Early Summer Series of Sunday races is providing great racing at Llandegfedd Sailing Club
by Mark Williams 23 May 20:12 BST
19 May 2024
The format of a pursuit race followed by two handicap races after a lunch break is well established and very popular. All boats race in one fleet and the classes racing can range from Toppers right through to 29ers.
The pursuit is typically around the cans and takes the pressure off those new to race starts. The first handicap is then a triangle with the last race a windward-leeward blast.
This Sunday provided near perfect conditions. Sunny, mild and a lovely medium strength northerly breeze. Gregg Phillips set excellent courses and the racing was close throughout the fleet which included some helms very new to racing as well as those with decades of race experience.
Jeremy Symons in his Vareo won the pursuit convincingly with Mark Williams in an RS100 overtaking Tim Halhead in his Supernova, 10 seconds before the end of the race to grab second place.
Jeremy and Mark had two more top three results but John Burns in a RS100 initially dominated the first handicap race but slipped to third after an unlucky last lap. The last race saw an emphatic victory for Bill Jackson and Sam Morley in their RS400. After a solid first beat they found good downwind speed and won by a significant margin.
Special mention for Abby and Adam Rowbotham who are new to racing this year but are moving up the results in the club L2000.
This coming Sunday is the second of four Top Gun Sprint days, so lots of short fun races and should be another great days racing.