2025 Series 3 Race 1

A brisk westerly wind set the stage for an exhilarating evening of racing on Wednesday, with all fleets enjoying ideal sailing conditions. A revised start order saw the White Sail fleet leading off, a strategic change aimed at maintaining separation between fleets across the course.

Pipers

With a healthy westerly breeze, a good course and the return of the full fleet of six boats after Talisker had been off the water since early in the season for urgent repairs, the Piper fleet had no reason to expect anything other than a fine race to begin the final series of the season, and for competitors and spectators alike, nobody was disappointed. As has become their habit, the crew of Billie positioned their boat perfectly on the start line and shortly opened up an early lead which opened up as the race progressed, although the two white hulls of Tamarind and Staypuff were keeping involved with a close tussle throughout between themselves.

Sailing a full three rounds of the course, Billie seemed to have the race sewn up but as the finishing line beckoned, the fleet congested, and in a fitting grandstand finish Robert Towart’s Staypuff and his regular crew of Caroline Clark and Charmaine Russell were well rewarded for their perseverance as they snatched the lead on the line to take first place, the first four boats all finishing within eighty seconds of each other.

1^st          Staypuff – Robert Towart, Caroline Clark and Charmaine Russell

2^nd        

Billie Piper – Iain Hurrel, Graeme Murray and Lorn Campbell

3^rd         Tamarind – Andy Love, David Bonner and James Hegarty

4^th         Tom Piper – Fergus Campbell, Ali Gordon and Iain Sinclair

5^th         Leander – Alan Waugh and Jim Campbell

6^th         Talsker – Jamie Rogers, Jenny Dunn and Neil McLaren

White Sail

Of the 4 boats in the class Atia, and Moonlight started at the port end of the line, arriving at the marina entrance mark ahead of Judicious and Panache who started further down the line. After the long run down to Strone first 3 arrived at the lee mark in close company, leaving Panache some distance behind. During the beat back to the end of the first round Judicious managed to creep ahead, while Atia and Moonlight swapped places several times. This continued through the next lap, while staying within sight of Judicious, keeping the racing tightly competitive. At the last mark Moonlight rounded just ahead of Atia but a tactical error, in not tacking immediately, then subsequently failing to call for water to tack in time, resulted in Moonlight grounding at Lazaretto Point. Quick thinking and action freed the boat in from the gravel but, after losing valuable time, Moonlight finished just half a minute behind Atia on handicap, and was still ahead of Judicious, while Panache did not finish.

1^st         Atia - Duncan Chalmers and Ali Marshall

2^nd         Moonlight - Nigel Scriven, Derek Webber and Chris Wilson

3^rd         Judicious - Jim Hoey, Andrew Leech, Ralph Houston and Mandy

Flying Fifteen

Just two Flying Fifteens competed, but they made the most of the long legs of the course. With the adjusted start order, More Mischieff enjoyed the challenge of chasing down the White Sail fleet, eventually overtaking them late in the second lap. Efficacious was unable to capitalize on the downwind legs after tearing their spinnaker,

1^st          More Mischieff – Chris and Marion Bowen

2^nd         Efficacious – Tommy McGeacies and Lesley Clements.