Neyland Yacht Club

Races 2 & 3 of the Frostbite Series

Sunday 12^th January 2025

Races 2 & 3 – 12th Jan 2025.

With the forecast of mild temperatures and a building breeze from the south entry numbers increased to 24 boats across both divisions for the second weekend of the Frostbite series at Neyland YC.

As predicted, the wind was blowing from the SSE F2-3 for the first race, with a downwind start from the club line under the chosen course.  Space on the start line was at a premium due to the restrictions presented by “the blocks” at this low tide, resulting in several boats being called OCS at the gun and hence gybing around the line outer mark to correctly start.  The Supernova and Solution of Geoff T and Ross P made the best of congestion and led the fleet to the first mark located at the far end of the moorings.  On the following beat to Llanion (P) the Supernova pulled away from the Solution, making better use of the shifts and gusts that are always present with wind from this direction.  Back in the pack, on the still congested first lap, the choice between extending past the layline to ensure clear air from boats in front or tacking earlier to avoid the larger lulls and shifts from the lee of the Dockyard frontage was a difficult one to make, with losses and gains to all throughout the leg.  The following leg was a dead run to Bath House (P) and the ILCA 7 of Jon N and Tasar of Gavin S closed up to the Supernova, with the 3 boats tightly bunched by the end of Lap 1.  The wind had increased a little for lap 2, with all boats needing to hike upwind and reaching, enough for the International Moth and Dart 18 to wind up to speed and advance through the fleet.  The race within the race was between the 3 ILCA 6’s, Eloise C led from the off and was content with Alec D and Noah S fighting each other throughout the 3 laps.

By the end of the 2nd lap Simon G in his International Moth was a long way ahead on the water, but sailing on many unfavoured shifts upwind in an effort to keep in the gusts and airborne.  The Dart 18 had joined the trio of Supernova, ILCA 7 and Tasar having greater straight line speed but less manoeuvrability to quickly tack or gybe to make the best use of the shifts and still increasing gusts and so unable to extend from them.

By the beginning of lap 3 the breeze had shifted slightly to the increased a little more - hard hiking for the fleet and extended trapezing for both 29ers.  The International Moth took line honours as expected, but his slow first lap would likely scupper any possibility of a high position on corrected time.  The Supernova of Geoff T was looking to be the second boat to finish, and a win on corrected a possibility, but with a slip of the mainsheet on the planing reach to the finish Geoff snatched defeat from the jaws of victory and capsized in to windward.  In the pack, Robert and Connor in their RS200 had worked to keep the 29er of Keira and Simon behind them for 2.5 out of the 3 laps, only being passed on the final run in the increased breeze.

Division 2 always suffers the worst with a downwind start having to sail in the dirty air of the faster Division 1 boats for longer.  This only appeared to spur Dylan W in his ILCA 4 on who just about held on to the coattails of the faster ILCA 6’s through his 2 laps.  The Topper of Daniel P was neck and neck with Liam F and Isabelle N in their RS Teras for their first lap, shaking them off on the first reach of the second lap.  Anwen S was playing catchup throughout this race after being over the start early, not being able to link any favourable shifts until her second windward leg.  Dylan W finished exactly 5 minutes ahead of the Topper and 3 RS Teras followed in close succession, would that be enough to beat the slower end of the division on handicap?

 

Race 2 Division 1

Rank    Class                            SailNo             HelmName                 CrewName

1st       ILCA 7                          221330            Jon Nuttall     

2nd      ILCA 6                          202408            Eloise Cusden

3rd      SUPERNOVA                357                  Geoff Turner  

4th      ILCA 6                          165267            Alec Denny     

5th      ILCA 6                          213791            Noah Sutton  

6th      TASAR                         358                  Gavin Sims                  Sebastian Kummer

7th      RS 200                         1377                Robert Main               Connor Main

8th      LASER STRATOS          307                  Jo Musson                  Gareth Davies

9th      WAYFARER                 10041              Vaughan Everitt          Paul Bell

10th    29ER                            838                  Kiera Edwards             Simon Turnbull

11th    29ER                            2378                Nina Marsh                 Amelia Nuttall

12th    Moth Foiling               3995                Simon Goodwin         

NCS     SOLUTION                   439                  Ross Prytherch           

NCS     DART 18                      6400                Alan Gregory               Dimitri Catsailor

RET      Moth Foiling               3169                James Norris  

 

 

Race 2 Division 2

Rank    Class                            SailNo             HelmName

1st       RS TERA SPORT           3230                Isabelle Nuttall

2nd      ILCA 4                          215649            Dylan Williams

3rd      TOPPER                       49201              Daniel Plant

4th      RS TERA SPORT           NYC3               Anwen Sims

5th      RS TERA PRO               NYC                 Liam Franz

6th      RS TERA SPORT           NYC2               Ted Silverstone

 

Race 3 of the series, the second of the day, began immediately after the completion of Race 2.  The wind had increased to a consistent F3 with gusts up to F4, but shifty due to the SSE direction it came from.  With an unchanged course the start was just as congested, a real test for each boat in holding their position and time on distance management.  Dylan W in his ILCA 4 had the best start of both divisions but was overtaken by the faster boats on the reach to the first mark.  Jon N (ILCA 7) was first to round onto the beat with his daughter crewing in one of the two 29ers tight on his transom.  Simon G in his International Moth quickly passed the fleet at the beginning of the beat on the first lap, concentrating on staying airborne again rather than the favourable shift, distancing himself from the fleet quickly.  The spinnaker-ed boats (29ers, Stratos, Wayfarer) revelled on the tight reach to mark one on their second lap but the gains made against the surrounding singlehanders were reduced once they had completed their drop.  As with the first race of the day, the ILCA 6 contingent were sailing solidly within the pack without any noticeable drama.

The second race of the day for Division 2 got underway with all competitors the correct side of the start line.  Dylan W’s excellent start meant he was smothered by boats in Division 1 on the first beat seemingly sailing the entire leg in dirty air, whereas Daniel P in the Topper showed speed in the gusts to make short work of the beat to Llanion.  The 4 Tera’s closed out division, completing their race just before division 1 came to finish their 2 laps.

 

 

Race 3 Division 1

Rank    Class                            SailNo             HelmName                 CrewName

1          ILCA 7                          221330            Jon Nuttall     

2          ILCA 6                         202408            Eloise Cusden

3          SUPERNOVA                357                  Geoff Turner  

4          SOLUTION                   439                  Ross Prytherch           

5          TASAR                         358                  Gavin Sims                  Sebastian Kummer

6          ILCA 6                         213791            Noah Sutton  

7          LASER STRATOS          307                  Jo Musson                  Gareth Davies

8          ILCA 6                          165267            Alec Denny     

9          Moth Foiling               3995                Simon Goodwin         

10        WAYFARER                 10041              Vaughan Everitt          Paul Bell

11        RS 200                         1377                Robert Main               Connor Main

12        29ER                            2378                Nina Marsh                 Amelia Nuttall

13        DART 18                      6400                Alan Gregory               Dimitri Catsailor

14        29ER                            838                  Kiera Edwards             Simon Turnbull

RTD     Moth Foiling               3169                James Norris  

 

Race 3 Division 2

Rank    Class                            SailNo             HelmName

1st       TOPPER                       49201              Daniel Plant

2nd      RS TERA SPORT           NYC3               Anwen Sims

3rd      RS TERA SPORT           3230                Isabelle Nuttall

4th      RS TERA PRO               NYC                 Liam Franz

5th      ILCA 4                          215649            Dylan Williams

6th      RS TERA SPORT           NYC2               Ted Silverstone