Bay and Offshore Dinghy Series perfect training for coming regattas
Point Yacht Club sailors enjoyed a challenging Bay and Offshore Dinghy Series which was perfect training for the major upcoming regattas.
THE Point Yacht Club sailors enjoyed some good offshore training with the Bay and Offshore Dinghy Series on Saturday, 28 March ahead of all the major regattas.
The dozen small crafts met race officer, Kevin Bingham off Addington Beach in magnificent sailing South-Westerly conditions with long rolling swells and flat seas welcoming the three classes.
As the team set up the race track, the small fleet of dinghies relished the 10 knot winds carving through the swells in anticipation of a good afternoon of sailing. First to go were the two Laser Radials and two Flying Fifteens followed by eight Hobies five minutes later in their own start sequence.
Young Sam Lombaard kept his nose in the front ahead of more experienced Rob Goulden in the Laser fleet, with Lombaard claiming two firsts. Despite their late arrival, Patrick Harris and Jeremy Kriek charged to the front ahead of Myles White and David Curtiss in the Flying Fifteen class. White and Curtiss often caught up to Harris and Kriek on the beat but lost momentum on the run flying their spinnaker.
In the Hobie 14 class, Peter Hall notched up two first places ahead of Greg de Beyer and Richard Gorlei.
In the larger Hobies, the Hobie 16 of Andrew Heathcote and Sean Hurter took the honours competing in all the races. Their scorecard had a fourth and two firsts on it, while Clint du Toit partnering with young Dylan Albert got two second places along with a Did Not Start for the final race of the day. Justin Butler racing with Laser sailor, Anthony Arbuthnot took the line honours in the first race but had a disappointing second race retiring mid-race and heading back to the beach.
In the final race, Bingham adjusted the course to a windward leeward course. The majority of the fleet retired leaving only four boats to race. Lombaard on his Radial took comfort on the bridge boat due to damage to his main sheet, tying his boat off at the back of the bridge. While the rest of the fleet made their way back to the beach site.
During the course of the afternoon, the wind kept switching and dropping off, keeping Bingham and his team busy adjusting the race track as ominous rainy squalls continued to roll across the horizon.
The continuing tussle between Harris and White went down to the wire, fifteen seconds separated the two Flying Fifteens with Harris and Kriek getting a lift as they charged to the finish. The two remaining Hobie 16s got in some good training with Heathcote and Hurter claiming first and CJ Miln accompanied by Braeden Royal crossing the line 90seconds after them.
