A lively westerly and dark grey skies met twenty dinghy sailors for our Spring Open Regatta on Easter Weekend. Strong gusts swept across the broad leaving several competitors knocked down or dunked. Regular visitor Chris Bunn, representing Snowflakes Sailing Club, returned once again, though the unfavourable forecast clearly deterred others.
Race 1 in the multi‑sail fleet quickly developed into a close contest between David Houghton and Chris Foster in their Wayfarers. Foster ultimately held the advantage to take the win, with Houghton second and Tony Fulford (Comet Trio) securing third.
The single‑sail fleet was dominated numerically by ILCA and Solo sailors. After a strong start, Daniel Bull (ILCA 7) and Chris Barker (ILCA 6) led the first upwind leg, only for a sharp wind shift to send both swimming. This opened the door for Kevin Edwards (Solo) who built an early lead until a wrong mark rounding forced his retirement. With the ILCA sailors still recovering and Edwards now out, Roger Wilson (Streaker) and Chris Bunn (Solo) moved ahead. Wilson took a comfortable win, Bunn followed in second, and Barker kept up to finish third just ten-seconds behind on corrected-time.
Race 2 brought another Houghton and Foster duel in the multi‑sail fleet, the pair continually swapping positions, but this time Houghton took victory. A capsize removed Fulford from contention, allowing Howard Astley‑Jones (RSVareo) to claim third. In the single‑sail fleet, Bull again capsized while leading, enabling Barker, Bunn and Wilson to pounce. Barker took the win on handicap, Bunn followed, and Wilson placed third only eleven-seconds behind.
The most determined sailors returned to the water for Race 3. Foster, the sole multi‑sail entrant, secured overall honours uncontested, with Fulford and Astley-Jones unable to qualify due to a ‘DNF’ each. Bunn, Wilson and Barker were all equal on points going into the afternoon, but with Barker having to head home, it was Streaker versus Solo for the win. The fleet stayed tight until the final lap, when Wilson and Bull broke clear. Wilson won on corrected-time, sealing overall victory, with Bull second and Bunn third.
| Overall Results for Multi-Sail Fleet |
| 1) Chris Foster and Chris Codling (Wayfarer) |
| 2) David Houghton & John Simmonds (Wayfarer) |
| 3) Shaun Burland & Crew (Wayfarer) |
| Overall Results for Single-Sail Fleet |
| 1) Roger Wilson (Streaker) |
| 2) Chris Bunn (Solo) |
| 3) Chris Barker (ILCA 6) |
Thank you to our photographers Kevin John Davidson and Glenn Barker who upload photos for us every week. You can see the Flickr Album for this event linked here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/rollesbybroadsc/albums/72177720332938789 and in the slideshow above. I have also found two ‘fun’ moments from this week, but if you go back into the Flickr Albums site history there are so many more to enjoy! See you all next weekend – Saturday 11th for Spring Sailing Social, and Sunday 12th for first Eels Foot & Series Racing.
Report By – Ellie Edwards