Dell Quay Sailing Club

The return of windy weather provided exciting racing at Dell Quay over the weekend. On Saturday,competitors in the third and fourth Early Helm and Copperas series races enjoyed a strong South Westerly breeze which produced excellent planing conditions. In the first Helm race, Anne and Jim Norfolk made a good start and arrived first at the windward mark but Richard Wilde and David Wakefield (Wayfarer) slipped through on rounding. However on the second downwind leg the Norfolks' Laser 2000 took off on a fast reach to regain the lead. In the final round Mike Fitzgerald and Tim Dormer gained the lead just after the penultimate mark and the two Laser 2000s then had a close race, planing to the finish, with the Norfolks edging past to windward to win; with Wilde and Wakefield third. In the second race, Fitzgerald and Dormer proved faster up wind as the breeze strengthened, but the Norfolks closed the gap downwind. On the final lap the lead Fitzgerald and Dormer had built up on the windward leg seemed insurmountable but the Norfolks sailed a different route to the finishing line and, with a better wind, they had an exhilarating non-stop plane, just managing to pass the other Laser 2000 before the finish. Third place in the race went to Bill Munnery (Solo). The Early Copperas races were both won by Helen Dignum (Laser Radial).

Sunday's wind was at least another 5 knots stronger and gusted to force 6 as a reduced fleet of 9 boats made a combined start in the Trophy series races. Bill and Charlotte Dawber (Laser 2000) finished comfortably ahead of the rest to take first place in both races, finishing eighteen minutes ahead of the second placed boat in the first race. In the Solo fleet, Malcolm Buchanan had a close race with Phil Ingram and was just ahead at the end of the first round. Ultimately, Ingram finished first with Munnery second and Buchanan third. In the short second race Buchanan maintained his lead over Ingram, with Fred Hilgers finishing in third place. There was some close racing between the Wayfarers of Martin and Sarah Greenhalgh who led at the end of the first round, and Richard Wilde and David Wakefield. The Greenhalghs lost their lead in the second lap, leaving Wilde and Wakefield in first place. Wilde and
Wakefield were also first handicap fleet boat in the second race. Both Junior races were won by Chloe Atkins and Becky Manning sailing an RS Feva. Despite the conditions, only one boat retired.