Prior takes the honours again

Sunday saw eight Welland Yacht Club boats take to the water for the three races that count towards the Ralph Gibson Memorial Trophy, and now almost weed free thanks to the EA and a good breeze blowing, it was an ideal day.
The wind in the north meant a short tack to the number 1 buoy from the start line and all boats made a clean start with the Lasers of Powell and Prior making the best start with the remainder not far behind as the leaders passed through the rest making their way to 1 buoy.
In a two-lap race that tested the crews at times with the variable wind directions, the two Lasers pulled away on the off-wind legs and were never threatened.
Prior passed Powell to cross the line first, finishing three minutes in front, with Alan Cox in the Laser Radial third, Neil Tack and Rebecca Slator in the Graduate fourth, Richard Stedman in fifth in the Comet, Helen Boyd in the Solo in sixth, Eric Murray in the Mirror seventh and Alan Chapman, who had capsized and caught in the reeds in the Laser, in eighth.
In Race Two, Powell and Prior again judged the start well, followed by Tack and Slator, then Cox, and with the short tack up to buoy 1 it was going to be close as to who rounded first.
With a starboard rounding, Prior had right of way over Powell that let him through first. These two in the faster boats and on the off-wind leg, pulled away from Boyd, Stedman and Murray.
As they came round for the second lap Prior and Powell were in close battle for the lead, followed by Cox who had Tack and Slator for company, with Boyd and Stedman in close proximity.
On the beat back to the finish line Powell, whose boat was managing to point higher than Prior, took the lead and covered Prior to the line, taking first position from him by 21 seconds followed by Cox in third, Tack and Slator in fourth, Stedman fifth, Boyd sixth and Murray in seventh.
It was all to race for between Powell and Prior in the third race decider and with a reduced fleet of five boats and the wind slightly increasing the course of 1 to 4 buoy twice would give them a good sail. Once again it was Prior, Powell and Cox who rounded the buoy in that order and stretched out a lead on Tack and Slator and Stedman who rounded close together.
After 40 minutes it was Prior who held the lead from Powell with Cox crossing the line in third place. When handicaps were applied Prior was in first, Cox who had held onto Powell finished in 2nd just ten seconds on corrected time and Powell in third, Stedman in 4th and tack and stator in 5th.
Overall: Prior 4 points, Powell 6 points, Cox 8 points.