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Early Spring Series races 3/4 and return to sailing

Published 23:17 on 16 Mar 2025

It was a day where the Laser (ILCA) class locked out the top two podium places in both races. Gwyn Jones placed first in both races, with Mark Nield and Conrad Brown taking second place in race 3 and 4 respectively. Mark gave Gwyn a strong challenge, coming in only 10 secs behind Gwyn in race!

Third place in race 3 went, once again, to super consistent Eric Haseleden in his Supernova. However in race 4 Eric was pipped at the post as Phantom sailor Peter Jacobs took the last podium position from Eric by 35 seconds (Corrected time).

Overall after 4 races the top three are Gwyn, Eric, both on 8 points, and Mark. Sailing Secretary Simon Dolman, flying the Miracle flag on the day, shares his view on the days sailing.

It was a day of tricky, shifty winds that kept the fleet on their toes, with the second race bringing unexpected gusts that were much stronger than forecast. It was fantastic to see 20 boats on the water, making for a competitive and exciting day of racing.

Gwyn Jones had an excellent outing, securing two first-place finishes, thanks in part to a fantastic start on a particularly tough start line. Peter Jacobs also had a strong showing in his Phantom, with his first outing of the new season. Meanwhile, the Miracle sailors proved that the new PY rating presents a real challenge with a tricky day on the water.
It was great to welcome back Andrew Jones (Laser) and Stuart Guy (Topaz) to the racing scene—both adding to the strong fleet turnout. Overall, a thrilling day on the water with plenty of shifts to navigate and some standout performances across the board!

Following the racing the club held the second return to sailing sessions. Simon Dolman, Sailing Secretary, commented. Five members took part, supported by Jeremy and James deploying a GP14, Laser 2000 and a club Wanderer dinghy. It was a fantastic session and it looks like we have 2 people already available to crew as a result.

There are plans to run more return to sailing sessions thins year. Keep an eye on the clubs Facebook page for future dates.

Racing continues next Sunday (23rd March) with races 5 and 6 of the Early Spring Series with the first race starting at 10:30.

Photos: Vicki Hall