Summer Series round 3 and more for members of Pwllheli Sailing Club
by Vicky Cox 7 Jul 16:48 BST
4-5 July 2026
Mojito heading out of Dublin Bay after the start - ISORA K2Q © Afloat.ie
Pwllheli were at the top of the board again in the ISORA K2Q race at the weekend. Starting Friday lunchtime, the 160nm race set a course from Dun Laoghaire to Cork.
The race had many challenges, starting with light winds and although more wind could be found offshore, tide advantages could be found inshore. Wind shifts around Bray head reset the race in a game of snakes and ladders and any lead gained out of Dublin bay was diminished. Perseverance paid off, along with determination in a challenging sea state, upwind the whole 160nm, even after turning the corner at Tuskar lighthouse.
Pwllheli Sailing Club's Pata Negra (Andrew&Sam Hall) took line honours on Saturday afternoon but after sailing a more conservative 171nm, fellow club members Peter Dunlop and Vicky Cox and Mojito, took the overall win on handicap.
Also from Pwllheli Sailing Club, Geoff and Hannah Dutton-Kelly on First 40.7 Crackajack, showed tremendous determination, sticking it out to the bitter end for valuable series points when other competitors were retiring and despite them sailing short handed.
Further afield, two of Pwllheli Sailing Club's younger members Chris Jones and Gareth Jones Davis competed two handed in leg 7 of the Marina militare nastro rosa il Giro d'Italia 2026 for team Verein Seglerhaus AM. Although with the German team, Chris was adamant that they were going to be flying the Pwllheli Sailing Club burgee.
Leg 7 was a 224nm sail from Napoli to Portoferraio in a Figaro 3 starting on Saturday morning which they finished on Monday morning.
The lads put in a superb effort, leading the race at the first two gates. After a nail-biting finish battling between the top places, they came in third, moving the Verein Seglerhaus team two places up the leaderboard.
Back home in Tremadog Bay, it was time for our little sailors to join club racing in weekend 3 of the Summer Series. Judging by the smiles on faces I think they all enjoyed it and we look forward to seeing them out there again soon.
Stephen Tudor and Mark Thompson's J70 Sgrech Bach lead the series with one more weekend left to challenge them in the series.
New members are always welcome at Pwllheli Sailing Club where there is something for everyone at any age. Send in your cruising and racing stories and come and join us for fun on and off the water.
All information, racing and membership, is on the club website www.PwllheliSailingClub.co.uk
And don't forget to get your entry in for the IRC Welsh Championships in September. Entry is open now www.IRCWelshChamps.com