Anglesey Offshore Dinghy Race at Red Wharf Bay Sailing Club

This year's Anglesey Offshore Dinghy Race (sponsored by Rain and Sun) was run under excellent conditions, with a 10 to 15 knot wind from the South West and 63 monohulls and 11 catamarans.

Compared with the usual timing, the race started somewhat earlier, into a foul tide, and the choice of where to go on the run down to Puffin Island and the Sound made a big difference to the positions when the fleet hardened in to the beat towards the first mark at Quarry. The two Solos, which had kept well out of the tide over the sands on the mainland side, found them selves well ahead of many faster boats which had kept to the channel against stronger tide.

Both the leading Monohull (RS800 Jones/ Lowe) and Catamaran (Hobie Glen Williams /Calvi Kopec, Penmaenmawr S C) had established considerable leads by the Lighthouse, which they stretched out to do a horizon job on their respective fleets.

By now the tide had turned, and from the Sound to the Quarry was a beat into an ugly wind-against-tide chop, with waves in places over a metre. As was to be expected, the leading group includes several trapeze boats, a couple of 5o5s, Fireballs, an RS500, Laser 4000 and our sponsor (Phil Bull who had trailed his Osprey up from Warsash). Rather more surprising was the quartet of RS400s, shortly followed by a brace of RS200s, before a rash of Phantoms and Blazes, a B14, a Javelin, Laser 3K,(maybe not in that order). The GP14s were at it hammer and tongs, interspersed with Laser 2000s. Larks, a lone Finn and others. Towards the rear, the distinctive blue sails of two Enterprises.

Apart from the leader, the rest of the cat fleet had yet to make up for the quarter of an hour their start was behind the monos, but the mainly local Dart 18 fleet was still fairly close together.

Unlike many previous runnings of the event, the next leg to a mark of Benllech remained a beat, and not until that mark were the boats able to bear away onto a reach past the Club house to Moelfre and the lifeboat turning buoy. For the last reach back to the finish line, opinions on the merit of a spinnaker hoist were mixed, and there were some place changes even though the fleet has spread out considerably by then.

The cats still had to return to Quarry via Benllech, before returning to finish via Moelfre, and although a smaller fleet, well spread out, there were some anxious moments as two of the RWBSWC locals found them selves almost becalmed under the cliffs with boats ahead rushing away and boats astern catching up.

Overall Results: (winners>

Monohulls, Dave Jones / Phil Lowe, RS800 (Port Dinorwic)
Catamarans, Dave Woods / Ines Rayment, Gomez, (Red Wharf Bay Sailing and Watersports Club)

Full results on the Red Wharf Bay Sailing and Watersports Club website.

A swamping, a dismasting, several capsizes and an injured crew, excellently dealt with by the patrol boats, emphasises that that this race, 15 miles for the monos, 30 for the cats, is a serious business, and not to be undertaken lightly. However, judging by the comments of sailors whilst they tucked into the excellent meal laid on for all competitors, a thoroughly enjoyable event.