Miracle National Championship at Bala Sailing Club - Day 1
by Brian Jones 6 Aug 2018 01:30 PDT
5-10 August 2018
Miracle Nationals at Bala day 1 © John Hunter
Bala Sailing Club welcomed 24 Miracles for a combined Nationals with the SigneT fleet.
In a long hot summer of unbroken sunshine and light winds we were not to be disappointed as Sunday dawned with a lake of glass and cloudless skies.
Our race officer promised a good breeze down the lake - we lived in hope - sure enough almost on time it arrived and the fleet enjoyed a glorious day's racing.
Far too keen it took two general recalls to get the fleet cleanly away for the practice race with Andrew & Michela Mifsud (all the way from Malta and sailing a borrowed boat) slugging it out with Hannah Smith crewed by Thomas Metcalf for first and second along with David Southwell & Rebecca taking fourth place just behind Simon Reddicliffe & Mark Atherton.
For the first points race the wooden spoon was awarded to Graham Watts & Helen Jacks for a flying start at the pin end then throwing it away. All recorded on drone footage! Louise Moulden and crew were first at the windward mark later slipping to eighth place. The Mifsuds again took the bullet with David Southwell & Rebecca not far behind. David & Zara Turtle were ahead of Eamon Cuthbert. Hannah & Tom were fifth.
Marcel and Guilia deserved a prize for driving all the way from the Netherlands, rigging and leaping straight into their boat and then staying upright! They have a penchant for wanting to swim in as many English seas and lakes as possible.
Six boats were out for the first Youth and Juniors race with some very young helms coping very well in the windy conditions.