25th Anniversary Abersoch Mirror Week at South Caernarvonshire Yacht Club
by Mike Crompton 14 Sep 2022 11:50 BST
14-18 August 2022
The South Caernarvonshire Yacht Club once again opened its doors to the Mirrors in mid-August and 43 boats registered for this easy going but competitive event aimed at novices and experts alike, and we had our fair share of both with the current National Champions competing.
Sailing is organised close to the shore and crew swaps are encouraged for the younger sailors.
The fleets are split into Gold and Silver fleets and this year a Gaff rigged division was introduced that soon became very competitive and might well become the fleet to win next year!!
The winds were generally very obedient and played ball for 3 days, but on the Wednesday 24 knots seemed over ambitious, so a single race for the Gold fleet was called. With the quality of the fleet the race passed off without incident. Yet nobody seemed upset when the Race team declared, after one race, that there would be no more racing for the day.
In true Mirror week tradition there then followed much debate as to how to score the silver fleet and the one or two Gold fleet boats that didn't race. Who said Abersoch Mirror week is just a fun regatta! The RYA voice of reason arrived and the non competitors were all awarded redress and 17 points that - for most - was their best result. Thanks to everyone for all their patience and friendly debate. It meant that the bar remained full all evening!
Social events are always superbly supported and are aimed at the younger crews but always somewhere near a bar. The new team led by Katie, Harvey and crew ran a very successful Karaoke, a beach BBQ and the infamous Mirror Drive. The team will be changing the order of events in 2023 but rest assured the parties will be even bigger!
Thanks to all of you that made the trip to Wales. The Vass family are great supporters along with many others on the beach who encourage and help the newer crews that makes the event a great success. The SCYC volunteers are always fantastic and deserve a big thank you. I am sure they will all be back in 2023.
Dates in 2023 are registration Sunday 13th, racing from Monday 14th - Friday 18th August. The NoR will be available and online entry open from January 2023.
Full Results are attached but special mention must go to the winners of some of the awards:
- Overall winners Gold fleet Ben and Keira McGrane, Netley SC. They were superbly fast in all conditions and beat a very competitive fleet. Well done.
- 1st Overall Gaff Rig Matt Bromley with Georgina and Sebastian Bromley. This family had a superb week, regularly well up in the running, but pushed all the way by Ben and Millie Hodges who were 2nd gaff rigged boat.
- The Seamanship award was won by 10 year old Edward Sproston of SCYC who was a great competitor, sailing every race and even after gear failure he sailed ashore, repaired his boat and was ready to go in race two of the day.
- The Tish Fildes plate is awarded to the best performance by a female crew. Gabriella and Hennie Burlton of the Royal Southern YC were very much at the front of the competitive fleet finishing 4th overall and thoroughly deserved this trophy.
- Finally, we give an award to all competitors at prize-giving, and every team gets a mention, so it is always a fun occasion, enjoyed by the kids, the parents and the grandparents.
This year our thanks must go to Abersoch Boatyard and Vimto who supplied us with valuable prizes and plenty of refreshments that were very much appreciated.
See you in 2023.
Overall Results: