Pandora Welsh Open 2025 at South Caernarvonshire Yacht Club
by Steve Colclough 10 Aug 18:27 BST
27 July - 1 August 2025
In the week when the eyes of the UK sailing community start to turn towards the south coast, it's not surprising that an event in Cardigan Bay would go largely unnoticed. However, a regatta of single class contemporary yachts with twenty-one entries is not without significance nowadays.
South Caernarvonshire Yacht Club, based in Abersoch on the Llyn Peninsula in North Wales, hosted just such an event between 27th July and 1st August, with the 46th Pandora Welsh Open. The Pandora Class has been an ever present at the Club since the early seventies, and in recent years has enjoyed a renaissance, seeing racing numbers not seen since the 1980s.
This year's event, raced over six consecutive days featured a mixture of course types, with Windward/Leward and Olympic as well as races around the local marks and features. All set against the idyllic backdrop of the Abersoch bay coastline. The format is aimed to provide fun as well as great racing for all the competitors, and once again was officiated by Mike Crompton and his excellent team, who made the delivery of a full schedule of races look effortless.
Racing started on the Sunday afternoon in a light NNW wind with an Olympic style course around club marks, in the northern half of the bay. Gold fleet honours went Will Oldroyd, on a busman's holiday from his duties at OneSails, and silver fleet honours going to Joe Helm and team.
Day two racing featured two Windward/Leward races, once again in a light northerly wind, which on an ebbing spring tide in the southern half of the bay made for some interesting mark rounding. Gold fleet winners, R2 Matthew Wilde, R3 Will Oldroyd. Silver fleet winners, R2 Matthew Large, R3 Stanley Parker. Once the fleet had completed the racing de-brief in the club bar, a long process for some, an evening beach BBQ, followed by games, was enjoyed until bad light stopped play.
A fresher breeze on day three, once again from the north, allowed the competitors to air their smaller foresails, No3 for most in R4, No2 in a softening breeze by the time R5 started. Boat and Spinnaker handling skills were tested to the full, not everyone passed! Winners, R4 gold fleet Matt Wilde R5 Richard Brown, silver R4 Martyn Hudson R5 Chris Williams.
After the crash bang wallop of the previous day, day four brought a return to more sedate conditions with a fickle wind for the long race of the series. The wind started the race in the NW and ended it in the SW, with various periods of no wind in between, this, along with the strong spring tide made for some challenging, and at times frustrating racing for the competitors, as they played the wind or tide cards, while touring the bay and the St. Tudwals Islands. R6 Winners gold fleet Ian Macmillan, silver Nial Thomson. After a long day's racing those who had a bike and the energy to pedal it, enjoyed a small tour of the Llyn Peninsula, stopping at various refreshment establishments enroute.
After the frustrations of the long race, day five brought the best sailing day of the week, a steady breeze from the NNW and two more races, the first a two-lap windward/leeward and the second a three-lap Olympic course, made for an exhausting but thoroughly enjoyable days sailing. Winners, gold fleet R7 Harvey Worden R8 Jem Hudson, silver R7 Chris Williams R8 Matthew Large. A great day's racing was rounded off with one of the social events of the week, with the pot luck supper at a fleet members house overlooking the picturesque harbour in Abersoch.
With the weeks social calendar completed, there was just the racing to be decided, and the last two races. A return to strong winds but a familiar direction, an iffy water pump on the Committee boat that limited its range, added an extra dimension a more inshore starting line, with moored boats coming into play for those who persisted on the starting starboard tack. Winners, gold R9 Jem Hudson R10 Matt Wilde, silver R9 & R10 Nial Thompson.
So, with a fabulous week's racing completed there was just the presentation dinner and prize-giving on the Saturday night at the SCYC Cove, with dancing in the bar afterwards, for anyone who could muster the energy.
Overall, winners Gold Fleet
1st 650 - "Pandemic" - Matthew Wilde & Dave Eddowes
2nd 759 - "New Tack" - Will Oldroyd
3rd 761 - "Humbug" - Brian Holland
Overall, Winners Silver Fleet
1st 700 - "Bumblebee" - Chris Williams
2nd 487 - "Panic" - Matthew Large
3rd 854 - "Panjandrum" - Stanley Parker