Final Open event of 2024 hosted by Solway Yacht Club and much more!
As the 2024 sailing season moves into its later stages, it was a busy weekend in Kippford with the Solway yacht Club’s round of the ILCA Laser Lakeland and Borders Grand Prix open meeting, alongside club racing on Saturday with a special day of Laser coaching and the re-running of the Palnackie Race on Sunday. With the glorious Indian summer weather still holding, competitors from North and South of the Border joined Club members for the ILCA Laser event.
The ILCA Lasers are split into three separate divisions with different rig and sail dimensions in each. The full rig ILCA7 boats were joined by the popular Radial ILCA6 types and predominantly younger competitors sailing with the 4.7 rig, the ILCA4s. With a planned three race programme, Principal Race Officer, John Broadbent and the Race Committee anchored the Committee Boat opposite Rough Island and racing was soon underway. The full ILCA7 of Greg Liggins from Derwent Reservoir Sailing Club set the pace followed by Solway member Simon Wilson and Richard Benson of Beadnell SC in their ILCA6 Radials, although Richard was unfortunate and did not finish). Solway Yacht Club Cadet champion, Toby Iglehart in his 4.7 was keeping pace with most of the Radials making for a very competitive race.
Race two and again, Greg led but now it was Simon Wilson having an incredibly close race with another Solway member, Finlay Train, only settled in Finlay’s favour in the last few moments when he tacked onto a favourable windshift, gaining the few extra metres to get to the line just ahead of Simon. Again, Toby was well up with the other Radials, although Finn Harris in his Radial wasn’t that far astern for much of the race.
The final race made it three wins in a row for Greg but this time Dewi Williams in an older Radial led the rest with Toby third on the water. Richard Benson had a big capsize at Q buoy, dropping him down the fleet but recovered to finish. It was then down to applying the handicap corrections to reveal the overall result. Greg took the main trophy, but it came as no great surprise to find Toby second overall with Simon third.
Result: Lakeland and Borders Laser Grand Prix
1st Greg Liggins (ILCA7)
2nd Toby Iglehart (ILCA4)
3rd Simon Wilson (ILCA6
4th Finn Harris (ILCA4)
5th Demi Williams (ILCA6)
6th Finlay Train (ILCA6)
7th James Colbeck (ILCA4)
8th Richard Benson (ILCA6
In the Club racing the day went to Colin Filer and Jamie Gascoigne in their Flying Fifteen, although Stewart Mitchell in his Finn came close with Alec Glendinning (Vortex) third and Stephen Gaughan and Carwyn Watkins in their Osprey fourth.
Building on the success of the Club’s ILCA Laser fleet, a special race coaching day was organised to help develop the younger helms race craft, strategy and tactics. The day started with a theory session followed by boat set-up and training ashore before getting onto the water to put it all into practice. We look forward to good reports and great results from the Cadets who are shortly travelling to open events elsewhere.
Meanwhile the popular Palnackie Pursuit race was being re-run after the original event had been void a few weeks earlier following a problem with the timing. Race Officer Duncan Gillespie started the varied fleet at their predetermined handicap times with the fastest boats starting last. Run over 90 minutes most had rounded the top buoy just off Palnackie harbour well within the hour and were back off the pier with ten minutes still to go. A short course had been set in anticipation and Stewart Mitchell in his Finn was round first, followed by John Broadbent and Louise Allan in the GP14 and the fast-closing Osprey of Steve Gaughan and Carwyn Watkins. Palnackie stalwart, Dewi Williams had swapped his Laser Radial of the day before, now sailing his trusty Mirror dinghy “Walrus”, often so hard to beat but this time it was fourth for him. Of the younger helms, newcomer Katie Brown did a great job to be first of the Toppers, followed by Ida Iglehart and then Lucy Leyshon.
Palnackie Race Result:
1st Stewart Mitchell (Finn)
2nd John Broadbent and Louise Allan (GP14)
3rd Stephen Gaughan and Carwyn Watkins (Osprey)
4th Dewi Williams (Mirror, single handed)
5th and 1st Cadet, Katie Brown (Topper)
6th Stewart Biggar (ILCA4)
7th Ida Iglehart (Topper)
8th Lucy Leyshon (Topper)