Old Pulteney Mudhook Regatta - Day 1

by Fiona Holland on 18 Jun 2017 Despite pressure from a tightly drilled RC35 fleet, Now or Never 3 held all opposition at bay for an overnight lead after three races in the Old Pulteney Mudhook Regatta on the Clyde.

The Fairlie Yacht Club MAT 10.10 with Neill Sandford at the helm was pressed hard by a very closely matched field of nine in a moderate but steady breeze, but the crew kept a steady nerve to post three firsts from three starts.

Particularly keen to challenge at all opportunities was Charlie Frize’s Corby 33 Banshee, helmed by Bill Crichton, which, despite taking line honours in races one and two, did not manage to put enough distance across the water between them and Now or Never to convert these into corrected time wins.

The race committee didn’t always have the easiest time of it, initially seeking breeze off Helensburgh – but the wind proved to be shifty and, after an hour and a half of postponement, steady conditions filled in further out into the Clyde near Kilcreggan, and three good windward/leeward races were contested.

A total of 25 yachts competed across five classes and there were plenty of battles elsewhere to contend with.

The six-strong Etchells fleet is dominated with three firsts by Geoff Howison’s Hero with Billy Russell at the helm, though the racing was closer than the three wins would suggest and Tom Lang and crew on Defiance pushed them very hard throughout.

Elsewhere, the IRC3 and CYCA classes combined and Nick Marshall’s J92 Satisfaction took both the across-the-water victories and converted them to elapsed time wins.

The regatta concludes with two races tomorrow (Sunday June 18).

Results after three races - Day 1 - Old Pulteney Mudhook Regatta: Clyde: RC35 – 1 Now or Never 3 (N Sandford) 3 points, 2 Banshee (C Frize/B Crichton) 6, 3 Triple Elf (R&C Murray) 11; IRC3 – 1 Satisfaction (N Marshall), 3 2 Edgy (D Paton) 6; CYCA – 1 Satisfaction 3, 2 Happy (I MacDonald) 7; Etchells – 1 Hero (G Howison/B Russell) 3, 2 Defiance (T Lang) 8, 3 Mayhem (N Bell) 12; Sonar – 1 Carpe Diem 5, 2 Siglet 5.