Pwllheli Challenge (Autumn series) at Clwb Hwylio Pwllheli Sailing Club
by Mark Thompson 7 Nov 2016 13:42 GMT
5-6 November 2016
Complete after four excellent weekends of racing
After a light airs series in 2015, the winds arrived for this ever popular North Wales race series, hosted by Clwb Hwylio Pwllheli Sailing Club.
Entries were attracted from as far as Holyhead and Liverpool and PRO Robin Evans was able to split the entries into two classes using IRC 1.00 as the factor, which helped enormously with race management. Races were set around the Pwllheli Sailing Club racing marks and planned for between 1 and two hours each with two races each weekend day over the four weekend, that constituted the series.
Races were set and completed on all 8 of the days with just one abandoned due to a rig failure of a competing boat, where fellow competitors went to their aid.
Class 1 was won by the ever consistent J109 "Sgrech" skippered by Stephen Tudor, just ahead of Andrew Halls J125 "Jackknife", and class 3 by the HB32 "Honey Bee" skippered by Wil Partington who sailed the series very consistently in all wind conditions, to just beat the slickly crewed Liverpool based Sigma 33 "Legless again" skippered by Dave Hughes after the final race. The final weekend presented very strong gusty Northerly winds, which challenged all the crews, and will keep the sailmakers busy with many sail repairs! The two sport boats (J24 Jebus and J80 Jac Y Do) decided to head in and miss the last race after the experience of a long beat into a 25-30kt wind! Particularly as the J24 "Jebus" helm Rob Riddell had been dunked during a big broach and the boat flattened.
In class 3 Holyhead based "Harriet Marwood" relished the strong winds and sailed two very good races.
The après sailing events in the Pwllheli Sailing Club bar, part of the Plas Heli Welsh National Sailing Academy were well supported with adhoc prize giving on Saturdays and a variety of catering offerings on both days to keep all the crew and shore based supporters happy, with fireworks both on and off the water this weekend! These events were very well attended by all the competitors who are now looking forward to the Spring series, where we hope to add a coastal race and windward leeward course to the programme.
Anyone interested in some fun racing with a serious edge, with minimal tides, free of commercial traffic and stunning scenery, with discounted berthing on the event pontoons please contact