Enterprise Severnside Area Championship at Penarth Yacht Club

Enterprise Severnside Area Championship at Penarth © Tracey Dunford

Phil Ford& Will Allen win the Enterprise Severnside Area Championship © Tracey Dunford

Twenty-one Enterprises entered the Enterprise Severnside Area Championship, hosted by Penarth Yacht Club on Saturday 7th & Sunday 8th June 2014.

With the return of the trusted 'Soleil D'Or' our committee boat was on station for what was going to be a testing couple days of racing due to a variety of weather predictions!

Saturday saw the lightest of the conditions, proving difficult for the fleet to judge the start line against the wind and tide resulting in the first general recall of the weekend.

Fortunately all sailors held back on the second attempt and race 1 was under way with winds peaking at no more than 5kts against the flow of the Bristol Channel.

Local sailors Stephen Lucey and Peter Rendall had their wits about them and chose the left hand side of the course, where an increase in pressure and lifting winds brought them to the windward mark, 1st and 2nd respectively.

It wasn't until the next beat that their lead would be taken by eventual race winners Phil Ford and Will Allen.

Race 2 provided similar wind strengths and with the inevitable Bristol Channel ebb tide kicking in sooner than expected, those that had spotted the tide change gained valuable places throughout the fleet. Race 2 was won by Mark Lunn and Steve Blackburn, with Ann Jackson and Alan Skeens finishing 2nd with Phil and Will finishing 3rd. (These 3 eventually battling out for the overall title.)

With the wind backing 90 degrees, decreasing in strength and the tide increasing knot by knot every minute, it was vital that the Race Committee would either cancel the 3rd race of the day, or come up with a quick solution.

An alternative plan was put in place, with the course re-aligned and shortened in distance to ensure the fleet could once again get underway within a quick turnaround.

Ann pulled out all the stops on this race and beat Mark back to the line, with Phil Ford at 3rd.

The first race of Sunday provided a spectacular view along the start line, only for the fleet to be shown yet another general recall. The black flag was looking ominously close for its first use of the weekend! However, yet again, the fleet controlled their eagerness to be on the front line and were away cleanly on the second attempt.

Akshan Jirasinha and Alice Allen took a resounding lead at the windward mark and continued to increase their lead from the fleet.

On the second windward leg, without any warning, squally conditions greeted the sailors. Whilst providing entertainment to the Race Committee, most of the fleet kept their masts upright with only 3 crews taking a dip in the Channel. Akshan and Alice kept their lead throughout race 4 and finished in style, hiking hard and sails flapping keeping upright to the very end.

Race 5 saw Ann reach the windward mark in first place, with 'Sunday arrivals' Jeremy Stevens and Ryan Crawford close in 2nd position. Steve Graham and Alex Haliwell would be eventual winners of Race 5, following some good sailing skills to remain ahead of Ann and Jeremy.

For the final race of the weekend, the Race Committee increased the number of laps to really test the endurance and stamina of the crews. It took its toll on one local sailor who was convinced that no-one saw him miss the toe-straps whilst tacking up the first beat. (You can never hide from an eagle-eyed Race Officer!)

With the additional couple of laps, it allowed the Race Committee to enjoy what had become a really enjoyable weekend of sailing and witnessed Jeremy and Ryan taking the last bullet of the weekend, with Mark and Steve in second place, and overall event winners Phil and Will in 3rd place.

Back at the clubhouse, the Race Officer and Penarth Yacht Club Secretary, Ioan Lavery, presented the prizes to the event winners, Phil Ford and Will Allen.

Penarth Yacht Club now looks forward to planning their next event... The Penarth Yacht Club Regatta on July 19th & 20th 2014

Overall Results: