Sunday Sailing
Another day of light and fickle winds appears to be the price we are having to pay for a decent summer as yet again the usual suspects lined up on the starting line off the lifeboat slip in Tenby last Sunday.
Dan Jackson in his RS600 was away smartly, closely followed by Mike Stace and the Alistairs in their Ospreys. The race panned out fairly evenly, with the competitors assuming their positions according to the established pecking order. The only upset to usual order was the appearance of Steve Stubbs and his daughter Jasmine in their Laser 2000. The light winds suited them in their first appearance in a club race and their smart spinnaker work meant that they put in a creditable performance and kept in touch with the pack.
However, all was thrown into disarray on the last lap when a failing wind combined with a strengthening tide meant that the positions were somewhat disrupted, with several boats failing to make any headway. The race officer recovered the situation with a retrospective shortened course signal that resulted in a meaningful result.
Dan Jackson ended up winning, closely followed by Mike Stace and the Alistairs. Steve and Jasmine Stubbs ended up a creditable fourth, ahead of Paul Redford in his Phantom and Colin Parmenter and Steve Harris in their Osprey. The conditions, however, proved too testing for the youngsters with their high performance skiffs, with Tommy and Conner in their 49er retiring.
At the end of the race, it was just left to race officer Mark and Julia Dashfield to recover the racing marks and those boats that had ended up being swept along South Beach by the tide!
The final results are summarised below:
1. Dan Jackson in a RS600; 2. Mike Stace and Deanna Morton in an Osprey; 3. Alastair Knibb and Alistair Mackay in an Osprey; 4. Steve Stubbs and Jasmine Stubbs in a Laser 2000; 5. Paul Redford in a Phantom; 6. Colin Parmenter and Steve Harris in an Osprey.
Congratulations
Last weekend, two of our junior members took part in the Welsh finals of the Honda Rib Challenge held at Pwllheli, under the guidance of the powerboat coach, Edward Dashfield. This is a power boating event run by the Royal Yachting Association to help develop youngsters' skills and involve them in power boating. It involves two timed runs around a slalom course, with a few other boat handling manoeuvres thrown in.
I'm delighted to report that Charlie Stewart-Walvin and Conor Keohane finished first and second, respectively, with only half a second between them and well ahead of the rest of the field, keeping up the club's tradition of excellence in powerboat training.
Charlie will now represent both Wales and Tenby Sailing Club at the UK finals, to be held at Southampton Boat Show later in September. We wish him well.
Old Castle Head Cruiser Race
A small fleet turned out for the annual race to Old Castle Head buoy last Saturday, some deterred by the forecast of light winds, others by the rugby.
A closely contested start between Tejeda, Sibling and Artful Dodger set the fleet off on the upwind leg towards Giltar. Artful Dodger took a slight lead in the early stages, tacking onto port the fleet headed along the South Beach where a hole in the wind stopped the Dodger dead. Sibling leapt into the lead, with Tejeda close behind.
Approaching St. Margaret's, the two Hunter Deltas exchanged tacks, with never more than a few boat lengths between them, eventually breaking clear of the islands and settling onto a long fetch towards Manorbier.
So far the tide had been favourable and now, as it started to turn, Tejeda started to drop back quite a distance. Artful Dodger relished the conditions and pulled out a sizable lead as the wind eased and the tide increased.
Eventually the wind died further and after a hard fought battle, Sibling called it a day and headed for home.
With the wind coming in fits and starts, the Dodger managed to just make it around the mark and hoisted kite for the long run home, passing Tejeda at five knots over the ground! With the light fading, the Achilles called it a day also, leaving Artful Dodger the only finisher in a grand time of 6.5 hours.
Junior Training
Yet again over 40 youngsters turned up for the usual junior training session which resulted in 20 club boats on the water, again a magnificent sight.
With little or no wind, the trainees were instructed on how to sail in very light conditions.
After a 'drifting' training session, the trainees and racers were treated to the universally acclaimed Terry Evans BBQ.
Sessions are planned for every Wednesday at 5.15 pm, weather permitting.
Welsh Schools Championships
The Welsh Schools and Clubs Championships will be held at Tenby this weekend. Over 100 entries are expected from all over Wales, including several members of the Welsh national squad. There will also be a beginners fleet to encourage newcomers to racing.
Apologies for possible congestion at the harbour, but it's great to see all these youngsters taking part in a very worthwhile sporting activity.
We are very grateful for the generous sponsorship by Milford Haven Port Authority and Ledwood Mechanical Engineering. Recently, a cheque was presented to commodore Mark Dashfield and junior training co-ordinator, Karin Morris, by Claire Palmer, head of community development.
Saturday Adult Training
An excellent afternoon's training was enjoyed on Saturday in perfect conditions by a small select group of adults. . Thanks to Colin and Mark, instructors, who both stated their time on the water was an absolute pleasure and to Denny for running safety cover.
The adult training sessions, run by commodore, Mark Dashfield, will continue as usual next Saturday, July 11. Adults who wish to participate should contact their personal trainer or Mark Dashfield on 844918. Please note places are by prior arrangement only.
Jam Evening
Due to unforeseen circumstances, the next session will take place on Monday, July 20, not the 13th, as previously stated. Don't miss it, it's the place to be!
Friday Food Club
I'm sorry to disappoint the regular Friday 'noshers', but there will be no food laid on this evening due to the above mentioned Welsh Schools Championships. However, there is a BBQ tomorrow (Saturday) evening prepared by the legendary Terry Evans. Club steward, Nick Bolwell will be back in the driving seat next week, so don't panic!
GP14
Captions
Regatta winners....
Sail traning18a....
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