YACHT RACING REPORTS
FRIDAY RACES SERIES 2
SATURDAY AFTERNOON SERIES
Plym Yacht Club Friday Night Racing Race 1 Series 1
A first night of racing with the Plym YC and 18 yachts competed in very light winds that veered during the evening from West North West to North East and made for slow sailing on shortened courses.
Setting off from Mountbatten all three classes tacked over to North West Winter before setting spinnakers for a run to F Buoy followed by a tack towards Yachthaven then running back home to The Mallards.
Only the Fast A group were able to manage 2 laps and even they struggled during the second lap as the wind direction changed as it died ever more. Sean Koehler in Fundamental set off with a will and throughout the most of the race held first place but lost wind on the last stretch to finish after other boats however still winning on handicap. Peter Wanstall in Seascape after trailing badly at first came through to take second place on handicap with Robin Butterworth’s Soundbite a close third.
PYA completed just one lap but the finish gave us a dead heat on handicaps for first place between Stuart Woodger in Locust and Don Macrae in Larrikin. Mike Nuttall came in a close third in Jos of Avon.
PYB only had four boats sailing and they also had to make do with a one lap race. All four boats finished within seconds of each other led by John Freeman in Sirene with Patrick Chapman’s Sixpence a close second just edging out Chris Tempest in Whiffler. Keith Woodgate sailing single handed in Calvados completed the foursome after sailing a fine race.
Plym Yacht Club Friday Racing Race 3 Series1
On the evening of the Royal Wedding Race three of the Plymouth Yacht Club Friday Series attracted 20 yachts out in light but favourable winds from the North East. A fairly short programme of races were set in view of the forthcoming Fireworks Display later on whereby an exclusion zone had been set around the Mountbatten Pier.
The course that we set took boats out with spinnakers flying to Melampus before beating to Dunstone Rock then returning to Asia and back to the Mallards. All boats were able to complete two laps within the shortened time limit and a successful evenings racing finished well on time.
In the Fast A Class John McLarens’s Seascape with Peter Wanstell helming won on corrected time just ahead of Phileas with Pete Duffy in Altura, the first boat to complete the course, taking third place. All seven boats in this class finished within a couple of minutes of each other.
PYA Class were led throughout by Stuart Woodger in Locust and his winning time as he gained class honours took him clear of all others. Second, not too far behind on corrected time, came Tim Burne in Poppin with Don Macrae third after close racing.
Five boats contested the PYB Class and this was led throughout by Keith Woodgate in Calvados although he had to give way to slower boats on handicap and only took third place. The winning boat, Hesione with Roger Bloomfield, may have been the last to finish the course but his handicap gave him a winning edge after a very close race between all five yachts. Second place came Patrick Chapman in Sixpence who caught up a considerable margin after the first lap but couldn’t quite achieve more.
Plym Yacht Club Friday Racing Race 4 Series 1
22 Yachts raced this week over a longer course with better winds, even though still from the East. The first lap started with a run out to New Grounds Buoy before beating to Duke Rock followed by a spinnaker run, as the wind veered somewhat, to St. Nicholas then home to the Mallards. A slightly shorter second lap made for good racing within reasonable time.
The Fast A Group with 8 yachts competed closely with Charles Gurney’s X-Rated pulling into the lead ahead of Ashley Crawford in Mischief. These two led throughout but on handicap lost out to several boats that were just too close at the finish. First place came John McLaren’s Seascape with Sean Koehler in Fundamental close in second with Jeff Foster’s Persuasion third.
In PYA we had a grand tussle with only seconds dividing the first three on handicap. Stuart Woodger’s Locust however won from the front having led throughout. Peter Hamilton in Larrikin took second place deservedly just ahead of Mike Nuttall in Jos of Avon easing out Steve Brian in Noontide.
Little separated the first three boats in the PYB Class which was just won by Patrick Chapman in Sixpence with Keith Woodgate’s Calvados just 12 seconds behind in second place. Third to finish was John Freeman in Sirene to round off some very close racing on a gusty but pleasant evening.
Plym Yacht Club Long Distance Race (Danny Sargent Cup - Keith Hyde Cup
On Saturday the Plym Yacht Club also held their long distance race. This was held in steadily strengthening winds from the South West that reached up to force four or five.
The course was set to take boats to Ranney’s Buoy, off Looe Island and set them a fair task which all boats successfully achieved.
First boat home was Nigel Passmore’s Apollo 3 in the excellent time of just under four and a half hours. Apollo won the Fully Crewed race ahead of David Tipton’s Serendipity with Patrick Chapman third in Sixpence.
