Humber Yawl Club Welton Sailing Club Invitation.
Six sailors From Welton Waters Sailing Club attended the HYC Invitation event on Tuesday 20th May. The fresh Easterly Force 3-4, flat water and evening sunshine made a marked contrast too last years event that had to be cancelled due to gale force winds.
None of the Welton sailors had any previous Squib experience, none had Estuary or Tidal experience so each was matched to a HYC owner or representative, were, depending on experience or confidence, they either helmed or crewed.
The start was competitive to say the least with some boats coming out of the blocks a lot quicker than at normal club events! Angus in Orang-utan (676) and Peter Fletcher in Rebel (234) making the best of the start. Tacking up the bank against a strong flood tide saw Rosie Fletcher in Magic Flute (805) lead at the Windward mark closely followed by Orang-utan. Tacking, Gybing and boat handling errors paid dearly in a tight packed fleet with all boats losing position at sometime. Magic Flute trawling the Spinnaker at the Final Mark let Orang-utan take the lead only for Orang-utan to invent a new jib furling system which involved enveloping the jib with the Spinnaker to allow Magic Flute to regain the lead which Rosie held to the finish. The beer on the club balcony afterwards, the view of the Lincolnshire wolds on a superb spring evening only topped off what all had thought a great event. Feed back on the Squib by the Welton sailors was more than positive. The stability, speed and manoeuvrability had surprised all.
Final Results were;
1. Magic Flute 805, Rosie Fletcher
2. Orang-utan 676, Angus
3. Rebel 234, Peter Fletcher
4. Emma 431, The Stephenson’s
5. Privateer 741, David Carr
6. Squadron 633, Steve Abbott
Bob Smales, HYC Fleet Captain