Racing at the Regatta Sailing Academy, Doha - Autumn Week 5

Variable winds cause challenges for Regatta Sailing Academy racers © Simon Kearns

Variable winds cause challenges

Regatta Sailing Academy racing sailors once again faced some tough challenges over the weekend of 22nd–24th Oct in West Bay, Doha, off the beach of the Intercontinental Hotel with light winds forecast and only the sea breeze providing the wind to race in it was always going to be a testing weekend of racing especially with the air temperature of 35 Celsius making concentration harder.

The first adult racing group faced a solid 14 knots offshore and with a course set close in to the shore the racing was guaranteed to be tight and tactical to the very end. In the first race the fleet were tightly bunched through the entire race and even in the last beat to the finish line almost every place changed with Bob Monroe (USA) coming out victorious for his fourth straight win but was followed very closely by Helen Swan (AUS) and Fabienne Depierrefeu (FRA). Race two was similar to race one with positions being tightly contested however this time Fabienne pulled through on the finish line, once again followed closely by Helen with Simon Torkington (GBR) finishing third. However, with three protests to be heard the results could be changed.

By the time the second adult group started the wind had shifted through 100 degrees and died down. With a change of course location from the Cultural village area back to the beach racing area just off the Intercontinental hotel it was Denise Munster (NZL) who managed to take a victory in difficult conditions in both races with Julie Tuck (GBR) and Stuart Turner (GBR) taking second and third in race one, and Stuart and Roy Quaden (NED) taking second and third in race two, managing to overcome the shifting wind which turned the fleet inside out in race two.

Saturday dawned once again with very light wind and as the sea breeze started to come through the junior learn to race fleet managed to get in one race and Georgios Koukoulis (GRE) sailed his Optimist very well to take the victory, followed by Anthony Bismar (CAN) in a Pico and Christopher Naswari (GBR) also in a Pico took third.

The Junior racing fleet had some slightly stronger wind however with the humidity at slightly higher levels the breeze never fully filled in but once again the pairing of Freddie Witzmann (GBR) and Michael Bayatti (GBR) took the race victory in their Laser Vago, while Robbie Witzmann (GBR) scored a second and Joel Figov (GBR) took third in his Laser Radial.

The Ladies racing fleet on Sunday morning also fell foul of the lighter early morning winds but as the sea breeze filled through it was Sally Cronin(GBR) who managed to hold on to her lead but there was less than a second between Sally and second placed Jeannette Verspui (NED) after a 93 minute race. Lena Bohlin (SWE) took third which is her seventh of the series so far with her other score being a second.

With most racing fleets having completed 5 of 8 weeks of racing the scores are still incredibly tight and with some breeze forecasted for the next weekend all could change very easily. The overall leaders are now, Sally Cronin (GBR), Robbie Witzmann (GBR), Rob Munster (NZL), Bob Monroe (USA) and Anthony Bismar (CAN).