The two Handed division was clearly won by Mark Hanley in Moondragon on corrected time over Kelvin Crago’s Gannet who was the second boat home. Third place was taken by Jeff Foster in Persuasion who only just lost out on corrected time.
Much credit to all competitors for making this a first class race.
Plym Yacht Club Friday Racing race Race 5 Series 1
A good wind from the West greeted the 26 yachts that came out for the fifth race of the Plym Yacht Club Friday Series. A course was set with a beat to Asia before running out to F Buoy followed by beating to New Ground. The Reach back to the Mallards allowed spinnakers to fly even though somewhat shy. And this was only the first round.
We had 12 Fast A Class boats competing and they were very close together when the signal went for the start, and one boat, Phileas, was over the line and didn’t realise the fact for he continued racing. The leading boat, Aquaessence with Martin Northcott, revelling in the quick windy conditions held his lead throughout but could only take third place as handicaps allowed John McLaren’s Seascape and Sean Koehler’s Fundamental to take first and second places.
The PYA group of 8 boats became quite spread out after the first long round but Stuart Woodger in Locust sailed an excellent race to take Line Honours and win comfortably. Second place was taken by Janie Smallridge in Duchess just 15 seconds, on handicap, ahead of third placed Jos of Avon with Mike Nuttall. Again only seconds separated the third placed boat from Geoff Phillips in Hilarity pushed into fourth place.
The PYB Class was terminated after just the one round because of time constraints but was nevertheless closely contested with Patrick Chapman in Sixpence taking first place for a very close win. Handicap rating put Roger Bloomfield’s Hesione in second place ahead of Chris Tempest’s Whiffle, edged out into third.
Altogether a fine night of racing with boats covering much of the Sound and making quite a picture.
Plym Yacht Club Friday Racing race 6 Series 1
A South West Wind blowing at force 5 with gusts of force 6 gave plenty of excitement to the 18 yachts that took part this week. We set two courses, one for the faster boats and a shorter course for the small ones.
The fast A and A groups beat out to Asia before reaching to F Buoy and then having to beat to New Ground and back to the Mallards over three laps. Quite a test!
Sailing was consistently good with several boats pretty close throughout in the faster class but handicap played a part in deciding the order at the finish. First place in an excellent time came Robin Butterworth’s Soundbite followed by Ashley Crawford in Mischief with Kelvin Crago in Gannet taking third. A couple of boats had a bit of a scrap and were unable to continue but retirements were few.
In the PYA Group Stuart Woodger with Locust took line honours and also a resounding win with Peter Hamilton’s Larrikin taking a deserved second place ahead of Mike Nuttall in Jos of Avon. Although well spread out at the end, corrected times showed just how close all the yachts were over quite a demanding course.
PYB boats, where only four were able to compete, sailed a three lap race starting with the first beat to Asia but then running down to Dunstone Rock before beating back to Melampus and home. Over three laps all four boats kept pretty close together but with the winner, Patrick Chapman in Sixpence coming in half a minute ahead of Roger Bloomfield’s Hesione on handicap with John Freeman in Sirene not far behind.
First class sailing on a fine but windy night.
Plym Yacht Club Friday Evening Racing Race 6 Series 1
A South West Wind blowing at force 5 with gusts of force 6 gave plenty of excitement to the 18 yachts that took part this week. We set two courses, one for the faster boats and a shorter course for the small ones.
The fast A and A groups beat out to Asia before reaching to F Buoy and then having to beat to New Ground and back to the Mallards over three laps. Quite a test!
Sailing was consistently good with several boats pretty close throughout in the faster class but handicap played a part in deciding the order at the finish. First place in an excellent time came Robin Butterworth’s Soundbite followed by Ashley Crawford in Mischief with Kelvin Crago in Gannet taking third. A couple of boats had a bit of a scrap and were unable to continue but retirements were few.
In the PYA Group Stuart Woodger with Locust took line honours and also a resounding win with Peter Hamilton’s Larrikin taking a deserved second place ahead of Mike Nuttall in Jos of Avon. Although well spread out at the end, corrected times showed just how close all the yachts were over quite a demanding course.
PYB boats, where only four were able to compete, sailed a three lap race starting with the first beat to Asia but then running down to Dunstone Rock before beating back to Melampus and home. Over three laps all four boats kept pretty close together but with the winner, Patrick Chapman in Sixpence coming in half a minute ahead of Roger Bloomfield’s Hesione on handicap with John Freeman in Sirene not far behind.
First class sailing on a fine but windy night.
Plym Yacht Club Friday Racing Race 7 Series 1
A fine and blustery evening with the wind just North of West allowed a course to be set with a beat to North West Winter followed by a spinnaker run to F Buoy and a second beat to Yachthaven before returning to the Mallards. The second and third laps were slightly shorter using Dunstone Rock and Asia.
