Ramsgate Week 2016 at Royal Temple Yacht Club - Day 1
by Iona Garcia 25 Jul 2016 19:18 BST
24-29 July 2016
Class 1, Round the Goodwins
With eight Class 1 boats participating, and the wind in their favour this race was fast paced and the racers demonstrated great skill navigating the waters in conditions they hadn't anticipated. 'Oystercatcher' came in first having relished the heavier winds. Roy Heiner's' team Heiner' finished second, followed by Rod Oates 'Slingsot' in a very respectable third, ably helmed by Rob Smith.
The unexpected wind conditions made for an exciting race, and a possible new record by Richard Matthew's new 'Oystercatcher' with an elapsed time of 2hours 53 minutes. Needless to say this made for an exciting finish and we are looking forward to seeing what the rest of the week will bring for 'Oystercatcher'.
Class 2, Round the Goodwins
The class started on port tack in a freshening South westerly breeze with 'Only magic' (Richard Sparrow), 'Slingback' (John Barrett) and Elan 333 Buccaneer (Peter Pearson/Mike Lilwall) rounding the windward mark closely together. There then followed a fast 3 mile reach to the Goodwin Knoll and then a fast windward leg down the back of the Goodwin Sands to the South West Goodwin buoy. By this time the wind had increased to over 20 knots and this led to a fast reach along the coast back to the finish off Ramsgate. As 'Only Magic' broached in the breezy conditions 'Slingback' pulled into the lead to take the gun but 'Buccaneer' took the class win on handicap.
Class 6, Round the Goodwins
With winds much heavier than predicted, the class 6 fleet set off to a swift start. Competition was rather intense with 'Miss Amelia' (manned by Andy Ketteringham) pipping David Appelton's 'Shoestring' to second place in a close contest. First place, on the other hand, was commandeered throughout the race by 'Mallard', who held the position to the finish. The winds that were relished by other classes, were much tougher on the smaller boats and the competitors showed great tenacity and resilience.
For more information on the event please visit www.ramsgateweek.com