Sailing report for 2012 RPCYC Plymouth Gin Spring Series
[SinglePic not found] The 2012 RPCYC Plymouth Gin Spring Series got off to a flying start in fantastic sailing conditions with an easterly force 4/5 & glorious sunshine to help blow away the winter cobwebs.
Despite recent trends of decreasing fleet numbers, this years return of Plymouth Gin as title sponsor for the series has seen numbers increase over past years.
The racing proved close & competitive as ever amongst the 21 yachts racing in the first two races of the Plymouth Gin Spring Series.
Race 1 saw a prominently ENE wind with many wind shifts along with a strong flood tide testing the tactics of the crews with the majority of the fleet opting for the left side of the course. The windward mark was reset for the second beat giving a more even split amongst the fleets. Downwind action was spectacular to watch from the committee boat with many of the boats literally surfing downwind.
The second race saw the wind swing towards the east & become more stable than the first race. The PY fleet saw fours boats OCS but the IRC fleet saw the majority of the fleet over the start line with seconds to go before the start. The restart proved much better but still had two boats OCS.
There were lots of smiling faces back at the RPCYC bar with the events of the day’s races being discussed & tactics compared. The conditions suited the smaller sportsboats in the PY fleet with Adam Littlejohn & Dan Ellis taking two first places in their Open 5.7 “Phileas” beating Sean Koehlers “Fundamental” by 35 seconds in race 1. Race 2 saw the pair beating John McLarens Seascape 18 by a mere 10 seconds proving how competitive the racing was.
The IRC fleet saw Andy William’s Mills 39 “Dignity” also take two first with a 40 second margin over Roy Morgan’s HOD 35 “Sirduction” in race 1 being cut to 14 seconds in race 2.
Full results can be found here with photos of the racing available here
Special thanks go to Ullman Sails for their support in the series.
