The Algoa Bay Yacht Club hosted two dinghy sailing regattas this past weekend – here are two reports from the sailing and 3 images for your use. Please credit Alan Straton for the images.
Below are the two reports from Saturday and Sunday.
REPORT SATURDAY 9 November 2013:
The first Algoa Bay Yacht Club dinghy regatta of the 2013/14 sailing season was sailed on 9 November 2013 in the harbour.
17 boats contested this 3 race series and Fleet 1 saw a mixed bag of 9 Lasers (4.7, radial and full rig), 2 Finns 1 Regatta and 1 immaculately turned out Sonnet.
Fleet 2 consisted of 2 Optimists, 1 Mirror and 1 Gypsey from Port Elizabeth’s sailing clubs – Redhouse Yacht Club and ABYC.
The course was laid within the Port Elizabeth harbour in a fairly stiff West South West breeze that peaked at 20 knots.
Fleet 1 sailed a triangle, sausage, triangle course and Fleet 2 sailed a triangle sausage course to finish.
The breeze and flat conditions definitely favoured the 4.7 and radial rigged lasers who reveled in the short reaches at the top of the course and the long downwind leg of the sausage. A start line showing distinct port bias saw the fleet clustering at the start pin for 3 incident free starts.
First regattas are always testing grounds for boats and sailors so the rescue crews were kept busy attending to capsizes and broken equipment – some of which meant a tow back to the Algoa Bay Yacht Club. The damage tally for the day included two broken masts and a number of blocks ‘exploding’.
Over the course of the three races the fleet got quicker as the wind speed increased and they worked out their sailing lines – polite speak for; “they started to remember how to make their boats go quicker.”
Fleet 1 was the only fleet to include boats that finished all three races.
FULL RESULTS: Saturday 9 November 2013
1st: Patrick Butler – Laser 4.7
2nd: Josh Woolard – Laser 4.7
3rd: Thomas Ochabski – Laser
4th: Colin Benade – Sonnet
5th: Andrew Butler – Laser Radial
6th: Andrew Martin – Finn
7th: Charlie Hills – Laser Radial
8th: Jim Foot – Laser Radial
9th: Justin Harth – Laser Radial
10th: Michael Glenister – Laser Radial
11th: James Norman – Laser Radial
12th: W Pierce-Jowes – Finn
12th: Mark Dawson – Regatta
REPORT SUNDAY 10 November 2013
On Sunday 10 November the Algoa Bay Yacht Club hosted the second dinghy regatta of the weekend of 9 and 10 November 2013 which saw an entry of 18 boats of which only 11 managed to sail at least one race.
Once again high winds and equipment breakages managed to sort the prepared from the unprepared as, before the start of the first race, 7 boats opted for the comfort of the yacht club lawns after limping back or being towed in from the harbour.
Once again the weather gods were kind to the fleet with a 12 to 20 knot westerly breeze offering fast sailing on relatively flat water which the Laser fleet took full advantage of. Gaining confidence on the their second day the pairing of Colin Benade and Bronwyn van Wyngaardt in Benade’s immaculate 1985 Sonnet were a welcome entry into the Top three finishers in Fleet 1.
In Fleet 2, Carel Hoogendoorn made the regatta his own by sailing all three races and winning the regatta.
Sailors had to be consistent and not make mistakes as this regatta was only sailed over three races with no discard and all races to count. The first race saw the fleet pushing the short neutral start line as they jostled for position and a good start. The second race saw one boat being penalised for being OCS (On Course Side) and scoring maximum points, resulting in a more subdued fleet start for the 3rd and final race of the day.
The short and very fast reach leg contributed to some spectacular sailing and speed as the boats felt the effects of the wind being channeled down from ABYC – great fun for the spectators deck having lunch on the deck as they witnessed spray flying from the Lasers on their way to the gybe for the bottom mark which was laid close to the harbour wall.
Conditions favoured the smaller sailed Radial and 4.7 Lasers who sailed the classic Olympic course of Triangle, Sausage, Triangle on a course laid within the confines of the Port Elizabeth Harbour.
Fleet 1’s top 3 finishers all sail for Redhouse Yacht Club whilst all of Fleet 2 consisted of ABYC members.
FULL RESULTS: Sunday 10 November 2013
1st: Patrick Butler – Laser 4.7
2nd: Colin Benade – Sonnet (2 Person)
3rd: Justin Harth – Laser Radial
4th: Josh Woolard – Laser 4.7
5th: Andrew Martin – Finn
6th: Jim Foot – Laser Radial
7th: Charlie Hills – Laser Radial
8th: Andrew Butler – Laser Radial
9th: Thomas Ochabski – Laser
10th: W Pierce-Jones – Finn
10th: Mark Dawson – Regatta
10th: James Norman – Laser Radial
10th: Michael Glenister – Laser Radial
Fleet 2:
Rank: HelmName: Class
1st: Carel Hoogendoorn – Mirror
2nd: Sigi Bailes – Mirror
Image Notes:
The attached images are of the top three finishers in Fleet 1 on Sunday
More Info link:: https://abyc.co.za
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ABYCpe
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Author: Alan Straton from Algoa Bay Yacht Club. Originally distributed by MyPR.co.za.
No of Images Uploaded: Three
For high res version/s of these Three image/s please contact: Algoa Bay Yacht Club
 Patrick Butler – 1st in Fleet 1 on a Laser 4.7 Photographer: Alan Straton |
 Colin Benade and Bronwyn van Wyngaardt – 2nd in Fleet 1 on Sonnet. Photographer: Alan Straton |
 Justin Harth – 3rd place in Fleet 1 on a Laser Radial Photographer: Alan Straton |
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