Sunday 5th April – Easter Cup

Strong winds on Sunday as Storm Dave hit the Easter Cup with a vengeance. With gusts of up to 35 knots, this wasn’t a race for the faint of heart.

Rhys, Will P & Steve S had all opted to drop down to an ILCA4 Rig. Whilst Darren and Will S both had their ILCA6 sails on. Aileen had her small comet sail on whilst Kate stuck to her usual ILCA4.

A challenging course utilised the whole of the lake, with two beats, several reaches and 4 gybes to contend with, no sailor remained upright across the day.

In the first race, Rhys was first round, with Steve S close behind. Both Wills & Darren had issues with capsizing, sitting themselves further back in the fleet.

Aileen had the unique honor of crossing the start line, capsizing, drifting back behind the line, then crossing it again. Unfortunately this didn’t count as a lap but she soldiered on nonetheless.

At the end of the race, Rhys crossed the line 1st, with Steve 2nd and Will P 3rd. The positions were unchanged on Handicap.

The second race had a much closer start line, with Will P arriving far too early. The rest of the fleet was much further back which allowed Will to bear away and get a much better start. Will held onto this advantage, remaining upright for the remainder of the race. Darren managed to pass Will, finishing 1st on the water. Will P was second & Will S 3rd. On handicap, Will P finished 1st, Darren 2nd & Will S 3rd.

Having returned to shore for a hearty lunch of Spaghetti Bolognese, made by Ann, only 5 sailors went back out for the final race.

It was all to play for, with just a few points separating the top 3.

The wind had shifted and dropped slightly, Will S had an excellent start, with Rhys & Will P close behind. Whilst the latter were fighting amongst themselves, Will S was extending his lead.

At the end of the race, Will S finished 1st, with Rhys 2nd & Aileen 3rd.

After all results were counted, both Rhys & Will S were level on points, resulting in joint winners of the Easter Cup. Will P finished 3rd.

A big thank you to the Safety Team for providing cover in difficult conditions & thank to Hugh for running the racing.