It was a day of challenging fluky winds on Sunday at Welland Yacht Club for the nine boats on the water.
As has become the norm this season, the wind was blowing from the north, meaning the start line was down river, with sailors having to tack the short distance to buoy no.1, after which there was a long run up river to buoy number four.
Alan Chapman was first round the mark, followed closely by Andy Prior and grandson Harry Jackson in the Lark, with Alan Cox getting ‘shut out’ at the mark and having to go the long way round but still in third.
On the long run up river, the wind went through a cycle of dropping off to next to nothing and then filling in from behind. That meant Chapman’s good start and mark rounding did not provide the benefits he had hoped for as the majority of the fleet caught him up and all sailed down the river side by side up to buoy number four
Cox had water at this mark with Chapman just behind, followed by Prior and Jackson, with the larger Phantom of van Haren making up ground fast.
The competitors went back down the mile straight and then rounded buoy no.3 to run back to buoy no.4 again.
Although Chapman did manage to pass Cox briefly, his lead was short lived and Cox held on to it for the rest of the race.
Van Haren did manage to pass Chapman and the Lark of Prior/Jackson to cross the line in second and Helen Boyd in her Solo was sailing well and crossed fourth. Once handicaps were applied, Boyd moved up to third behind Cox and Chapman. Prior/Jackson were fourth, ten seconds ahead of van Haren. Richard Stedman in his Comet was sixth with newcomer Geoff Tibbs seventh, ahead of Adam Staber, in a Laser he was trying out, and his son William.
Wind conditions improved marginally for the second race but produced similar results. This time the Lark of Prior and Jackson were first around buoy no.1 and had started to pull out a bit of a lead before the wind dropped and then filled in from the back to allow the rest of the fleet to catch before all sailed in a line to buoy number four.
Prior and Jackson had water at the mark, rounding just ahead of Cox, Chapman and then Boyd before entering into a closely fought tacking duel with Cox for the remainder of the race, with Chapman a short distance behind.
Boyd kept pace in her slower Solo. Although Prior/Jackson hung on to cross the line first, Cox was only a few seconds behind to take first place comfortably on handicap.
Only seconds separated second to fourth with Chapman ahead of Boyd and with Prior/Jackson. Stedman was fifth with an improving Tibbs in sixth from Adam Stabler.
The wind had built further for the third race but the direction had not improved, allowing the fleet to bunch up again by buoy no.4. Cox rounded first with Prior and Jackson only metres behind. For the rest of the race these two boats swapped the lead place multiple times in a closely fought tacking duel.
In the end Prior and Jackson crossed the line a minute ahead but, again this was not sufficient to make up for the handicap and Cox took his third win of the day.
Stedman in his Comet stayed in contention with Boyd and took third spot from her. Chapman dropped back to fifth and Adam Stabler got the better of Tibbs to take sixth spot.
The results gave Cox the regatta victory with three straight wins in challenging conditions, with Chapman second in another Laser.
The Lark of Jackson and Prior were third, a point behind Chapman but on the same points as Boyd, taking the place on countback. Stedman was fifth from newcomer Tibbs. Adam Stabler came seventh, ahead of van Haren and William Stabler, who both only took part in one race.
The club is holding an open day on June 8, noon-4pm. Full details can be found on the wellandyachtclub.co.uk website.
