A tale of two halves. Jason and Robin fighting it out at the front and Andy and Lawrence fighting it out at the back. The gusty wind inshore and the strengthening tide further out made for tricky decisions about where to head on the beat. Positions swung back and forth but in both races the same result. Jason ahead at the front and Lawrence ahead at the rear.

The series is now sewn up with two races next week to go. Only the first 3 (Steve, Jason and Robin – in that order) can qualify. Again, despite 25 boats taking part, the small number who have sailed enough races has been disappointing. Hats off to Robin who, despite returning to Wales half way through the series, has sailed every race since to finish in the prizes.

Results

An Afternoon In The Life Of A Sully OOD

Sully Sailing Club is an impossible place for a Race Officer!. You try to set a course with a beat but the wind is offshore, so you compromise with a reaching start, which isn’t bad as the tide is out so it’s a short line. You lay this course and the wind swings 180 degrees, so you rush around all the boats and tell them that we will go the opposite way round to the diagram. This may explain why Danny went the wrong way around the second mark but with the tide running I can understand his frustration and why he gave up at that point.

This is fine except everyone is now beating into the tide which makes for a very strung out race. Then the wind swings back to the south giving the Mirror an advantage as he doesn’t have to beat against the tide (but he will still be stuffed by the tide anyway) but at least he finishes relatively quickly. 

So for the second race you move the mark to try and get a beat but the wind swings even further making all legs fetches. You now have to decide whether everyone is enjoying an afternoon sail (and let it run) or whether with no beat there is no skill and they would rather stop. You decide that it is a nice day and they will enjoy another lap and besides, the wind has come up a little so you let them go round again. The Lasers will do three laps and pass the Mirror who should manage two. Only then the wind dies and the Mirror is making no progress.

At this stage I gave up. I tell the Mirror that we will give him his time from the first lap and go to pick up the buoys, only to find that one of them is snagged in the rocks so we miss getting photos of everyone finishing as we drag the anchor clear of the bottom.

Like I said, Sully is impossible

Results

Results

Race 1 started with a SW force 3 and a strong incoming tide. The strength of the tide caught out most of the leading Lasers with Steve and Jason both doing turns but with Steve just holding onto the lead ahead of Bob; Bob showing that his time out of sailing had not reduced his ability. The race settled down with Steve leading from Bob closely followed by Jason and Robin. The second lap now had more fun and games at the windward mark with Jason overhauling Bob, who now realised that he was sailing without battens. Steve extended his lead for a comfortable win over Jason in second, with Bob and Robin battling hard for third with Robin prevailing at the line.

Race 2 saw a drop in wind strength although the tide was still strong a and catching sailors out at the windward mark. Jason got the tide right and sailed clear. Steve fought back from fourth to second with Bob (now with two out of three battens) overtaking Robin who had a second lap to forget! Jason extended his lead to win from Steve in second. It was again nip and tuck between Robin and Bob with Bob missing out again in fourth.

Thanks to Sam on Rescue with Corrado stepping in for a no-show and Helen on slipway.

Results

Results

The start was delayed. The OOD showed up late—blindsided by the start of BST. He got the course sorted eventually, with the sun beating down hard enough to scorch his forehead. Forecast said clouds. It lied. Blue skies, gusty winds, and the water glinting like glass. Perfect for racing.

Six boats launched for the Early Bird series. Jake, sharp off the line on a port tack, looked good near the yellow buoy. But it didn’t last. The Lasers and the Solution powered past, cutting him off like sharks in the shallows. Key’s Wayfarer trailed. At the horn, he was miles behind. Water to make up. Plenty of it.

First mark. The pack formed. Steve, Andrew, Jason, Garry, Jake, then Key. Andrew flipped, tumbling into the drink and clearing the way for Jason. Key clawed ahead of Jake on lap two. The final stretch was a showdown. Andrew pushed hard, gaining on Steve, nearly stealing second back from Jason. But Jason held him. Eight seconds. That’s all it took.

The wind teased during the break, fading before surging back just as the horn screamed for the second race. Gusts hit hard and fast, keeping everyone sharp. The tide wasn’t helping. Logs drifted toward Penarth like ghosts, messing with the beat near the yellow buoy. The start? Tight. Calls of “starboard” probably flew, but I couldn’t hear them from where I was.

First mark again. Steve in the lead. Andrew, Jason, Garry chasing. Jason made his move, pulling even with Andrew on the run. But Andrew wasn’t giving up. He regained control on the next reach. Steve? He didn’t falter. He took the win. Andrew and Jason followed. Key wrestled with his reefed sail and dropped behind Jake.

Will and Charles cleaned up the buoys. Boats docked. The clubhouse doors swung open. Race done.

Results

Only three boats -wind conditions NE force 1 so small course set. Both races Jason crossed the line first followed closely by Gary. These positions were maintained throughout both races. Trevor came down to rig his boat but failed to launch.

Results

It was a bright, sunny, yet crisp and cold Sunday morning for the latest instalment of the Early Bird Series at Sully. A decent turnout of Lasers, along with a variety of other boats, made for an exciting day on the water. Among them was new member Gary, who travelled down from Chepstow to take part in his first sail and race at Sully, aboard his Solution – drawn by the club’s reputation for top-quality sailing.

The breeze came in at a steady Force 3, gusting 4, with gusty and shifty offshore winds funnelling unpredictably over the land. Race Officer Carmel set a short upwind start followed by a port triangle course, which promised – and delivered – plenty of action.

Race 1:

Steve and Danny got off to the best start, with the usual hail of “Port! Port!” ringing out across the start line. Gary, in his Solution, rounded the first mark in third place, closely chased by Jason and Andy. Meanwhile, in the Slow fleet, Key – with a new crew onboard – took an early lead, followed by Trevor.

A tight battle unfolded between Steve, Danny, and Gary, all neck and neck until Jason executed a neat inside move on Danny to claim second place on that lap. However, the Solution was thwarted by the first gybe mark, which allowed the three Lasers to extend their lead.

The second lap saw fierce competition to the finish line. Danny led, but Jason’s clever port-starboard manoeuvre brought him right back into contention. In a nail-biting finish, Danny just managed to pip Jason by a single second. Gary followed in third, with Key next, and Tryggvi in the Topaz not far behind, learning the ropes but benefiting from the tide to chase down Trevor, while Andy gradually pulled ahead.

Race 2:

As the wind picked up, several boats retired after the first race, leading to a smaller fleet and a more subdued second race. Nevertheless, the competition between Steve and Jason remains fierce as they continue to battle for series supremacy, with Steve holding the early advantage after securing two wins.

Overall, it was an exciting day on the water, marked by strong performances, close racing, and some clever tactical moves – with many looking forward to next week’s continuation of the series.

Results

Results

Jason was the only sailor who turned up! With the agreement of the race crew who all were present Steve volunteered to sail and make it a race. In the blazing sun and a surprisingly strong F2 from the east the races were decided by the back tide, seaweed and holes in the wind and Steve got the better of them to win both by a small margin. Thanks to Alun and Trev who manned the Jeanneau and to Trev for the photo.

Results