Despite numerous members being present only three brave souls took to the water for the Adventurers’ Trophy regatta at Welland Yacht Club.
With temperatures very high and only the slightest of winds it was always going to be hard for those on the water.
For race one the OOD set the shortest course possible but with the options of two laps.
It was Helen Boyd in her Solo who got the best start from Jorrit and Toby Schrauwers in their Kestrel with new youngster James Ramp a little behind, however within seconds the wind changed and Ramp pulled through to second place.
This set the tone for the rest of the race with boats consistently changing position.
On a number of occasions, the larger Kestrel pulled clear only for the wind to drop allowing the smaller boats to catch.
With the wind not building, the OOD shortened the course after one lap, which saw Ramp finish first, shortly ahead of Boyd with the Schrauwers a couple of minutes behind.
Once handicaps were applied Boyd moved ahead of Ramp to give her the victory.
Wind increased very slightly for the second race which gave the prospect of two laps being possible.
This race followed a similar pattern but Ramp managed to extend his lead at the bottom of the course and held on to this until the end.
He crossed the line two and a half minutes ahead of Boyd which gave him the win after handicaps were applied.
With one win and one second things were neck and neck between Boyd and Ramp so all was to play for.
Despite the very light wind Ramp got the better start and kept clear of both other boats for the remainder of the race.
On a number of occasions, he pulled out a comfortable lead only for Boyd to close the gap to less than her handicap.
After the Schrauwers retired, Ramp rounded the bottom mark and started the final run with a comfortable lead but as the wind filled in Boyd closed this up considerably and as Ramp rounded the last mark by the clubhouse Boyd wasn’t far behind.
In the final leg Ramp put in two good tacks and held onto starboard tack to cross the line without the need for another tack and although Boyd tried to do the same but the wind dropped and she had to put in a final very slow tack costing her vital seconds.
Ramp’s finished one minute 40 seconds ahead of Boyd but the deficit dropped to only seven seconds after handicaps were applied giving Ramp the victory by the closest of margins.
Despite the challenging conditions it was very close racing which saw youngster Ramp take his first regatta victory.
