Pwllheli Challenge Series at Pwllheli Sailing Club - Week 8
by Vicky Cox 17 Dec 2018 10:47 GMT
15-16 December 2018
All calm in the marina at Plas Heli © Vicky Cox
As storm Deirdre cleared during Sunday's sunrise competitors of the last weekend of the Pwllheli Challenge Series and Winter Series got a display of rainbows with just 8kts in Plas Heli marina.
Out in the bay the fleet were met by 15-22kts and the chop left over from the night before and everyone was eager to get racing. Race Officer Robin Evans took advantage of the pleasant conditions by setting a longish bay race with some windward/leeward sections, including some tight kite-work on other legs.
The fleet were lead round by two J109s - Jetstream and Mojito - and as fellow ISORA rivals they enjoyed some very close racing. Both boats got off to a good start but Nigel Ingram's Jetstream couldn't keep up with Mojito's upwind performance and Mojito took the lead at the first mark, pulling away to the second. However the tight kite leg back to the beach showed Jetstream's skill as they managed to hold their kite. Meanwhile one too many broaches for Peter Dunlop and Vicky Cox's Mojito destroyed their kite and they were forced to slot in behind Jetstream, recovering some ground back upwind.
A change to the smaller kite saw Mojito pulling ahead again while this time watching Jetstream broach with a twist in the kite but Mojito tried to hold their kite too long and with slick manoeuvres on board Jetstream they were again in the lead at the line, finishing just 7 seconds in front of Mojito to take the race overall. But at the end of the Winter Series Jetstream had to settle for second place in class and overall with Mojito taking first overall. With Mojito also taking first overall in the Autumn Series they are the champions of the Pwllheli Challenge Series 2018.
Class 2 in the winter series was won by Charles and Suzanna Elliot's Majestic, closely followed by Will Partington's Honey Bee.
Racing at Pwllheli resumes next year on the 6th-7th April with a light-hearted 'tuning' weekend followed by the Easter series on the 21st-22nd April 2019.
This year has seen the Pwllheli fleet grow to over 25 boats and we are always eager to welcome more in the bay. More information, the 2019 race schedule and full results are available on the club website www.pwllhelisailingclub.co.uk