet of Ospreys. On a lovely warm and sunny weekend Mike and Pam Murray won the event with Oscar and Lisa Chess second.

The third event, in September, was the Lloyd Fryer memorial pursuit race at Portishead, in memory of Lloyd who was an Osprey sailor. Mike and Pam again picked up the honours in the Ospreys with Paul Roberts and John Clark from the local club second. As a result of their second place at the Tata Regatta, Mike and Pam sailing the lovely vintage Osprey, Supernova, were popular winners of the South Wales Circuit.

At the prize giving Andrew and Rebecca in 4th place were not awarded a prize as they had already taken theirs in the shape of the gybe mark, Ros and David Downs in third place won nothing 'cos they hadn't bought one, Oscar and Lisa Chess in second won a very soggy Gopro camera after attaching it to a stick on the end of their boom and Mike and Pam Murray as winners picked up the trophy and a bottle of bubbly.

In addition to the four official events in the circuit, the South Wales Ospreys also competed at Sully SC near Barry to team up with the local Osprey, at Mumbles SC near Swansea and at Pembroke Regatta in West Wales.

17 boats entered the South Wales Circuit with 7 completing at least 2 to count. Next year the class plans to extend the series and hopefully get more boats to qualify.

Series Results:

1. Mike and Pam Murray, 1166 Supernova
2. Oscar and Lisa Chess, 1348 Lucky
3. Ros and David Downs, 1114 Just Pogo
4. Andrew and Rebecca Jenkins, 1264 Raposeira