The wind gods were being unkind to the sailors at Welland Yacht Club on Sunday sailing in the third in the Morning Points series.
The breeze was light and forecast to remain and drop throughout the day for the 11 boats that started the first race.
With the breeze blowing straight down the river, it was going to be a busy start line and important to get a clean start and that is what Mark Scourfield in the Solo did.
He was away with Keiron Powell, Alan Cox, Alan Chapman and Andy Prior in the full rig Lasers hot on his heels in the cross tacking.
William Stabler, in the Laser Radial, was making a good start ahead of dad Adam in the full rig Laser, Ian Thompson and Helen Boyd, both in Solos, with Piotr Wojtowicz, in the club Laser.
With the floating weed continuing to cause problems, as well as the growing weed, places were won and lost all the time as boats came into contact, but it was Prior who overtook Scourfield on Shelly’s Bush Corner and sailed away from the rest in clear air.
The chasing boats were gaining and losing positions and it was Prior who rounded buoy 4 first, followed by Scourfield, Cox, Powell and Chapman, who had lost ground after hitting the shallows with the reduced water levels due to lack of rain.
With a broad reach and run back to the clubhouse turning buoy, Scourfield managed to overtake Cox into second place and Powell, getting a lift from the wind behind, made it a tight rounding of the buoy and continued his advance by passing Scourfield on the beat back to number 2 buoy.
With William Stabler showing much improvement with every race staying in front of dad Adam, he was in contention on handicap but it was Prior who crossed the line first, three minutes ahead of Powell, Scourfield in third and in a tight finish, Cox getting in front of Chapman by just five seconds.
William Stabler was next followed by Adam, Thompson, Wojtowicz, who is learning the racing ropes, Boyd and Geoff Tibbs.
With the handicaps applied it was Prior in first, Powell in second and, 26 seconds behind, Scourfield in third and in a creditable fourth place was William Stabler.
The second race of the day and fourth in the series, there was an addition to the starters, with Neil Tack and Rebecca Slator, sailing the Laser2000, joining the start.
With 12 boats on the line, it was again important to get away as the wind was straight down river.
There was a surprise in store as boats jostled for the start, as with a minute to go the wind suddenly dropped and caught out a number of boats, leaving them stranded back from the line.
It was again the lasers of Prior, Chapman, Powell, Cox and Adam Stabler who took advantage of the wind when it returned to stretch out a lead from Boyd, Tack and Slator, William Stabler, Thompson, Scourfield, Wojtowicz and Tibbs.
With the lead boats away, the chasing bunch were involved in some pretty close tacking and all the while checking for the speed-killing weed.
With a shortened course due to the failing breeze to 4 buoy back to clubhouse buoy one lap, it was again Prior who went clear leaving Chapman, Cox, Stabler and Powell to fight for the next places.
Prior crossed first, followed by the lasers of Powell and Chapman, who were neck and neck, and it was Powell who crossed just two seconds ahead of Chapman, followed by Cox, Adam Stabler, Thompson, Boyd, Scourfield, Tack and Slator and William Stabler.
The other boats had by this time decided to call it a day with the wind failing.
Handicaps applied it was Prior recording his second win, Powell in second, Chapman third, followed by Cox, Adam Stabler, Thompson, Boyd, Scourfield, Tack and Slator and William Stabler .
With the wind now dropped to nothing the third race was not sailed.
