Chris Bennett Leads the Way

Winds were force two to four from the north-east veering south easterly by the final race.

Conditions were gusty and flukey in the first two races, with the wind veering and backing throughout and creating areas of wind for some and patches of calm for others.

Despite the variable conditions, Commodore Matt Wiseman showed how to race consistently, picking up two convincing first places well ahead of the 17 Lasers that were chasing at a distance behind. Mat Windley did best in the first race to close the gap taking second and Chris Bennett was second in the next race.

Despite Wiseman’s two firsts, it is now Bennett who leads the series overall but with two more weekends still to compete, Bennett will need to keep his average scores close to first to stay at the top.

In the General Handicap Fleet, Richard & Sue Morley and Philip & Tristan Blurton were out in their Buzz dinghies.

Their racing was close with boats changing positions throughout the races, sometimes due to the flukey wind and at other times due to better tacking, jibing and spinnaker skills.

The Blurtons won the first race after a faster final beat and the Morleys won the second race with a better route to the finish on the last leg. Overall, the Morleys lead the Series.

The final race of the day pitted boats of all classes against each other in the Early Summer Sovereign Handicap Series.

The wind was now southeasterly and more even across the race area. The Blurtons pulled ahead, especially on the spinnaker legs, but despite their substantial lead, when handicaps were applied, Chris Bennett was first, closely followed by Mat Windley in second and the Blurtons third.

Bennett now leads the Early Summer Sovereign Handicap as well as the Laser Fleet Early Summer Series.