Slightly less boats out this week as some were entered for the RNSA Race to the Channel Isles but still14 yachts competed in the three classifications.
In the Fast A Group we had a real scrap between Mark Gatehouse in Phileas and John McLaren in Seascape 1. Phileas took line honours by a couple of minutes but had to give way on handicap to John’s Seascape who registered a first by some seconds. Third place and not far behind came Robin Butterworth’s Soundbite. Good sailing in gusty conditions.
In the PYA Group Geoff Phillips in Hilarity took first place on handicap ahead of Stuart Woodger’s Locust but only by a small margin. A little further behind came Peter Hamilton’s Larrikin scoring ahead of Chris Brian in Noontide but this was on handicap.
Patrick Chapman kept to his winning ways in Sixpence taking first place in the two lap race sailed by the PYB Group. Roger Bloomfield in Hesione took second spot on handicap just beating Keith Woodgate in Calvados by 21 seconds.
The Sound made a really spectacular sight during the evening with the St Peter Port Race starting with a really large fleet of yachts adding to the Plym competitors.
Plym Yacht Club Friday Racing Race 8 Series 1
Light winds meant for a short course this week and this was set with a beat to Melampus followed by a spinnaker run to Dunstone Rock and then home. Four laps were set but only three were completed by the fast class with two laps for the remainder.
8 yachts in the Fast A class started with only 6 finishing but those that did had to use all their skills to beat tide and dropping breeze. Adrian Bennett finished as the winner even though Pete Duffy in Altura crossed the line first. Second place was claimed by Robin Butterworth in Soundbite with Ashley Crawford in Mischief third.
In the PYA Class, Mike Nuttall in Jos of Avon led throughout to score an excellent win ahead of Tim Burne who coaxed Poppin into second place. Some way behind a real scrap was taking place for the third place which was eventually taken by Geoff Phillips in Hilarity.
The PYB Class only had four boats out but these showed just how good a smaller boat can do in light winds with Keith Woodgate in Calvados leading throughout, even overtaking and beating some of the faster class boats, to take a well deserved win. Roger Bloomfield in Hesione took second place on corrected time ahead of Patrick Chapman’s Sixpence. Fascinating sailing bringing out the best in all skippers who stayed the course.
Ullman Sails Plymouth Yacht Race Series Race to Fowey and Return
On Saturday the race to Fowey from Plymouth, run by the Saltash Sailing Club, attracted 26 Yachts in both IRC and PY Classes. Unfortunately after a fine start in a gentle but steady wind from just North of East the wind conditions became very unsettled and at times dropped to zero. Although the finishing time gave 7 hours for the course to be completed, few boats were able to complete within the time limit..
We hoped for better things for the return race run by the Plym Yacht Club but conditions caused another very slow race to be run.
The Sunday race back to Plymouth started with 22 yachts but only 6 managed to complete, 3 IRC yachts and 3 PY Yachts. The results will be published later.
PLYM YACHT CLUB REGATTA
Over the weekend the Plym Yacht Club also held their Annual Regatta. On the Saturday three races were held back to back starting from a Committee Boat with Race Officer Mike Pearson.
With very gusty conditions only 7 boats competed but close and exciting racing ensued. 1st place in all three races was taken by Jaw Breaker racing for the RWYC but second and third places were fought over between Jos of Avon, Altura, Mischief and sixpence.
The Sunday saw slightly less severe conditions and with two races held Ashley Crawford in Mischief and Mike Nuttall in Jos of Avon each had a first and each a second with Patrick Chapman in Sixpence and Roger Bloomfield in Hesione each taking a third place.
The results of the series put Mike Nuttall as overall winner with Ashley Crawford second and Patrick Chapman third.
Plym Yacht Club Friday Series 1 Race 10
An evening when the wind veered from South to East and increased from zero to gusts of 26 knots caused the fleet of 13 boats a few problems this week.
The two larger classes however managed to complete three laps and the small boats 2 laps of a testing course with much beating to windward, starting with the beat to Asia then running to Dunstone and beating back to Melampus and before running home to the Mallards.
The results are as follows.
PYF Class 1st Ashley Crawford in Mischief, 2nd John Maclaren in Seascape,3rd Sean Koehler in Fundamental.
PYA Class 1st Mike Nuttall in Jos of Avon, 2nd Tim Burne in Poppin, 3rd Janie Smallridge in Duchess.
PYB Class 1st Patrick Chapman in Sixpence, 2nd Roger Bloomfield in Hesione, 3rd John Freeman in Sirene.
