Helensburgh Sailing Club Open Winter Series - Day 3

Graeme Busby & Duncan Bond lead a 505 and Laser 4000 during week 3 of the Helensburgh Sailing Club Open Winter Series © Peter Lewis

A bitterly cold northerly force 3 and near sub zero temperatures did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm of the competitors in the penultimate weekend of HSC's open winter series. Sailing over two windward/leeward courses an short first beat kept the fleet close together. Although there was enough wind for full-on trapezeing and good blasts down wind for the asymmetric boats it was the Solo of Michael Lidwell who won in the end from the Taser of Graeme Busby and Duncan Bond. Raphael Ouijas was sailed very consistently to finish third in his Laser, making good use of the tide to finish ahead of a pursuing pack of laser 4000's.

The second race was held in slightly more breeze which allowed the Laser 4000' of S.Thompson to pull away and record his third win of the series. Busby and Bond's Taser, sporting the new Beithwaite designed rig, was again very close to the faster boats and recorded another second place. Third places went to another Laser 4000 sailed by a helm and crew who's name's escape the memory of the author of this piece. Further down the fleet Graeme and Andrew Greer frequently challenged for the lead but were slowed down when they went trawling with their kite a couple of times.

The final races will be held on Sunday 19th of March and once discards are brought into play the series is very open with Mervyn Wright's Blaze holding a very narrow lead from Busby and Bond with the Laser 2000 of 'Bud' Flannagan and Shona Wallace tied with the Thompson's Laser 4000.