Miracle National Championship at Plas Heli Welsh National Sailing Academy - Day 2
by Brian Jones 13 Aug 2019 05:36 BST
11-16 August 2019
While the fleet continued to be dazzled by Simon and Mark's lime green spinnaker on 4007 and the grandeur of our setting among the Welsh mountains, there was some serious racing to be done.
We are sharing the venue with the Kestrels and Signets so with a general recall for the over keen Kestrel fleet there was more time to access the conditions. An offshore breeze with a flat sea and with shifts and lulls as the land approached. Dave Butler went right while most went off to port.
Ian and Katie Fryett had trouble rounding the windward mark on the second beat as the tide played its part, Significant gains and losses could be made on the beats, plus a very tight reach to the wing mark. Dave and Ross Southwell made the most of it and took first place ahead of Dave Butler and Ross Fleming.
Sailing back to back the second race started in similar conditions with the fleet splitting 50/50 either side of the lay line,with most of the Gold Fleet choosing to go right. But it was port that paid leaving a lot of work to be done and some very happy helms up front. Ian and Katie made up for the earlier race by taking the bullet with Eamon and Thomas Cuthbert a close second. The Mifsuds and Southwell's fought back through the fleet for third and fourth respectively. Graham Watts and Helen Jacks were next over the line with their best result of the series so far.
Lilly Brown enjoyed sailing a complete Youth and Juniors.
Best news of the day though was that Paul and Nathan Robinson had managed to source another boat after theirs was badly damaged on day one.