The wind’s up for Dell Quay fleet

UNSEASONABLY-windy weather has continued to challenge Dell Quay sailors, with only the braver members taking part in club racing.
Rob Corfield at Dell Quay SCRob Corfield at Dell Quay SC
Rob Corfield at Dell Quay SC

The third race in the evening series was contested in gusty north-easterly winds with 25-plus knots of wind in the squalls.

Only three boats ventured out to do battle with the weather, substantial weed around the windward mark and a vast number of jellyfish.
The RS400 of Rob Corfield and Tom Dobbs was first to the windward mark despite capsizing after getting caught in a raft of weed.

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David Maltby, after a poor start, suffered the same fate in his Solo but remained upright and recovered to follow the RS400. David Swift (Solo) was also finding the conditions difficult and retired.

The two remaining boats held their positions for the three laps with the emphasis on surviving rather than fast sailing. The RS400 held a substantial lead, despite not being brave enough to fly its spinnaker, but was beaten into second place by Maltby who took first place on handicap.

The first of the Breakfast Breeze races, aimed at early risers, was no less challenging with force-five winds gusting at times to force six discouraging many racers from going out.

Graham and Lucy Dalton completed the course in their 2000 dinghy to take first place, with Martyn Jones (Laser Radial) second and Malcolm Buchanan (Solo) third.

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For the second of the Pursuit races, involving staggered starts according to handicap, wind conditions were considerably calmer and much closer to the seasonal average.

After a slow start against the flooding tide with only light wind, a hard-fought battle ensued between the Solos of David Maltby and David Swift, who kept together for the first two laps until a sudden drop in wind caused Swift, hiking out hard, to capsize.

This allowed Maltby to pull away and take third place on handicap. Simon and Linda Bell sailing a Miracle, the slowest boat in the race, came second but it was Lee and Max Sydenham who took first place in their 2000.

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