Miracle Open at Port Dinorwic Sailing Club

Port Dinorwic Miracle Open © Zara Turtle

Port Dinorwic Miracle Open © Zara Turtle

Port Dinorwic Miracle Open © Zara Turtle

Strong winds and big gusts greeted the 8 Miracles at Port Dinorwic Sailing Club on Saturday afternoon.

David Turtle (Shotwick) with his daughter Zara (Shustoke), and Cathy Goodwin with her daughter Leah led the pack up the first beat. It was when the first mark of the course was reached that we all became grateful for the small fleet numbers as at low tide there was little room for error between the mark and the shore! Team Turtle rounded first closely followed by Cathy and Leah with the rest of the fleet following in behind. David and Zara managed to hold the lead for the rest of the race with Cathy and Leah staying hot on their heels thanks to some excellent spinnaker flying by Leah in those strong winds! Home boats Rhys Griffiths with his daughter Alys, and Richard Murphy and Karen Price came in third and fourth respectively.

The winds began to ease for the second and last race of the day making it a bit less of a battle to stay upright. The race was led again by David and Zara, and Cathy and Leah but this time with Delph boat Louis Moulden with crew Angela Sweeney coming in third.

Sunday sailing was a stark contrast to the day before with light winds and strong tides causing the racing to be postponed until the wind filled in as promised by the wise locals! A stretched triangle course was set close to the shore to keep the boats away from the strongest of the tide. Delph boat Ian Brown and his daughter Lilly had a fantastic start in the first race of the day, judging the tide perfectly to cross the line first in clean wind as it filled in. They were closely followed by Richard and Karen, and David and Zara as the fleet tacked their way up the shore between the moorings. David and Zara rounded the mark first and the fleet went out into the tide to take them down to the next mark. It's amazing how quickly you can go with your spinnaker up drifting sideways with the tide underneath you! Team Turtle kept their lead for the rest of the race with Cathy and Leah sailing up through the fleet to take second place again, followed by Richard and Karen in third place.

The tide had started to ease after lunch and the wind settled to a pleasant force 3. The next two races had Louis and Angela battling with David and Zara up the first beats but it was the Turtles who came out on top with Louis and Angela having to settle for second places. Cathy and Leah came in third both times, and with Lilly now getting the hang of gybing her spinnaker they came up to fourth place in the fourth race – well done Lilly!

Meanwhile Geoff Weir must have thought his weekend jinxed having suffered a capsize on the final lap of the first race on Saturday and a broken rudder pintle on Sunday. However, he was still smiling and sure to be looking forward to the launch of his new, home-built boat later this month!

Overall David and Zara took first place for the weekend, Cathy and Leah second, with Louis and Angela in third. First non-spinnaker boat went to Rhys and Alys Griffiths.

What a fantastic weekend overall! Weather to suit everyone, and as it was a joint event with the Hornet open and club championship there was a brilliant atmosphere both on and off the water. Big thanks to everyone at Port Dinorwic for being such lovely hosts!

Overall Results: