Noble Marine 2023 Albacore Internationals at Abersoch - Day 3
by Mark Reddington 2 Aug 2023 13:50 BST
30 July - 4 August 2023
Albacore Internationals at Abersoch Day 3 © John Davies
At last the sun came out to greet the fleet at the committee boat with the wind as forecast at 15 to 20 knots. The sail out gave everyone the chance to practice their downwind techniques ready for the triangle-sausage courses that were set for the day, with 4 races scheduled it was going to be tough!
As it happened the wind continuously dropped all day and the sea state went from predictable to sloppy giving a lot of crews cause for head scratching and lots of gear changing.
However it was to be Nev Herbert and Lewis Fowler's day winning 3 from 4 races showing everyone how it should be done, and Tom Lonsdale and Emily Batterton winning the second race to keep Nev focused. Mike McNamara crewed by Colin "Weed" Gardiner also kept a watching brief and their results for the day moved them into second place overall.
Another consistent performance from Raines Koby and Stephanie Mah, our leading North American pair from Canada, kept them in the hunt rounding out the top 3.
Mention must be made of the leading club team from Lyme Regis consisting of Cameron Moss and Jake Stow, Alan and Chrissy Tyler, and Jerry Rook and Will Cook.
With Wednesday a lay day sailing starts again on Thursday, with 4 races scheduled to catch up races lost on Monday, and a forecast of 15 - 25 knots, depending on which forecast you want to believe, many crews will be glad Wednesday is a lay day.
The first race on Thursday will be the last race of the National Championship so still all to play for with one point in it, and the remainder of the 6 races of the event making up the International Championship of 14 races in total there is a long way to go to see the overall champion crowned.
As always this event wouldn't happen without generous support from our sponsors Noble Marine, Allen Brothers, Abersoch Boatyard, Clamcleats, Ovington Boats and HD Sails.
Results so far: scyc.co.uk/race_results/albacore-internationals-2023