Town Plate at Clevedon Sailing Club

Robin Goff (129 centre) and the bunched fleet nearing the end of the two-hour Clevedon Town Plate race © S Hotchkiss

Clevedon Sailing Club's Town Plate race was held in glorious sunshine but light winds with twelve competitors. The annual event's sponsors are the town council, who engrave the names of the winners on the handsome silver platters.

The structure of the day is a two hour long pursuit race where faster boats start times are staggered according to their handicap and would theoretically have caught everyone else up by the time has elapsed. Therefore, after two hours, the boat that is leading has won.

The first starters of Laser Radials and Solos enjoyed sufficient breeze on the first leg past Wains Hill. By the time they had turned out towards the middle of the estuary and the distant sea-mark, the later starters were struggling in wind that had turned light and patchy. However, last starters East in a Phantom and the Willcocks' in a Fireball, patiently 'picked off' the boats that lay ahead of them.

Meanwhile Goff in his D-Zero was doing the same from a mid-fleet start and was eventually ahead of all the other boats at the finish to take the title. The efforts of East were rewarded with second place and Andy & Andrea Willcocks of Portishead YSC came third.

Overall Results: (top three)

1st Robin Goff (D-Zero)
2nd Alex East (Phantom)
3rd A&A Willcocks (Fireball)