Sunday saw the fifth race in the series of six for Welland Yacht Club’s Sunday Points Trophy and the competitors were greeted by overcast conditions with the treat of rain and thunderstorms, but this did not deter the 11 boats starting the first race.
With the wind blowing straight across the river onto the clubhouse, it made for a reaching start and timing the run to the line was all important for a clean start.
It was Mark Scourfield in the Solo who judged this best, closely followed by Andy Prior, crewed by grandson Harry Jackson in the Lark, with the OK of Andy Agar and Solo of Helen Boyd close by and with a course of 4 buoy to 1 buoy twice there were opportunities for plenty of place changing.
At Shellys Bush Corner, Prior and Jackson sailed through Scourfield to take the lead, with Adam Stabler in the Laser full rig now joining the others in the chase.
With the next leg to Chilvers Corner it was a very tight reach, and at the corner, with the wind coming over the large row of bushes, it was difficult to make this in one tack but Scourfield managed to get a lift in the wind and regained the lead from Prior and Jackson.
With Boyd and Stabler now also catching, it allowed Scourfield to sail into clean air as these got into a tacking dual up to number 4 buoy in the increasing wind.
Scourfield rounded first and pulled away from the others and with the increase in the wind strength extended his lead, leaving the OK of Agar, the Laser 2000 of Neil Tack and Rebecca Slator and the Laser of Adam Stabler to fight it out. With Boyd capsizing this was the chasing pack.
The boats behind these were strung out and Richard Stedman in the Comet, Ian Thompson and Geoff Tibbs both in Solos and William Stabler in the Laser4.7 were having their own battle with Jorrit and Toby Schrauwers in the club Feve staying with it.
With the handicaps applied it was Scourfield in first place followed by Prior and Jackson, Agar, Tack and Slator, Adam Stabler, Stedman, Thompson, William Stabler, Tibbs and the Schrauwers.
Second race of the day saw the first race in the Commodores Points Trophy and with the wind increasing, a couple of sailors sat this one out.
The others started and it was again Scourfield followed by Prior, who was now in the more exciting Laser full rig, Adam Stabler and Boyd who made the first showing as they made the way up river.
Prior passed Scourfield on Chilvers Corner and these two tacked the way up river followed by Stabler, Agar, Tack and Slator and Boyd who grouped together on the beat.
Prior rounded first followed by Scourfield, Stabler, Agar, Tack and Slator and Boyd.
The rain then started, the wind dropped and it became more difficult to judge in strength and direction.
Prior crossed the line first followed by Scourfield, Stabler, Boyd, Agar, Tack and Slator, Tibbs and Thompson and the Feva of the Schrauwers.
Handicaps applied, Prior was first with Scourfield 14 seconds behind, with Boyd a really well-sailed third.
Third race of the day was the first in the Personal Handicap series where sailors are given the revised handicap and not that of the boat they are sailing.
Prior was back in the Lark with Jackson and they were away at the start, followed again by Scourfield, Agar and Neil Tack single handing the Laser 2000, with the Schrauwers making a good start.
Prior and Jackson pulled away on Shellys Bush Corner and Tack was gaining ground on the reach and at Chilvers Corner the beat began and Tack, single handing, found it difficult to handle both sails and lost ground, Scourfield and Agar passing and cross tacking all the way to number four .
Prior and Jackson crossed first after flying the spinnaker to pull away ahead of Agar just pipping Scourfield across the line, followed by Tack and Boyd, who pipped Adam Stabler, who had capsized the exciting Laser on the run, with William Stabler and the Schrauwers persevering and finishing the race to their credit.
With the handicaps applied it was Agar who was victorious with Tack in second, Scourfield third, Prior and Jackson, Boyd, William Stabler and Jorrit and Toby Schrauwers.
