Bell has Grounds for joy

Sunday saw seven boats take to the start for the first race of the Grounds Trophy at Welland Yacht Club.
With a reasonable breeze, they headed the short distance to the windward mark (clubhouse buoy), with Ian Thompson (Solo) and Alan Cox (Laser Radial) getting away slightly ahead of Martin Cook (Solo), Tom Bell (Laser), Helen Boyd (Solo), Mark Holland (Laser) and Eric Murray (Mirror).
Once around the mark they started the run upriver to buoy no.4 with Cox ahead from Bell. Bell took the lead and tried to pull ahead enough from Cox to break the handicap. Holland moved up to third but with the following Solos still within handicap.
As they tacked their way back to the clubhouse buoy, Murray took a single lap time with the rest going on to complete a second lap. Bell crossed the line ahead of Cox, followed by Holland, Thompson, Boyd and Cook. Cox took the win from Bell once handicaps were applied with the remainder of the positions unchanged.
Cox and Bell were away first in the second race, followed by Cook then Boyd, Holland, Thompson and Murray.
Thompson got into shallow water and grounded his centre board, forcing a capsize and dropping him to the back of the fleet.
Once around the clubhouse buoy again the run upriver to buoy no.4 saw Bell in the lead from Cox. The wind had started to pick up during the tacking back to the clubhouse and as they started their second lap, Murray, in the slower Mirror again took a single lap time.
Once around buoy no.4 for the second time, the gusts were proving challenging for most with Cox finally getting caught and capsizing. That allowed Holland to get past and the challenging conditions allowed him to pull away. Bell crossed the line first, followed by Holland, Cox, Cook, Boyd and Thompson but handicap moved Cox into second place.
After the break for lunch with the wind a little stronger, only three boats took to the start – the two full Lasers of Bell and Holland and the radial of Cox for a single lap.
Bell took the lead from Cox, followed by Holland and that order remained until once around buoy no.4 when Holland passed Cox but struggled to pull away. Bell crossed the line first but handicap moved him back into second place.
Bell took victory in the Grounds Trophy from Cox with Holland third, followed by Cook, Boyd and Thompson tied in fourth and Murray seventh.