Miracle National Championship at Plas Heli Welsh National Sailing Academy - Day 3
by Brian Jones 14 Aug 2019 05:23 BST
11-16 August 2019
Another sparkling day sailing in Cardigan Bay, and once again the Kestrels delayed our start until they were put under the black flag.
On the gun we suffered a significant temporary lull and shift causing lots of angst for those caught out, but as the race got under way it paid to sail left towards greater pressure. Paul and Nathan Robinson, happily back on the water in a borrowed boat had two good mid fleet results.
David Herbstritt and Josie Airns decided to stamp a large hole in the floor of their boat and Dave Butler needed a knife between races, not to prod Ross his crew but to cut free a jammed spinnaker. They had come third in the first race and still came a credible tenth without their kite.
The wind had shifted into the West and strengthened for the second race with Graham Watts and Helen Jacks being first round the windward mark and then nearly sailing off to the wrong bouy. The crew saved the day, so I'm told, and they ended with two fourth places. Dave Southwell however ignored his crew and ended the day with a fifth and sixth.
Both Andrew & Michela and Ian & Katie sailed very consistently to take two firsts and two seconds but they had to fight for it and battle their way through the fleet. Ian Southwell sailing with Michelle Raines in David's old boat came in 5th and 8th, a fitting tribute to David.
As I write Marcel and Giulia Neuteboom, our regular visitors from Holland have their boat on its side trying to fix a leaking centreboard case in an effort to keep up their reasonable rankings so far. On Wednesday it's going to rain!