What a stunning days sailing was had in Holyhead today, for the 43 boat Squib fleet, who sailed two races on Tuesday, to compensate for having lost a race yesterday due to lack of wind writes Vincent Delany.
In race two of the series, David Lovegrove the PRO laid an even start line. The tide was ebbing, but it turned out not to be a significant aspect of the race. The fleet were evenly spread on the start line. Half of the fleet headed out on starboard tack on a heading of 350 degrees, while the rest of the fleet headed towards the cliffs, but when the latter tacked, just short of the lay line they found that they were heading at 004 degrees, benefitting from the wind bend coming off the shore. Despite the race consisting of two spinnaker reaching legs, and a spinnaker run, in a dying tide, the changes in boat position were relatively few. This seems to show that boat speed among the entire fleet is remarkably similar. The final placings in this race were:
1st. ‘Humphrey’ sailed by Robert Coyle and Mark Rawinsky, from Royal Corinthian Yacht Club.
2nd. ‘Aquabat’ sailed by Mike Probert and Steve Warren Smith, from Royal Victoria Yacht Club.
3rd. ‘Ric O’Shea’ sailed by Josh Metcalf and Mark Hogan, from South Caernarvonshire Yacht Club.
After a quick lunch afloat, the fleet went back into a starting sequence for race three. The PRO decided to ‘Name and Shame’ one of the Squibs which was over the start line at 40 seconds before the gun, it was ‘Cariad Bach’. Eventually a clean start was achieved, on the third attempt to start, which was under a black flag. Again, the fleet split left and right. The advantage of heading to the cliffs was not as significant as previously. The leaders who were bunched, were ‘Squib’, ‘Cariad Bach’ and ‘Insatiable’. This time the race was a windward-leeward race, a race type which some people feel is lacking in opportunities for the boats behind. On the second time reaching the leeward gate, Nigel and Jack Grogan in ‘Helmut Shoing II’ who were lying in about 5th place, took the brave move of heading for the starboard gate mark, because he had realised that the tide had turned. This brave move presented him with the lead in the race. Not a small lead, but at least 20 boat lengths from ‘Cariad Bach’. On the third and final run, much of the fleet thought that they were following the Grogans, and failed to go through the gate on their way to the finish line. When they saw ‘Cariad Bach’ crossing the fleet on starboard, they were jolted them out of their sheep like behaviour, and reached up to the final gate before finishing.
At the finish the placing was:
1st. ‘Helmut Shoing’ Nigel and Jack Grogan from Royal Corinthian Yacht Club.
2nd. ‘Cariad Bach’ Alan Johnson and David Garlick from South Caernarfonshire Y.C.
3rd. ‘Insatiable’ John and Lou Bibby from Treaddur Bay Sailing Club.
With three races sailed, many competitors are carrying remarkably high and low placings , but the top three boats in the overall rankings, which are showing some consistence in the competitive fleet, are all using Batt Sails, which can be no coincidence.
1st. ‘Squib’ Dick Batt and Pamela Phelan, with 2, 6, and 4 placings.
2nd. ‘Cariad Bach’ Alan Johnson and David Garlick, with 5, 7 and 2nd. placings.
3rd. ‘Ric O’Shea’ Josh Metcalf and Mark Hogan, with 7, 3, and 7th. placings.
In the silver fleet, Noel Colclough and Vincent Delany’s ‘Periquin’ lead with 6, 30 and 22nd. Placings.
In the Bronze fleet, Philip Barnes and David Thomas in ‘Atomic’ lead with 12, 14 and 9th placings.
Racing continues tomorrow with one race.
Following a protest in race three between ‘Ric o’Shea’ and ‘Helmut Shoing’ who won that race, the overall results have been amended as follows:
Race 3, results was:
1 st . ‘Cariad Bach’ Alan Johnson and David Garlick from South Caernarfonshire Y.C.
2 nd . ‘Insatiable’ John and Lou Bibby from Treaddur Bay Sailing Club.
3 rd . ‘Squib’ Dick Batt and Pam Phelan from
With three races sailed, many competitors are carrying remarkably high and low placings , but the
top three boats in the overall rankings, which are showing some consistence in the competitive fleet,
are all using Batt Sails, which can be no coincidence.
1 st . ‘Squib’ Dick Batt and Pamela Phelan, with 2, 6, and 3 placings.
2 nd . ‘Cariad Bach’ Alan Johnson and David Garlick, with 5, 7 and 1 st . placings.
3 rd . ‘Ric O’Shea’ Josh Metcalf and Mark Hogan, with 7, 3, and 6 th . placings.
