Saundersfoot Sailing Club held its annual regatta over the bank holiday weekend, with over 50 boats on the water, representing sailing clubs from near and far. It was a successful weekend, with two races being held on the Saturday within the bay around a triangular course set by race officer Rolfe John and his assistants, and a long distance race to Caldey Island on the Sunday. Saturday's racing in pleasant sunshine and a gentle force two saw a mix of boats at the front of the fleet, with first place going to Peter and Andrew Rose from Chew Valley SC in their beautiful wooden Scorpion, second place to Keith Macdonald and Andy Brittain from Blithfield SC in a Fireball, third to Steve Bowen from Aberaeron SC in an International Canoe and fourth place to local sailor, Nic Berridge in his Phantom. Sunday should have seen the fleet venturing around Caldey Island, but with a forecast force 5 from the south-west, the race officer took the sensible decision to send the fleet around a shortened course using the EEl Point buoy as the turning mark at the entrance to Caldey Sound. The wind ensured that everyone had a long and testing beat out to Eel Point and then a very fast and exciting reach back to Monkstone Point, before the final fetch into the finish at the harbour. There were a number of capsizes and many competitors were grateful that the race officer's discretion had saved them from even more testing conditions at the back of Caldey. The fast handicap part of the fleet was led home by Steve Bowen in his Canoe, with fellow Canoe sailor and Saundersfoot member Robin Wood narrowly beaten into second place after a swim at Eel Point. In third place was the Cherub sailed by Gavin Simms and Simon Turnbull from Neyland YC, with Tenby sailors Dan Jackson and Steve Stubbs in fourth place in their Laser 4000. In the slow handicap fleet, the Roses Scorpion was again in the lead, with Saundersfoot's dinghy captain Paul Griffiths sailing his Laser into second place a mere second ahead of his cousin David Plester from Portishead SC, also in a Laser. As ever, the club is grateful to all who helped, both on and off the water, during the weekend and in particular to those members who took their own boats on the water on Sunday to escort the fleet, along with a patrol boat from Tenby SC and the RNLI inshore boats. Thankfully they were not needed, but their presence was reassuring to the competitors - and to the race officers. Next Sunday, in addition to the normal club dinghy race, the cruisers have a race around Caldey Island, starting at 10.30. We hope for a good turnout of boats from both Saundersfoot and Tenby and that the weather is kinder to us than it was to the dinghies last weekend.
