CARRICK Roads displayed all of its characters on Sunday but within that spectators saw some truly splendid sailing conditions as long as the crews were ready for the usual mixture of wind, tide, waves, and the unexpected.
Speed fluctuated from eight to twenty-one knots; direction from south edging to west but settling back to southwest and the tide was forceful and ebbing.
The unexpected were the sudden gusts and veering of the aforementioned wind.
Genuinely experienced sailors were caught off-guard at marks as shifts hit them and the inevitability of a capsize left them rapidly getting upright and out of the path of approaching boats.
Race Officer Patrick Clarke took his usual very thorough approach to course setting and then for race two berated himself for not delaying the start longer and moving significantly further south. Back on land at the clubhouse there were no misgivings only praise for an afternoon well run in tough conditions.
Sophia and Alan Hulbert took the Firefly race with their lovely wooden boat hurtling through the water. Richard Taylor, Tony Martin and Simon Egan wrestled their Lasers to one, two three respectively in both races.
In the medium fleet George Lenney and Simon Loveridge took one and two in their Aeros whilst Lesley Taylor took third in her Europe.
Four RS200s fought out tough, fast races in the asymmetric fleet. Freya Brown top slot twice; Dan Tregaskes and Milly Tregaskes swapped second and third with Bryony Spieza often taking the lead but ending fourth!
Is Bryony secretly scanning the depths of the Roads for lost boat parts?
Dare it be hinted that the turbo fleet was as good as in its element in the conditions?
George Cousins took both firsts in his Musto Skiff; Peter Knight and Giles second then third in the B14; Ralph and Nuala fourth then second in the RS800; Ben Lloyd-King and Jez a third then a fifth leaving the other boats less places.
Kitty and Lily O’Halloran in their 29er picked up a fourth in race two but the I14 and the second RS800 appeared to suffer forms of malfunction that in boats of this high performance usually get expensive?
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