Day 2
A STUNNING DAY OF SUN, WIND AND SPARKLE
After the first day of Poole Week was blown off by winds gusting to well over 30 knots, Monday produced the sort of conditions that showed Poole Harbour at its best: 16-20 knots of breeze from the south-west, combined with almost wall-to-wall sunshine. The tide made sure there was plenty of water, while the wind kicked up some decent waves that added to the fun downwind.
It was a day that produced almost everything the racing sailor could wish for – as long as that included fairly boisterous conditions. Those who favour a touch less breeze will be looking forward to the rest of the week, which looks set to become progressively lighter. But Monday was a day for the fit and fearless. It was all about keeping the boat flat and fast, playing the waves, maintaining clear air and avoiding the holes that surprised a few people, especially in the first race. ‘We were fully de-powered and sailing in 20 knots plus,’ said one Dart sailor. ‘Then we suddenly ran out of pressure. There were some very strange holes in the wind.’
Further up the harbour, starting from the committee boat line in the Top Triangle, the Flying Fifteens and ILCAs enjoyed a breeze that seemed both more consistent and also fresher most of the time. One Flying Fifteen helm estimated the gusts at 26 knots, and the wind readings from nearby Poole Yacht club confirmed that he wasn’t far out.
The Fifteens were one fleet in which the favourites came to the fore, with Bob Alexander and Huw Willetts taking two bullets and Richard Whitworth and Trefor Jones pushing them all the way with two 2nds. Having moved into the Fifteens from the Wayfarers only a few years ago, Geof Gibbons and Dave Moy continue their advance and ended the first day of racing in 3rd overall.
In the ILCA 6s, two visitors from Dragon Bay Sailing Club in the Cayman Islands are lying 2nd and 4th. Matt Reid won both races in the ILCA 7s to lead from Alan Davis in 2nd.
Mostly crewed by sailors with a few more years’ experience behind them, the Dolphins put on a good show with 10 boats on the water. For the first time in some years they were eclipsed numerically by the Cornish Shrimpers with 16 entries, though not all were sailing on Monday.
Competition in the slower boats is as intense as ever, with notably close racing in the Dolphins and Shrimpers and, as you would expect, in the XODs. Visitors from Itchenor and, this year, five from Lymington as well, have boosted the Poole Week XOD fleet to 25 boats. And it’s the visitors who occupy seven of the top eight places. Willie McNeill is flying the flag for the locals, however, leading after the first day and tied on points with last year’s winner, John Tremlett from Itchenor.
Good racing was had in the other classes too – the Wayfarers, RS200s, RS400s and the fast and slow handicap.
Whatever their fleet, a lot of sailors came ashore after an exhausting day, ready to down a pint or two and give their aching bodies a rest. The forecast suggests that muscles might not be worked quite so hard for the rest of the week but, as always in sailing, minds certainly will be.
