Rooster West Country Boat Repairs RS400 Southern Tour Round 2 at Llandegfedd Sailing Club

Rooster West country Boat Repairs RS400 Southern Tour at Llandegfedd © James Buchanan

Those that made the trip to Llandegfedd for the West Country Boat Repairs and Rooster Southern Circuit event were greeted with a pleasant 8-10 knots and sunshine. The sun stuck around for most of the day but the wind was, unfortunately, somewhat more temperamental. Undeterred the fleet managed 4 mentally testing races.

Race 1 got under way bang on time at 1230 with a slight left shift favouring the pin end and an early tack. The Cockerills fought it out with Heissig/Griffin pairing for most of the race, Heissig/Griffin clinching victory on the line.

By race 2 the wind had gone further left. The Eames/Tilley pairing led around the first windward mark by ducking most of the fleet on port off the start. However by the second upwind they had been chased down by the locals Tullett/Lister closely followed by the Cockerills.

The wind continued to clock left for the third race. By the start the wind was close to the lower limit of what is sailable. PRO for the day, Mark Williams, did a sterling job to get the race in. The major tactical decision for the race was whether the kite created more drag than it was worth. The jury is still out on that one.

Race 4 was perhaps the most conventional of the set. The wind had swung 180 degrees to the right but seemed to be settling both as to direction (North(ish)) and speed (5 knots(ish)). The top three soon disappeared over the horizon leaving Whitehouse/Clancy to fend off Eames/Tilley. For all the world it looked like they had managed it until a flukey gust brought Eames/Tilley through into fourth.

Back ashore the competitors were rewarded with cakes, tea, and coffee. The chocolate cupcakes in particular were delicious.

An excellent time was had by all and everyone agreed they would be back again next year.

Overall Results: