#Young sailors have battled it out in seven races so far at the Volvo Gill Optimist Championships in Pwhelli - it's been a tough few days, with the weather being predominantly windy and wet, but the sun is now shining and the forecast for the final two days is looking more summer-like. Peter Fagan from Skerries Sailing Club is the top Irish sailor in 19th place followed by Howth's Jamie McMahon in 27th, the recent top performer at the European Championships at the same venue. Next is the National Yacht Club's Clare Gorman in 33rd.
There are about 160 competitors in the senior fleet, with the entry dominated by overseas competitors who account for over half the entries. Most of these overseas sailors have been selected to represent their countries at the upcoming Optimist World Championships in Poland later in the summer, so they're using the British event as for event preparation and making it a really competitive event.
Sunday was the first scheduled race day, so after a short delay the race team set out with strong winds from the south west and rain, heavy at times. The fleets tallied out and waited on the beach for the launch signal, but the visibility reduced and the race team decided that racing would not be possible, with visibility reduced to less than half a mile. The race team returned to harbour and the sailors made their way back up the beach to dry out and take advantage of the stunning new sailing base at Plas Heli.
Three races were completed on Monday, in fresh conditions - south westerly 17-21 knots with occasional rain showers - at Pwllheli a south-westerly means big waves and plenty of excitement - throughout the fleet, there are stories to tell of endurance, exhilaration and near wipe-outs!
For Tuesday, the winds decreased slightly, averaging around 16 knots with gusts of up to 24 knots and coming initially from the north west, but moving round to south west as the day progressed. However, it wasn't just a matter of protecting the left hand side of the course, as the shifts coming off the land sometimes went right for quite a few minutes. With wind against tide for the first two races of the day, there were quite a few black flag disqualifications as sailors misjudged the tidal effect, but after four races on the day, seven in total, and a discard available, the best sailors have risen to the top of the fleet.
Wednesday was a well-served rest day and the fleet now splits into gold and silver for the next two days of racing. The top five places are currently held by overseas sailors, but the points are still close, and Rhys Lewis and Milly Boyle closed behind in sixth and seventh places. After some excellent results in the early races, Vita Heathcote has had to withdraw from the event because of illness - get well soon Vita. We're looking forward to some close racing in both gold and silver fleets, with a more moderate wind and the most important thing - some sunshine!
Full results here
