Overall victory went the way of Andy Prior and Tom Bell at Welland Yacht Club’s PBS Salva personal handicap regatta on Sunday.
The pair managed one win, a second place and a third position in the three races held on the day as the regatta went all the way down to the final moments of the last race.
With only three boats taking to the start for the first race, things didn’t really go to plan as the wayfarer of Prior and Bell didn’t hear the five minutes to start signal.
By the time they had realised the race had started, Ros Nickols (Europe) and Richard Stedman (Laser) were gifted a head start.
However, disaster struck Stedman when his tiller extension broke, forcing him to retire. Although Prior and Bell persevered, they had no chance to catch Nickols who took the first win.
Two more boats – Geri van Haren in his Phantom and Brian Cobb in a second Europe – joined the fleet for race two. This time Prior and Bell got away in the lead from Stedman then Nickols, van Haren and Cobb.
As they rounded the windward mark at the top of the course it was still Prior and Bell in front, with Nickols now second from Stedman third. The top three positions did not change after handicap.
That left Nickols and Prior tied on points ahead of the finale, so it would come down to who finished ahead of who.
As the first lap completed van Haren led from Prior and Bell, then Nickols, Stedman and Cobb. Ace van Haren would remain ahead and cross the finish first from Prior Bell then Stedman, Nickols and Cobb.
Once personal handicap was applied, van Haren would keep the win with Cobb second. Crucially, Prior and Bell secured overall victory with a third place ahead of Nickols in fourth.
