September 17th – Gillette Series Race 12

A strong breeze from the southwest with gusts up to force 6 for the final round of the Gillette series last night.

9 boats made it out for the start, where the wind quickly built further. All boats were right on the line at the start, but Will S (ILCA6) & Darren (ILCA7) both suffered capsizes just after the starting gun.

Will quickly recovered, but Darren’s tiller extension broke and he was forced to retire.

A long beat up to the far end of the lake had Mike & Alé (470) in first, followed by Hugh (ILCA7) & Rhys (ILCA6).

Rhys overtook Hugh on the reach, before both of them passed Mike & Alé, who had capsized on the penultimate mark. Further back, Joel (ILCA6) & Richard W (ILCA7) were having a close battle & Paul W was braving the conditions in his Morbic.

Mike & Alé required assistance from the safety boat team to right their 470 & retired.

Ralph meanwhile had opted for the smaller rig (ILCA6) but after two capsizes also retired.

Rhys crossed the line 1st, with Hugh 2nd & Will S 3rd, having worked his way back through the fleet.

On handicap, Rhys was 1st, with Will S 2nd & Hugh 3rd.

A big thank you yo Newton & his team for running the racing and providing great safety boat cover.

After the race, there was Pasta Soffrito & Mushrooms in white wine sauce, made by Steve P.

Yesterday’s race marked the end of the Gillette series, with the overall results:

Newton 1st

Hugh 2nd

Rhys 3rd

We’re back on Sunday for the next rounds of the Cobley series, as well as the Junior Regatta.