IOMYC Club Racing 8th May
Report thanks to Mick Kneale
The second session in the Ballagawne Cup series of dinghy racing was sailed at Port St Mary on Thursday 8th May. Nine boats turned out in the “senior” fleet and six in the “juniors’. Conditions were good with a moderate ENE breeze and a flat sea.
RO Pete Hinds set a “P” course for race one and the fleet got a clean start first time. The asymmetric spinnaker boats dominated on the reaches and the Radials were nibbling at the heels of the symmetrics.
Russell and June Collister (RS200) won the race from Smiler Williams and Tom Cringle (RS400) with Mick Kneale’s National 18, crewed again by Phil Hardisty and Donald Edwards scraping third after a terrible start. Less than a minute separated the first three. Ben Swindlehurst finished 4th, 15 seconds ahead of Mike Pridham in the Radials’ battle.
Race two was over windward/leeward course favouring the traditional symmetric spinnaker boats. The wind was very twitchy for this race and many of the juniors had a grip of their dagger-boards. The rescue boats were, as ever, right on hand to help when needed.
This time, Kneale put the 18’ into first place a minute ahead of the Collisters’ RS200 with Mike Pridham showing his more usual prowess in the Radial finishing third.
Top junior performer was Nick Parkes (Pico).
Race one: 1st Russell and June (RS200), 2nd Smiler and Tom (RS400), 3rd Mick Kneale & crew (Nat.18), 4th Ben Swindlehurst (Radial), 5th Mike Pridham (Radial), 6th Roger & Helen Cave (Stratos Keel).
Race two: 1st Kneale, 2nd Collisters, 3rd Pridham, 4th John Dowling & Terry Holt (Wayfarer), 5th Smiler & Tom, 6th Ben Swindlehurst.
