Early Spring Series 9/10 of 12

Published 19:50 on 6 Apr 2025

As the fantastic weather continues, Simon Dolman reports on the penultimate weekends racing in the Early Spring Series.

Race 9
With Mr. Commodore away, 19 boats hit the water in a determined bid to seize some early series points. The fleet was eager off the line, with a competitive start causing a few casualties and penalties. Matt, on flying form in his Solo, was first to the windward mark, followed closely by Simon and Julie, with Gwyn not far behind in 3rd.
As the race progressed, gusty and tricky winds made for challenging sailing. Gwyn handled the conditions superbly in his Laser, surging through to take 1st place. Chris Draper put in a fantastic performance in his Topper—clearly recovered from last week's impromptu swim—coming in 2nd. Matt maintained his strong form to finish 3rd in the Solo.
Great to see Mark Nield back on the water in his beautifully restored Miracle, sailing with Sara Bell, as well as season debuts from Paul Edge and Geoff Wier.

Race 10
The wind stayed lively for the second race, and once again Gwyn proved the master of the conditions, taking another well-deserved 1st place in his Laser—earning his second double Topper of the series. Joe Sargent showed his class with a solid 2nd in his Radial, always a consistent threat, and Matt rounded out the podium in 3rd once more in his Solo.
A fantastic turnout overall, with plenty of post-race chatter and laughter, thanks in no small part to our ever-wonderful galley duo, Ron and Dot. And of course—Happy Birthday, Shan!

Heres to more great racing and good company next week! Don't forget that we start the Twighlight series on Wednesday with 1st race at 7pm 

So who is topping the overall leader board?

In first place (even though he missed today!) is our leader Jeremy Cooper (Lightning), only 0.4 of a point ahead of second place Gwyn Jones (Laser) after his double win today, and in third place Mathew Bennet (Solo). All to play for next Sunday in the final two races of the series.

Photo: Kath

Last updated 20:01 on 6 April 2025