PERTH SAILING CLUB - PA TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 7

Sep 7 2010 Perthshire Advertiser Tuesday

Perth Sailing Club

A FULL weekend of racing was held at Lairwell last week comprising two points races on Saturday and the last of the season’s longer events on Sunday.

Six dinghies made a clean start in the gentle easterly breeze on Saturday with Eric Taylor and Keith Fergie leading the fleet for most of the race.

Experience began to be important and Graham Keir worked his way into the lead showing great form in his Solo and several other “slow boats” just behind proving they are not so slow at times.

Bill Inches decided to show the youngsters how to do it in race two and made an impressive start to lead the fleet.

By the latter stages, he was caught by Graham who then pulled ahead for another win while the others battled for third place.

A fleet of four Albacores and one Solo took to the Tay for the club’s annual “Towback” race in an easterly wind of force 3–4. Race officer Paula Pyke gave the fleet a straight dash down the river to a finish somewhere off the north bank approximately an hour’s sailing away.

The first leg was quite shifty which seemed to suit John Ferguson and Ian Sadler who stretched out a healthy lead before the bend at Sleepless Inch. Meanwhile Sandy Rodger crewed by Bob Watson were having gear trouble as their mainsail started to fall down. While Bob struggled to pull it up again, Sandy offered encouragement as he tried not to lose too much ground on the leaders and keep ahead of an amused Eric Taylor and Keith Fergie. As the wind continued to build round the bend, Andrew began to erode John’s lead and inch ahead around Milhurst. Graham Keir in the Solo was finding the single handed boat hard going and struggled to keep up with the Albacores.

The two leaders maintained a close contest all the way with John gaining a little here but losing it there and not quite able to catch Andrew. As the fleet approached the finishing mark off Inchyra, there was still only nine seconds between these two while Sandy had recovered from his earlier difficulties to cross the line third two minutes later.

The breeze now a good force four with some stronger gusts meant the fleet did not require the customary tow back and made good progress up the river again without assistance. The same could not be said for the number two safety boat whose engine conked out near the finish and required rescuing.

The return trip was not without incident as the race winners took an unplanned “victory roll” off the club as they gybed to come ashore and giving the crew an early bath. Even the better sailors can have lapses of concentration when they think the pressure is off.

RESULTS Saturday Race One – 1 Shusui (Solo), G Keir; 2 Glencoe (Firefly) B Inches; 3 Solo 3695, C Fullerton.

Race Two – 1 Shusui, 2 Glencoe, 3 Solo 3695.

Sunday, Towback Race – 1 Kelpie (Albacore) A Porteous/M Warne, 2 Mirage (Albacore) J Ferguson/I Sadler, 3 Dash (Albacore) S Rodger/B Watson.