May the 4th be with?
Published 19:17 on 4 May 2025
Apologies for the Star Wars reference on this special day! Sunday 4th May, a three race day. Two Spring Series and an afternoon Spring Handicap Series. Safety Boat Helm, Matthew Bennett, was there to report on yet another very variable day of Shotwick racing… In the afternoon the force was certainly with the Miracles!
Today sailors were greeted with some very challenging conditions, with some dramatic changes in pressure and direction which kept everyone on their toes.
Race 1 (Spring Series Race 3) started with a biased line due to the shifting wind with the mid-line starters coming off best. Gordon in his solo rounded first followed by the aero of Jeanette then the lasers of Jim and Ian. Building pressure from behind made life at the front a nervous affair, with avoiding the holes being the key tactic when going upwind. The first three leaders started to edge away during the second lap. The miracles were having their own closely fought battle with Simon and Julie making the best of the conditions. In fact closely fought battles were a key feature throughout the fleet. Mark Nield commented: At the end of race one you were a winner if you just managed to finish! A happy Simon said he had felt the pressure at the front of the Miracles fleet.
Spring Series Race 3: 1, Gordon Bennell (Solo). 2, Jim Young (Laser). 3, Jeremy Cooper (Lightning)
Race 2 (Spring Series Race 4) was tricky even before the start as a lack of wind made simply crossing the start line challenging. The majority of the fleet started on port. Jeanette, at the starboard end of the line, made the best of what wind there was, closely followed by Mark and Sara in their Miracle, however it was a masterstroke by Ian in his Laser that saw him leading the fleet around the windward mark closely followed by Paul, making an appearance in his Laser, and Jeanette again going well in her Aero. First blood in the miracle fleet went to Mark and Sara and in the Lightning fleet Mark Heaton was first round. Again the race was dominated by big changes in direction and pressure even by Shotwick standards. Great for the spectators, with lots of place changing throughout the fleet. Les decided to finish Chris in his Topper after one lap and it was then all to play for the rest of the fleet. Would the wind increase or decrease was the question? The finishing horn sounded like it had developed a fault as the fleet finished with seconds of each other! Note second and third placed racers had exactly the same corrected time!
Spring Series Race 4: 1, Jeremy Cooper (Lightning). 2=, Mark Heaton (Lightning). 2=, Mark Nield/Sara Bell (Miracle)
Spring Series overall 4 races: 1, Gordon Bennell (Solo). 2, Matthew Bennett (Solo). 3, Mark Heaton (Lightning)
Race 3. Spring Handicap Series Race 2. Its a Miracle lockout! A slightly reduced fleet started race 3 and as the wind had apparently settled, or so we thought, Les decided a change of course was called for. Simon decided to swap to his Solo for this race with Gaz taking over helming duties in the Miracle. After a good start Gaz led at the first mark closely followed by Mark and Sara in their Miracle, with Peter chasing hard in his Phantom. An increase in pressure allowed Peter to stretch his legs downwind. Building pressure from astern kept compressing the fleet making it hard to break clear. Again there were closely fought contests throughout the fleet with the fleet all finishing within a few minutes. Well done to everyone today racing in such challenging conditions especially those of you new to racing.
Spring Handicap Series Race 2: 1, Gaz Henshall/Julie Dolman (Miracle). 2, Mark Nield/Sara Bell (Miracle). 3, Dave Thomas/Shan Stapely (Miracle)
Spring Handicap Series Overall (2 races): 1, Dave Thomas/Shan Stapely (Miracle). 2, Ian Duncan (Laser). 3, Chris Draper (Topper)
Photos: Matthew Bennett
Last updated 23:07 on 4 May 2025