Plym Yacht Club Friday Racing Race 1 Series 2
A southerly wind increasing from force 4 to the top end of force 5 and with even stronger gusts throughout made for exhausting but exhilarating racing for the 18 yachts venturing out for the first race of series 2 of the Plym Yacht Club Friday Racing.
The Fast A class was led convincingly by Pete Duffy’s Altura throughout 3 laps of the course, set to take them on a beat out to Duke Rock before running over to Melampus and back to base via North West Winter. 8 yachts challenged each other in this class which was won by a 1 second margin by Sean Koehler’s Fundamental ahead of John Maclaren in Seascape relegating Altura to 3rd place on corrected time.
The PYA Class was convincingly won by Mike Nuttall in Jos of Avon ahead of Peter Hamilton in Larrikin with Tim Burne in Poppin taking 3rd place after very close racing throughout the group of 6 boats.
In PYB we only had three entrants, one of which had to retire after a slight collision during round two. The result resulted in a win for Patrick Chapman in Sixpence with Chris Tempest second not very far behind.
All boats stuck it out in extremely trying conditions on a night when rain came driving in and visibility was much reduced.
Results.
Fast A Class. 1st Sean Koehler in Fundamental, 2nd John Maclaren in Seascape, 3rd Pete Duffy in Altura.
PYA Class 1st Mike Nuttall in Jos of Avon, 2nd Peter Hamilton in Larrikin, 3rd Tim Burne in Poppin.
PYB Class 1st Patrick Chapman in Sixpence, 2nd Chris Tempest in Whiffler.
Plym Yacht Club Friday Racing Series 2 Race 2
A light but constant breeze from the south meant we could set a three lap race for the 19 yachts, starting with a beat to F Buoy, then a reach to Dunstone before a spinnaker run to West Mallard for a first lap. The second and third laps took us through North West Winter to Melampus and back to Dunstone before returning to the Mallards.
The Fast A Group was led by Pete Duffy in Altura closely followed by Ashley Crawford in Mischief with John Maclaren in Seascape and Robin Butterworth in Soundbite closely contending for third spot. Mischief eventually won on handicap with Altura second and Seascape just taking third place.
The PYA Group was led throughout by Mike Nuttall in Jos of Avon but a very close race this was with Geoff Phillips in Hilarity and Tim Burn’s Poppin in close contention throughout and finishing in that order.
The PYB Group of 6 boats managed two laps comfortably and was won on corrected time by Roger Bloomfield in Hesione with Patrick Chapman in Sixpence taking second place even though finishing first over the line. John Freeman in Sirene came third just ahead of Martin Smith sailing Mint Julep.
Results
PYF 1st Ashley Crawford in Mischief, 2nd Pete Duffy in Altura, 3rd John Maclaren in Seascape.
PYA 1st Mike Nuttall in Jos of Avon, 2nd Geoff Phillips in Hilarity, 3rd Tim Burne in Poppin.
PYB 1st Roger Bloomfield in Hesione, 2nd Patrick Chapman in Sixpence, 3rd John Freeman in Sirene.
SORRY NO REPORT WAS MADE THIS WEEK AS THE CLUB REPORTER HAD THE WEEK OFF
Plym Yacht Club Friday Racing Series 2 Race 3
With the wind blowing at force 6 on the Beaufort Scale we still had 16 yachts keen to test themselves against the elements on quite long courses set around the Sound.
4 boats set off in the Fast Class beating out to New Ground before running to Duke Rock and back to the Mallards. The second and third laps were slightly smaller but tested all to the limit.
In PYF the first place was won by Sean Koehler in Fundamental some three minutes ahead of Ashley Crawford’s Mischief with Jeff Foster in Persuasion taking third place.
The PYA Group only did the first two laps of the same course, just missing out the last short lap. The winner was Mike Nuttall in Jos of Avon who led throughout. The second place was taken by Phil Atkin in Spellbound with Tim Burne’s Poppin the third boat home out of 7.
The PYB Class did a different course after the first lap and managed to complete three full laps in style. All five of these smaller boats completed the course with Roger Bloomfield in Hesione winning by a small margin on corrected time. Second place was taken by Patrick Chapman in Sixpence closely followed in by John Freeman in Sirene.
A great credit to all sailors who enjoyed a tough but thrilling race with no boat having to retire early.
Results
PYF 1st Sean Koehler in Fundamental, 2nd Ashley Crawford in Mischief, 3rd Jeff Foster in Persuasion.
PYA 1st Mike Nuttall in Jos of Avon, 2nd Phil Atkin in Spellbound, 3rd Tim Burne in Poppin.
PYB 1st Roger Bloomfield in Hesione, 2nd Patrick Chapman in Sixpence, 3rd John Freeman in Sirene.