Saturday 19 August 2023
East Down Yacht Club’s regatta on Saturday 19 August 2023 provided challenging conditions.
Strong winds overnight and into the morning, moderated during the afternoon to allow a much reduced fleet to complete the 2023 Strangford Lough regatta season.
In a strong south-south-westerly wind, all boats started with a long beat to mark six in the Quoile estuary.
At the start line the base wind was 20-25 knots with gusts into the 30s. In squally conditions many boats favoured reefs and furlers were put to good use.
All of the courses continued “windward-leeward”, with the larger yachts gybing onto a run of nearly four nautical miles down to mark seventeen at Round Island.
One competitor commented that you could race on the lough for years without enjoying a spinnaker run like that.
Almost all of the competitors had a smile by the finish — perhaps a combination of moderating conditions and a sense of achievement.
EDYC’s largest one design class, the Leisure 17 was well represented on Saturday. At EDYC the Leisure 17 can be a first step into sailing. From the home fleet of twenty-three boats, three of the most experienced ventured off their moorings. Despite that experience they were still surprised at the distances covered, racing around marks they don’t often visit!
Michael Petticrew’s Magdaleyne raced fresh from winning Class 3 and the Peter Cocks Memorial Trophy at West Highland Yachting Week. John Stevenson, a member who helped found EDYC in the 1960s, was on the main sheet, proving that sailing really is a sport for all ages despite the conditions.
Overall results
NHC1: 1st Hindsight II, Dermot Hinds (PSC); 2nd Self Expression, Richard Ramsey/John Findlay (EDYC), 3rd Magdaleyne, Michael Petticrew (EDYC)
Impala: 1st Vela, Michael Molloy (EDYC); 2nd Mipaal, Stephen Lynn; (EDYC) 3rd Alycyone, Peter Thompson and Mike Watson (EDYC)
Leisure 17: 1st Bumblebee, Eddie McWatters (EDYC), 2nd AlisonD, Stephen Perry (EDYC); 3rd Serenity, Mark Dow (EDYC)
NHC2: 1st Trauemerei, Paul McKenna (PSC)
NHC1RS: 1st Madrigal of Saltash, Stephen Dow (EDYC)
NHC2RS: 1st Kestrel, Keith Carr (EDYC)
Michael Petticrew’s Magadaleyne rounding the final mark with John Stevenson on main sheet
Mark Dow in his Leisure 17 beating towards the Quoile estuary
Dermot Hinds, Hindsight II from Portaferry, winner of the NHC1 class at East Down Yacht Club’s annual regatta on Saturday
Angus McRobert’s Wild Mustard chasing hard
Richard Ramsey and John Findlay with crew members on Self Expression
Michael Molloy collects Impala 28 trophy. Included are race officer Keith Maxwell (left) and club commodore Keith Carr (right)
For more photographs view the gallery:
