PRYC IOM SWD Winter Series 19th January 2025 – Report and Results

We arrived at the lake to be greeted by slate grey skies on a very cold day. However, the key ingredient, wind, was already blowing across the lake. A south easterly breeze dictated setting a course from the top of the lake racing towards the club house. A course was set pushing the length as far as we dared before the wind line ran out, as the trees and buildings shelter the top of the racecourse.
We elected to split the fleet of 24 boats into 2 fleets. The racing started on time with a healthy, but very shifty breeze. The breeze kept shifting, so a few course tweaks were required to try and get the course as balanced and fair as we could. The wind direction made for some big shifts, so inevitably helms could make some big gains if they played the shifts well or were just in the right place at the right time!
In the first seeding race Tony Edwards took an early lead and dominated the race with Craig Richards a close second and Malcolm Stewart from Emsworth in my old Britpop in third.
In the second seeding race, Nigel Barrow found himself in a useful last place at the first leeward mark sailing slowly which we assumed was caused by weed. Was this going to be another one of those days. Well, on the second beat he got all the shifts right and was back chasing for the lead which he established just after the second leeward mark and held to the finish, followed by Matt Moseley and Chris Hague both from Poole.
The rest of the day was all about consistency, which given the shifts was not easy. Going into the last race, Craig Richards was on 10 points with Nigel and Tony on 12. Their strategy was to just win the race, there was no point even thinking about the opposition, just focus on the wind shifts.
Tony got a shocker of a start and was seemingly out of it. Nigel led around the windward mark and as he rounded the spreader, the wind vanished. The fleet piled in on the run and with them Tony who had sailed through to third on a nice puff. Was it going to be his day. Nigel hung on to the lead down the run and again up the next beat but at the spreader mark the wind shut off for all and the fleet regrouped as they drifted down the run. Craig and Tony went left gate and found some breeze up the right-hand side of the course. Nigel took the right-hand gate to sail up the left hand side looking for the usual left hand port tack lift. Unfortunately, the wind died on the left and the port lift absent. Tony and Craig powered up the right hand side in a puff making large gains and seemingly well in front. They persisted with the right side all the way up the beat, hoping they would keep the breeze and be able to tack across. Two thirds of the way up the beat the left side began to pay allowing Nigel to easily cross both Tony and Craig along with the rest of the fleet to take the race and overall win.
After racing finished, we all enjoyed soaking up the heat in the club house, whilst consuming tea and cake as the results were worked out. In the end there was only two points separating the first 3 positions. Well done Nigel Barrow for securing the day in fine style with a win in the last race, Craig Richards for finishing second one point behind. And Tony Edwards (the highest placed PRYC entrant) in 3rd a further point adrift. It doesn’t get much closer than that!
A big thank you goes to all the helpers from PRYC whom without the event wouldn’t have been possible. As everyone at PRYC knows, we lost a long-standing member, Patsy Askell late last year. Patsy would have historically looked after the canteen at events like this. So, I want to particularly say a big thank you to the ladies (Carol, Sue and Julie) that stepped forward and looked after canteen all day and provided the lovely mixture of cakes for us all to enjoy.
Lastly, thank you to all the competitors that turned out on a cold, damp January day, particularly those that visited from other clubs. We hope you enjoyed your racing at PRYC and get to see you soon. On that note our next IOM open is on the 30th of March, the entry is already open.
Results
Paul Robson
Sailing and Club Secretary
Photo courtesy of Mike Millard