Ospreys in the Tenby Regatta at Tenby Sailing Club
by David Downs 24 Jun 2015 19:36 BST
20-21 June 2015
Tata Tarts receive the team prize at the Tenby Regatta 2015 © Alistair Mackay
Ospreys made up around a third of the fleet for the Tenby Regatta and Round Caldey Island race on the 20th and 21st June. Six Ospreys from Tenby were joined by four from Tata and one from Saundersfoot on Sunday. The Regatta was kindly sponsored by Lewis Lewis & Co Ltd, local Solicitors, and this enabled the club to offer a prestigious team prize for teams of five boats, of £500. The Ospreys were determined to have a tilt at this prize.
Saturday's racing was three back to back races around triangular courses in Tenby Bay. The shifty westerly wind was a good deal stronger than forecast and made the choices up wind very interesting. The results were led by a Merlin Rocket but behind them the Ospreys were having a good scrap and acquitted themselves well. Ted Lewis from the home club came second overall with Ros and David Downs in 6th and Oscar and Lisa Chess in 8th.
On Sunday for the Round Caldey Island race, the westerly breeze was decidedly fresh. The race officer, concerned that the powerful Ospreys would get around the course too fast, extended the course with an extra mark in Tenby Bay to give a short beat to the finish. It was a close fetch from the start to the gap between the island and the shore where wind over tide made for some steep scary waves, then it was a blast along the island shore.
The choices of when to fly the kite and when to gybe were crucial. There were some more scary waves off the end of the island before a superb two sail reach across the bay and short beat to the finish.
Par for the course was just one gybe and three tacks in the complete race! Tata Tarts team members Oscar and Lisa Chess were obviously keen for lunch as they blasted around the course in around an hour, which was thought to be around the course record!
At the prize giving, the team prize of £500 duly went to the Tata Tarts, a team consisting of four Ospreys and a friendly Fireball.
It was a great weekend sailing at a friendly and very attractive venue and the Welsh Ospreys hope to welcome other Ospreys to join in the fun next year.
In a very busy month of July for the class, the next Osprey open is at Shoreham on 4/5 July, then Weymouth Regatta on July 11/12, followed by the year's peak, the Osprey Nationals at Highcliffe on July 23-26.
Tata Tarts Team List:
Ros and David Downs, Osprey 1114
Oscar and Lisa Chess, Osprey 1348
Mike and Pam Murray, Osprey 1166
Andrew and Rebecca Jenkins, Osprey 1264
Gordon and Ruth Evans, Fireball 14918
(All five are husband and wife teams)