An exciting two days of sailing events were staged by the Merioneth Yacht Club (MYC) in Barmouth on the 31st of July and the 1st of August. This is the first event of this nature staged in Barmouth Harbour since 1978 and marks the resurgence of opportunities to participate in this rewarding club sport. The event will be held yearly and the aim is to grow the number of participating crews.
Three short course races were held on the Saturday. The start line was set within the harbour for race I. The course took the fifteen strong fleet out to the first race mark set 1.2 miles out to the open sea. The boats rounded the windward mark and began their down-wind leg with spinnakers set, a real spectacle for the watching crowd on the harbour entrance.
After completing the first lap of three the boats were tightly packed with nothing between the first five boats. The fleet eventually spread out on the last lap with the 2 Fireballs and the K6 crossing the line in the top spots. As the wind increased the start line was brought forward to the harbour entrance. The last race saw the wind increase to 20 knots with the Fireballs again crossing the line in the top spots. Throughout the races the Laser sailed by Mike Harding was sailed with great skill. Mike Harding took the top spot for the day winning all three races on Handicap. A great day’s sailing was had by all. The race began in spectacular style with all boats fighting for clear wind from the off. The A-Class catamaran sailing by Steve Pooley was flying from the start and stretched out a lead that would never be caught. The wind increased throughout the day with boats sailing the down-wind leg in 25 knots. The safety ribs struggled to keep up with some classes. The RS 400 sailing by Angie Dunkley and Nigel McKenna made great gains on the down-wind leg sailing at speeds of 22 knots. A single long course race was held on day 2. The start line was set in the harbour entrance with the half-way mark set close to Shell Island.
On handicap, the Boat to beat on the Day was the K6 sailing by Alan and Ben. After visiting the sandbank on the Saturday races they had recovered in style on the Sunday with some fantastic tack choices on the down-wind leg. The K6 was eventually crowned the winner of the Ponsford cup. Well done to Ben and John.
A great weekend’s sailing in Barmouth. Anyone in the local communities interested in this exhilarating sport should contact the Merioneth Yacht Club for details.
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