In the paper..
(The Daily Herald) Team Lightweights victorious at blustery Lagoonies Regatta
COLE BAY—Skipper Hans de Bruyn Kops and his Lightweights Team won the inaugural Lagoonies Bistro Regatta last Saturday to out sail a competitive field of 13 teams who rotated on the one design Sunfast 20 boats provided by Lagoon Sailboat Rentals.
Lightweights proved to be the most consistent team, racking up three bullets on their way to winning with nine points, to edge Ernst Looser’s Tropical Sail Loft Team into second place.
Robbie Ferron’s Budget Marine settled for third place with 15 points, tying with Simon Manley’s Shore Support Team returning to the fray after an absence.
Rien Korteknie steered Kidz at Sea 2 into fifth place while Garth Steyn’s Kidz at Sea 1 took sixth place.
A separate category with the RS Vision boats saw four youth teams vying for honours, sailing 10 races compared to 13 for the Sunfast boats. Pepe and Nicolas were the winners, John and Carson were second, Nina and Tara third, and Neil and Luc fourth.
With gusty and fluky winds hitting 18-20knots on the windward leeward course, teams managed to hold it together without any serious breakages or injuries. Each team sailed seven races, discarding their worst result.
“The wind certainly contributed to making this regatta special,” remarked Robbie Ferron. “Two or three more knots and we might have had some incidents and panic. But it all worked out great with very close racing. We had a lot of French teams who didn’t have as much experience as the Dutch side teams. It didn’t work out so well for some teams with higher expectations. Once you got mixed up in the pack you virtually got pushed down the tubes.
“It was one of those days when sometimes it was the right side favoured to catch the lifts, or sometimes the left side, so there was no consistency that anyone could latch on to. It was fluky for everyone. You were back in the casino for the start of every race.”
Race Officer for the event was Laurey Ann Fairbain with David Donnelly as judge. Guy Chester loaned his catamaran which was used as the change boat.
An excellent turn out of sailors and competent organisation on the part of Stephen Winkel and Olivia Roudon and Lagoonies staff, and on the water by Cary Byerley and Robbie Ferron, ensures this new event, barring any change of heart, will become a permanent fixture in the off season.
Ferron praised the Lagoonies management for making everyone feel welcome and for injecting so much energy and enthusiasm into the event. The group Fantastic 4 got sailors and non-sailors rocking on the dock for the evening’s live concert.
Come and have fun at Lagoonies all day fun and at happy hour for more fun and prise giving, live band and a fire show.
Its gonna be and windy day out there tomorrow so let see how that goes for everyone!
Downwind most tricky in the 7 identical Jeanneau Sunfast 20's...
13 races total, we do 7, S updownupdownup F
