Royal Western Yacht Club Wolf Rock Race
by Keith Davies 25 May 2021 11:31 BST
22-23 May 2021
On the weekend of the 22nd and 23rd of May the RWYC held their annual Wolf Rock Race. This race is usually a Friday evening start with a race leaving Plymouth Sound down to Wolf Rock and then back.
However, this year the weather had other ideas creating havoc for the race management team. The forecast was for back-to-back storms including a gale warning thrown in for good measure and it was looking highly likely that the race was going to have to be either cancelled or rescheduled with the latter looking unlikely due to a crowded sailing calendar for both the Port and for the club. That was until Thursday when a glimpse of a weather window opened and was being closely watched by club member and supporter Matt Owen of PR Systems Marine electronics who suggested that a delay to the start and a possible shortened course would enable the race to go ahead.
Friday morning, and with the time counting down towards the scheduled 1900 start, all entered skippers were contacted to discuss the proposed change of course with the biggest concern being the existing sea state left behind following a few days of strong south westerly wind and making sure that all boats would be finished by 1000 on the Sunday morning before the next front arrived.
Matt ran a few courses and routes for the fastest Multihulls and for the smaller SunFast 3200 to make sure it was a long enough course that could be used as a qualifier for the new Royal Western Yacht Club Plymouth Lonely Rock Race and that the smaller boats would be finished in time.
The course that was settled on and now starting at 1000 on the Saturday was to be from Plymouth Sound down to the Manacles Buoy off Falmouth and then back to the Gammon Buoy off of the entrance to Salcombe before a short leg back to the Eddystone lighthouse and then finishing off of Mount Batten Breakwater.
Once the fleet rounded Rame Head the fleet were welcomed by a building breeze and the drizzle from the start had gone.
Line Honours and Mocra Class winner Nigel Passmore commented after the race on his duel with Simon Bakers Hissy Fit, "It was our first race in 18 months and a great way to get back to sailing from our home port, fast boat on boat fetching to the Manacles Buoy for the two Dazcat's only 200mtrs apart most of the leg. Champagne sailing back to Salcombe topping out at over 20knots in sun and gusty surfs. The beat starting from Salcombe to the Eddystone was testing with wind over tide and a dropping breeze, the sunset as we rounded the lighthouse making up for the three hours on the cold evening wind. With another tight reach back to Plymouth and the finish the two Dazcat's picked different sides of the breakwater and with only a zephyr of wind it was Apollo that claimed line honours by just seven mins in over 120 miles and 12 hours of racing. A great day out and top contest between the two Dazcat's."
In the Monohulls it was also close racing with a varying selection of boats. It was Steve Andrew with his Sunfast 3200 who narrowly took line honours from CJ Smith in his family crewed Bavaria 50. Again a handful of minutes separating the two on the water leaders. Kuba with his Beneteau 40.7 Polished Manx sailing two handed and using the race to get some valued practice before the Plymouth Lonely Rock in July came in second on corrected time and commented, "Would like to congratulate to Sunfire and Bavaria for excellent performance'. However, the champagne sailing conditions must have got the crew on the J109 Jukyu who 'Wine Glassed' their spinnaker just before the turning mark at Salcombe and had to retire with owner Peter commenting 'Worst spinnaker wrap I have ever seen - took us over an hour to unwrap in the marina up the mast and using pontoon. It wasn't going to let us continue and with a forecast blow arriving in 12 hours we bottled out. Next time!"
Next up for the Royal Western Yacht Club is the Pantaenius Triangle over the bank holiday weekend The Royal Western Yacht Club of England | Pantaenius Triangle Race (rwyc.org)
Thanks to all competitors for competing and for sending in photos.