May
23
2011
Peter Hearne
Dinghy News, Front Page, News
For once the weather forecasters got it right! The forecast was for strong westerly winds with gusts in excess of 30 mph and that’s exactly the conditions which greeted the young sailors who had entered the first leg of the Two Rivers Junior Regatta at Coombe Cellars on Sunday.
Don Harrison, the Race Officer, had set a simple triangle/sausage course in the most sheltered area of the river but when the time came to launch the conditions were becoming marginal for Junior racing so it was decided to allow only the smaller fast fleet, of mainly reduced rig Lasers, to go afloat. The safety boats were soon in action and sensibly the fleet was recalled ashore before even the first race warning signal was sounded. The AP was raised and more refreshments were served whilst waiting for the wind to abate.
By 11:30 am it became clear that the 30 mph gusts were here to stay for a while longer so unfortunately racing was abandoned for the day and the BBQ fired up for an early lunch.
However, under strict safety conditions, a handful of the most experienced youngsters were allowed afloat to enjoy (or endure!) a few minutes of exhilarating strong wind sailing.
Heather Davies did capture some of the limited on the water action and those pictures can be viewed at http://www.fotoboat.com .
Many thanks to all those who helped out on the day, both on and off the water.
The next leg of the Two Rivers Junior Regatta will be hosted by the Exe Sailing Club on Saturday 11th June 2011.