Dramatic rescue dominates Dell Quay's windswept racing

Saturday saw many capsizes in the first Early Helm race, including a dramatic rescue of a Solo racer trapped between his boat and a moored cruiser by the strong tidal current.

Both races were dominated by the Laser fleet with Beckie Manning and Stu Denyer taking second and third behind Chris Wood in the Streaker, then moving into first and second in the second race, with Andrew Buchanan securing third.

Sunday was calmer but strong gusts still provided exciting racing. In the Solo fleet, the first race saw Malcolm Buchanan finish behind Bill Dawber with Richard Ede third, despite a good start from Buchanan.

Buchanan took the second race leaving Dawber to take third behind Bill Munnery.

Competitive racing was enjoyed by the 2000 fleet with Fitzgerald and Dormer securing a good lead, having opted for the westerly shore to avoid the strong flood, leaving the Norfolks in second with Hoddy and Denyer third.

In the second race, the Norfolks won ahead of Hoddy and Denyer and Fitzgerald and Dormer.

The handicap fleet was dominated by Sue Manning in her Topper, taking second place behind Beckie Manning’s Laser in race one and then first place in race two.

The Greenhalgh Wayfarer team took third place in race one but in the second, Manning was pushed into third by the King/Francis RS 400 team.

Away from racing, WOW (Women On the Water) launched their sailing season at Dell Quay last Friday. After a little convincing, eight ladies enjoyed a social sail together.

The wind made the sail back to the club more of a challenge but, having refreshed their skills, each sailor was glad to have taken the plunge. WOW members share their passion for sailing from DQSC at least once a month from April to September.