For the second week on the trot, winds were very light for Sunday’s racing at the Welland Yacht Club but this week it included heavy rain.
That combination reduced numbers to only seven boats for the first of two races.
The officer-of-the-day set a short course with the hopeful option of completing three laps. As the start gun went,
Andy Prior in a Laser took the lead from the OK of Andy Agar with the rest of the fleet a little behind. As the wind dropped and then filled in again, Agar got close to Prior on a number of occasions but was never able to challenge for the lead and they held these positions to the end of the shortened race.
Richard Stedman, in a Comet, had a lonely race holding third place from start to finish but the Solos of Adam Stabler and Geoff Tibbs had their own close race some distance behind, with Tibbs crossing the line first. Just behind the Solos was William Stabler in the slower RS Feva but he was elevated to fourth place once handicaps were applied.
Wind conditions did not improve much for the second race so the race was reduced to only two laps. William Stabler decided not to compete so only five boats started.
This time Agar got a perfect start and was a few boat lengths ahead of Prior. Stedman was third away, followed by Adam Stabler and Tibbs. Halfway along the first beat a big wind shift allowed Prior to overtake Agar and take the lead, which he kept until the end.
Stedman had a similar lonely race and kept third from start to finish. Stabler pulled away from Keith Davey for fourth place.
