Results

Results

It was forecast to be gusting F6 from the south, but the wind was F3-4 from the east. Jason and Robin, favouring caution, chose to sail Radial rigs. Steve in a Laser was not far behind new member Pete Lock in his RS Aero 7 at the end of the first beat but Pete shot away downwind. As the wind built and swung southeasterly, eliminating the beat, Jason started to catch Steve. If he had counted the Radial result he would have won but chose to sail on the full rig handicap and took 3rd place behind Pete and Steve.

The wind continued to build and at one point during the race gusting 30 knots (F7) at Nells Point. The waves built to huge and beyond Pete chose to tack at the gybe mark and got stuck head to wind. Steve managed a gybe (just) and almost caught him but as they approached the yellow buoy Steve was caught by a wave and capsized to windward allowing Pete to get well ahead. Jason was a bit further back this time for another 3rd place. Pietro and Carmel struggled in the wind and waves but had creditable finishes for 5th and 4th.

Huge breaking waves caused some excitement on the slipway and we considered sending the Patrol Boat to Cardiff Bay but, as we had an expert on driving boats in surf helming, we decided to wait half and hour and Andrew drove the boat between the waves onto the sandy beach to be recovered without drama, fortunately.

Results

With Neil, Carmel and Andrew in the top three and Jason and Steve able to displace them if things went right for them there was all to play for in the drizzle.

The wind favoured Neil and with two straight wins he wins the series ahead of Jason in second and Steve (RS700) – now with enough results to qualify – taking third place.

Andrew (4th) and Carmel (5th) also qualified in the series.

Thanks go to the Race team for putting up with the constant drizzle to ensure the racing went ahead – Key and Sam in the Patrol Boat, Jon, Pete and Corrado on the shore and Rex on the balcony.

Results

Results

With Jason doing OOD and two straight wins, Neil moves up to first position in the series ahead of Carmel and Andrew. With one more Sunday to go, after the Regatta, things remain tight and Jason and Steve could move into the top 3!

Results

Results

Neil won both races in exciting conditions. Andrew leads the series and is currently the only qualifier. Jason, Neil, Steve and Carmel will be in the mix if only they can sail at least 4 races out of the final 6.

Carmel’s story

I almost didn’t launch—the wind had built into something far nastier than the morning forecast—but curiosity won and I tried the first race. From the moment I botched the start, it was a grind. The beat to the windward mark in the Radial was a fight, but I clawed through two laps and finished just ahead of Steve before he blasted past in the 700. Capsizes were happening everywhere: Andrew in the Topaz, both Lasers at the gybe mark.

Still upright, I gambled on race two. If I’d known the tide was about to turn the course into a field of rolling, heaving waves, I’d have thought twice. Leg three was chaos—every wave demanded perfect timing, and Jason ahead of me was getting caught out, letting me close in.

Then came the “washing machine” inside the island. Dead runs, surfing down towering waves, the bow threatening to submarine, and violent pitch‑ups when rounding into the swell. After a handful of failed tacks, I finally tore across the finish line, exhausted.

Recovery was its own battle. A test turn head‑to‑wind left me stuck in irons, drifting towards Sully Island while the waves shoved me closer to the rocks. I escaped just as Steve landed safely.

He and Teilo were wrestling with the 700’s trolley when I approached. I lined up, stepped onto the slip—and then a monster wave hit. It lifted me clean off my feet, ripped the boat from my hands, rolled it, and sent it straight into Steve’s 700. He was knocked over too, though thankfully away from the collision. We both scrambled to recover our boats and retreat from the breaking surf.

It was definitely not a day to be short of volunteers on the slip. With only sailors willing to get soaked, everything was slow going. You really do need reserves in the tank for recovery. I was tired and starting to feel the cold from standing chest‑deep holding the boat. I wasn’t alone—Neil and Andrew were also waiting patiently for trolleys, and Jason, who’d capsized further offshore, was equally keen to get back to dry land.

(Edited by Copilot:)

Results

Jason won the Sharpe Trophy in a Laser with Steve 2nd in an RS700 and Carmel 3rd in a Laser Radial. Andrew leads the series in his CX14 Catamaran with no one else qualifying (as yet)

Results

Nells Point said it was 14kts, but Nigel thought it was more like 25-36kts (F6 gusting F8!). Trevor and Steve both sailed in Topazs and Trevor won, beating Steve for the second time in 2 weeks.

Many thanks to Nigel and Jon in the Jeanneau and Will and Jean on the slipway.

Results