Harken 29er Grand Prix at Pwllheli Sailing Club

Harken 29er Grand Prix at Pwllheli © Rob Allan

Harken 29er Grand Prix at Pwllheli © Rob Allan

The third event of the Harken 29er GP series was held at Pwllheli sailing club, in North Wales, on the 2nd and 3rd of July. This was Molly and my first GP and our 6th time out in the boat. We were made very welcome by Pwllheli Sailing Club. The forecast was for light wind and lots of sun.

The first day of racing began on time and despite light winds we got all 4 scheduled races in. With the spring tide taking us over the line there were only two general recalls. The leaders of the fleet after the first day were Rob and Emma Loveridge with two 1st and a 5th to count and also Matt Venables and Will Alloway had a good day with two 1st and a 7th to count. We were very fortunate that our first event had light winds. However, it was not so good for the more experienced members of the fleet!

The second day was also very light. First thing in the morning there was no wind with a sea like glass and amazing views across the bay. Luckily around 10:30 a light southerly wind filled in so that the remaining three races were achieved. The tide proved to be more of a challenge causing the race officer to resort to the black flag in the first two races.

After the second day's racing the National squad sailors had come to the front with Henry Lloyd-Williams and Sam Batten in 1st, Ollie Cooper and James Poyner 2nd and Ian Payne and Chris Berry in 3rd. As an introduction to the 29er racing and the Harken GP series it was a really enjoyable event, the class was very inclusive and fun. Molly and I are now looking forward to our next 29er event in Lymington in September and the program of class open training in the autumn. Looking to next year I’m sure Pwllheli with its facilities and sailing area will be a great location for the Youth championships next Easter.

Overall Results: