Sunday saw races seven and eight in the Frostbite series at the Welland Yacht Club.
A good sailing breeze and sunshine welcomed six boats to the start line where low water levels had narrowed the river.
The wind direction meant a tacking start to buoy number four where Alan Cox in the Radial Laser got away first, followed by Helen Boyd and Mark Scourfield, both in Solos.
Alastair Mitchell had to return to the bank after a coming together with Cox just before the start, broke a tiller extension.
He was able to borrow one and got back on the water behind Geoff Tibbs Solo and Richard Stedman, who had Sandra Ramp as first time crew in the Comet Duo.
Tacking up to Shelly’s Bush Corner, Cox held off Scourfield who had overtaken Boyd and once round it was a tight reach. Scourfield, with the larger sail, just managed to get past to windward on Chilvers Corner to take the lead and was first to round four buoy with a small lead over Cox.
Boyd was hanging on as they all enjoyed some off-wind planing back to round number one.
Mitchell made good progress after his delayed start, followed by Tibbs, Stedman and Sandra Ramp, who decided to call it a day.
On the beat back, Cox got into trouble going head to wind and Boyd passed to take second place.
Scourfield rounded the last buoy first and crossed the line ahead of Cox and Boyd with Mitchell a creditable fourth and Tibbs fifth, the positions being unchanged by handicap.
Scourfield got away first at the start of the second race, just ahead of Cox, who got caught on a port tack.
They were followed by Boyd and Mitchell with Tibbs just behind Stedman, who was now joined by Ramp’s son James as crew.
Boyd showed good speed to stay ahead of Cox to number four buoy, rounding second behind Scourfield and him on the run to number one.
Those three were away and the places did not change on the second lap but the gaps between them did as the wind provided some exciting reaches in patches.
Scourfield went on to cross the line first, ahead of Boyd, Cox, Tibbs, Stedman and Ramp.
Tibbs managed the only capsize of the day, just after finishing when he tipped in on the far bank after getting caught in the reeds.
Handicaps changed things, with Cox first by five seconds from Scourfield and Boyd a further 11 seconds behind. Mitchell took fourth, Tibbs fifth and Stedman/Ramp sixth.
