Welland Yacht Club hosted the Tulip Trophy 2026 on Sunday in lively conditions
Winds of 16-18mph provided fast, exciting racing and caused several capsizes throughout the afternoon.
Eleven boats took to the water for the three-race series, with competitors facing strong gusts and choppy conditions that tested both skill and stamina.
Despite the demanding weather, the fleet produced some excellent racing and close finishes across the mixed handicap classes.
Tom Bell, sailing a Laser Radial, claimed overall victory with an impressive and consistent performance, winning two of the three races.
Alan Chapman also sailed strongly in his Laser Radial to take second place overall, despite capsizing before both the second and third races.
He still managed to recover quickly enough to post excellent results throughout the series.
Third place went to Andy Agar in his wooden OK dinghy. His steady sailing earned him three third-place finishes across the series.
Neil Tack and Rebecca Slator provided some of the day’s most exciting action in their Laser 2000, making full use of their spinnaker in the strong breeze to secure fourth place overall.
Their colourful downwind runs proved popular with spectators watching from shore.
Alistair Mitchell and Mark Holland both battled hard in Laser Radials before the increasing wind strength in the later races forced retirements, while Gerri van Haren in the Phantom and Mark Scourfield, Helen Boyd, Geoff Tibbs all in Solos and Adam Stabler in a Laser full rig all faced challenging conditions as the breeze built during the first race, resulting in retirement from the event.
The club is holding its annual open day on Sunday, noon-4pm for anyone wanting to give sailing a try.
