GP14 Open at Llandegfedd Sailing Club
by Hugh Devereux 3 Jun 10:38 BST
17-18 May 2025
We were warmly welcomed to the stunning reservoir in the posh bit of South Wales by Sharon and Paul Freeland of Llandegfedd SC. Sharing the lake with a stand-up paddleboard GP added an extra dash of jeopardy — we considered updating the RRS with SUP-dodgem points system, but thankfully the flotilla of wobbly battleships stayed out of our way.
Day 1: Wind, Wipeouts & Starboard roundings
A cool nor'easter blew in for Saturday, delivering a decent breeze and the occasional slap in the face. The RO Mark Williams set a user-friendly port-rounding triangle—great for visitors, and a nice long beat to boot.
The Freelands promptly disappeared using what we assume was some sort of wind whispering-based local knowledge. Meanwhile, the rest of us squabbled it out at the marks. From third on the second lap, Roger Devereux reminded me the boat needed a wash—so we obliged, unintentionally. Our capsize was elegant, if not fast.
James Ward and Richard Whitehill (Papercourt SC) took the second place while Tony Perkins and David Hill (Frensham) snuck into third.
Race 2 arrived with a sneaky new gybe mark inserted and a solid breeze. David Innes and John McGuinness (Frensham) got the jump and held it. We (the Devereuxs, Budworth SC) climbed to second, with Simon and Brenda Hoult (Hayling Island) right on our tails.
Race 3: Starboard rounding windward mark
Race 3 saw a very keen fleet pushing the start line like it owed them money. RO Mark Williams was having none of that and issued a General Recall. The second start saw a cleaner start and again Innes/McGuinness led early, but the fun was mid-fleet. Ward/Whitehill played the shifts well and were playing well in 2nd place, but the windward mark turned into a scene from Master and Commander. A good start by Ward / Whitehill, and playing the right of the course enabled them to slot into second place at the windward mark, with the Devereux's chasing them down. On the last lap there was an example of why a starboard rounding windward mark is almost guaranteed to generate a protest or two. With James Ward setting up a perfect starboard lay line entry, and then 3 boats approaching on Port - Devereux's to leeward pinching to make the mark and a Frensham pond barrage of Bruce Craven / Matthew Hall, and Tony Perkins / David Hill overstanding a little. The Devereux's decided to slow down to allow James to take the mark rounding. However James decided that he couldn't tack in our water and so continued past the mark, which caused some chaos and lost them several places, whilst Craven / Hall benefitted by leap frogging Devereux's and Ward/Whitehill. Much discussion ensued in the pub.
Evening Pleasures
The Carpenters Arms in the local village provided beer, sunshine cracking conversation and delicious grub. Overnight leaders: Innes/McGuinness, followed by Devereux's and the Freelands, with barely a point between.
Day 2: Snakes, Ladders & Last-Minute Magic
Sunday brought lighter wind and more sunshine. There didn't appear to be any sore heads in the morning, although given the average age of the fleet I reckon there was plenty of stiffness!
Race 3
The shiftier winds created a veritable snakes and ladders. My memory can't recall the variations in position in the first race, but the Freelands are clearly a 1st "race of the day" boat, coming out on top. Sharon's face could be seen nervously looking back at the rapidly approaching fleet on a downwind gust. The Devereux's seemed to have remembered how to sail, and through a variety of shifts managed to hook in a 2nd place, with Sue Tomkins and Roger Jeffs of Welsh Harp putting together a good race, now that they had sorted out first day problems with their spinnaker.
Final race
The calculator warriors went into overdrive figuring out points. Needless to say our boat was more concerned about lunch arrangements. It was just a joy to be out sailing in such a beautiful location in great company. If we had been keen to know with 1 discard the positions were:
- Innes / McGuiness - 6 points
- Freeland - 7 points
- Devereux - 7 points
So all to play for. The Race officer wasted no time getting the next and final race off. Innes / Mcguiness looked like they had the race nailed from the first beat, but the snakes and ladders got extreme. Stephen Cooper and Liz Guest from Welsh Harp were up in 2nd with Ward / Whitehill and the Freelands all in the mix. Devereux's were trailing back in 5th struggling to make it stick. Then the pressure took its toll, Innes / McGuiness who had sailed faultlessly all weekend, made a couple of errors, putting them under pressure and losing the lead on the next upwind and falling back through the fleet as penalties were taken. Meanwhile on the 2nd downwind approach to the leeward mark 4 boats marauded around the committee boat neck and neck with the Devereux's getting the lucky hop into the inside rounding of the mark. The fleet was looking serious though, and Ward / Whitehill and the Freelands weren't done yet, chasing down the beat. But with the wind filling in on the left, there was really only one way to go and the lead was maintained nervously by the Devereuxs.
The SUPs then launched their grand finale and the fleet were held out on the lake until they were clear, unaware that Ally Freeland had laid out a heroic spread of sandwiches and cake. Frankly, had we known, we'd have abandoned ship.
This race meeting was the first one at Llandegfedd and credit goes to Sharon and Paul for pulling this together. The event was everything that a club open should be. Organised, good natured and the weather was fantastic; although, having lived in South Wales, I didn't quite believe the Commodore who said it's always like that at Llandegfedd.
Prizes were presented by the Commodore and we thanked the SC and the sponsors P&B and Kingston Brewery (Tintern) for their support.
Overall Results:
| Pos | Sail No | Helm | Crew | Club | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | Pts |
|---|
| 1st | 13732 | Hugh Devereux | Roger Devereux | Budworth SC | ‑8 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8 |
| 2nd | 13611 | Sharon Freeland | Paul Freeland | Llandegfedd SC | 1 | 5 | ‑8 | 1 | 3 | 10 |
| 3rd | 14234 | David Innes | John Mcguinness | Frensham Pond | 4 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ‑7 | 11 |
| 4th | 13316 | James Ward | Richard Whitehill | Papercourt SC | 2 | 6 | 5 | ‑8 | 2 | 15 |
| 5th | 14110 | Stephen Cooper | Liz Guest | Welsh Harp SC | ‑6 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 19 |
| 6th | 14149 | Tony Perkins | David Hill | Frensham Pond | 3 | ‑8 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 20 |
| 7th | 14167 | Simon Hoult | Brenda Hoult | Hayling Island SC | 5 | 3 | 7 | 6 | (RET) | 21 |
| 8th | 13811 | Sue Tomkins | Roger Jeffs | Welsh Harp SC | 7 | ‑9 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 23 |
| 9th | 14190 | Bruce Craven | Matthew Hall | Frensham Pond | 9 | 7 | 2 | (RET) | 8 | 26 |