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.