West Riding Sailing Club, Wakefield, Yorkshire

The weather forecast for the Day 5 of the Early Spring Handicap Series was for strong winds and snow, but on arrival clear blue skies and moderate winds greeted competitors.  The wind however was from the north and icy, and probably explained the competitors reluctance to come to the start line, leaving OOD Hamish sitting for 20 minutes studying how the shifting wind was potentially wrecking his superb course.  He was kept company by Tim Keighley, who made it to the starting area on time but was happy playing around with his new Rooster 8.1 rig.

When the fleet eventually got started, they were overly eager with several boats being recalled to the correct side of the line.  Matt Cook and Abi Morgan's Fireball got away cleanly, pulling out a substantial lead on the water from Tim and his big rig, and the more conventional Alasdair McQuire in a ‘normal' Laser.  Alasdair kept at the heals of Tim, who struggled to keep control of his beast in some of the upwind gusts.  Alasdair was able to focus on the wind shifts, and was the eventual winner on handicap from Tim, then Matt and Abi.  John Wadsworth, inspired by his first sail of the year at last Sunday's Solo Open put in a solid performance to finish 4^th.

The second race saw the moderate winds ease a little, but again Hamish saw his gold plated course go to pieces as the wind swung through 90 degrees prior to the start.  A reaching start caught many competitors out with four boats being recalled.  Three came back, including first race winner Alasdair, but Tim eager to conquer the beast continued, deciding that points aren't as important as performance.  James Porter went about his business quietly to pull off a well-earned victory in is Solo, ahead of Mike Woodhead second in his Finn, and Alasdair third.  Tim was first on the water but headed straight for the shore, knowing the OOD would not be wasting electricity by sounding the horn for him.

Snow showers came through and with it a dropping wind.  There was little interest from the competitors in the third race as the lake resembled a mirror and the fleet began to pack up, leaving the OOD no option but to abandon the last race.  Immediately the wind picked up, but people had their hearts set on an early bath and a good night in front of the TV with the fire on.

One week of the series to go.  The title is still very much up for grabs.

Overall