After a few weeks of tricky southerly breezes, the latest races as part of Waveney & Oulton Broad Yacht Club's winter series were held on Sunday.
With a great wind for close racing – 10-12mph from the East - blowing down the length of the Broad, it also turned bitterly cold – affecting the safety boat teams more than the sailors.
In race one, the Fast Handicap saw the only Slow Handicap boat (Nathan Clark in his Topper) joining them and making the best start: right on the line, at the starboard end, moving fast.
Adam Yorkston and Jordan Levett in their RS400 found the gusts rather tricky, with a couple of capsizes.
Later in the race a huge gust blew them past the gybe mark, causing a retirement just before the finish.
Meanwhile, Bruce and Simon Beckett, in their two Laser’s, had a great race swapping positions.
The Squibs saw a very close start, with Bryan and Jenny Riley in Brimstone forced to tack off to get clear wind.
Chris Schonhut and Laurence Read in Paramour made the best of the start, with Richard Sullivan and Sue Harper in Clever Dick taking the lead up the beat.
Paramour won the first mark, leaving Clever Dick struggling around the mark.
Brimstone sorted the two reaches and the second beat to take the lead, only for Paramour to sail through to leeward on the second close reach.
Unfortunately for Paramour’s crew a spinnaker tangle, when they were in the lead, saw then drop back again.
In race two, Custard - the RS400 of Richard Fryer and Rosie Madin - thoroughly enjoyed the change of course to a long windward/leeward course.
Their spinnaker and gybing work downwind enabled them to take their first win of the series.
The two Laser’s both had a capsize – with Bruce getting his out of the way early in the race, while Simon left his too late to recover his position.
This allowed the OK of James Jarvey to take second place.
The Squibs saw Flame (Richard Smith and Graham Reeve) break clear at the start towards the port end of the start line and lead around the first mark, only for Clever Dick to find the right course downwind, gybing with the spinnakers up, to jump from third into first place.
On the second run, Flame followed their previous downwind course (where they lost out in the first run), this time to take the lead, with Brimstone following them into second place up the second long beat.
Paramour sorted out their tangles by the end of the day to just pip Clever Dick on the finish line.
Results:
1st Fast Handicap
1 Laser Bruce Beckett
2 Laser Rawhide Simon Beckett
3 Topper Doh-Nut Nathan Clark
2nd Fast Handicap
1 RS400 Custard Richard Fryer and Rosie Madin
2 OK James Jarvey
3 Phantom Phanfone Nick Favell
1st Squibs
1 Brimstone Bryan and Jenny Riley
2 Flame Richard Smith and Graham Reeve
3 Clever Dick Richard Sullivan and Sue Harper
2nd Squibs
1 Flame Richard Smith and Graham Reeve
2 Brimstone Bryan and Jenny Riley
3 Paramour Chris Schonhut and Laurence Read
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