Ten boats lined up for Sunday’s Flag Officers’ Cup at the Welland Yacht Club.
Light wind conditions favoured the Comet boats, which claimed the top two spots.
Gail Follington was first overall, with Richard Stedman second place and Helen Boyd in her Solo third after handicaps were applied.
Due to the light winds and thick weed in the river a short course was set.
Race 1 started with James Ramp, in a Laser, and the Solo of Boyd getting off to a great start, leaving the rest of the field behind due to a lack of wind near the clubhouse.
After a few gusts, the rest got away. The Laser of Alan Chapman struggled several times when the weed halted progress and he needed assistance from the safety boat before retiring.
First to buoy 3 were Boyd, Ramp and William Stabler, in his Laser Radial.
Boyd was first across the line, closely followed by Follington but the positions were reversed after handicaps, with Stabler third.
Race two saw another great start for Boyd and Ramp, with Stabler joining them.
Follington was stuck in weeds, causing a capsize but she quickly caught up with the rest of the boats.
Stabler crossed the finish line first, followed by Boyd, Schrauwers and Stedman. After handicaps were applied, Stedman won with Stabler second and Boyd third. The Brightey pairing in the GP14 were pleased to finish their first full race together.
Eight boats were on the start line for the third race. This time it was the GP14 of Brightly and the Solo of Tibbs who got off to a flying start.
Brightly got stuck at buoy three and became an obstacle for the rest of the fleet to negotiate. Boyd did that in style, followed by Ramp and Schrauwers.
With positions changing throughout the race it was an exciting finish. James came over the line to finish with a clear lead ahead of Schrauwers, Follington, Boyd and Tibbs.
Handicaps were then applied, which gave Ramp a win, followed by the Comets of Follington and Stedman.
- Breaking News
