West Kirby Sailing Club Arctic Series - Day 4

Ian McLean & Dan Ely - West Kirby SC Arctic Series day 4 © Alan Jenkins

The Arctic Series at West Kirby Sailing Club continued on Sunday. It was a day of opposites and extremes, with twists and turns worthy of a top-class novel.

Race Officer Liz Potter had just flown back from Tenerife 12 hours earlier, from some winter RS Aero training at Amarilla Sailing Club. She went straight from 22 degrees to 5 degrees, 25 knots to 7-15 knots and huge waves to flat water on the Marine Lake, which was also busy with youth training and University team racing practice ahead of the BUSA Qualifiers next weekend.

Ten boats rigged up for races 7 & 8 of the Arctic Series; four of which were sailed by men called Steve. It was the start of a confusing day.

Trevor Jenkins & Sally Bromilow - West Kirby SC Arctic Series day 4 - photo © Alan Jenkins

Steve the Canoe sailor failed to locate and cross the start line. The Albacore of John Carlin, crewed by another Steve, broke its mast in a moderate gust on the first reach and all but one Steve and three non-Steves rounded the second mark the wrong way. Then, the Steve who got the course right capsized and got his ILCA mainsheet caught under the rudder.

Moreover, everyone continued on their happy random way, apart from the Albacore who went home.

In an attempt to correct the chaotic karma, the race was shortened after three laps, with the non-Steve sailor Stuart Dawson taking the win in his ILCA 5 over fellow ILCA sailor Ioannis Koutsokeras.

Ioannis Koutsokeras - West Kirby SC Arctic Series day 4 - photo © Alan Jenkins

The next race sequence was rolled out with the same course, in the hope that all competitors had learnt which way to round the marks and had possibly changed their names.

With chaos brushed aside, Trevor Jenkins & Sally Bromilow won the race on handicap in the GP14, with Stuart Dawson in second, and Ian McLean & Dan Ely in third in the Albacore.

The series ends with a final two races in 3 weeks' time, and is currently led by Ioannis, with Trevor one point behind in second.

Meanwhile, the club is joining forces with Dee Sailing Club in a fortnight, to start the combined winter tidal series on the Dee estuary.

Start of race 7 - West Kirby SC Arctic Series day 4 - photo © Alan Jenkins

Series results so far:

Trevor Jenkins & Sally Bromilow - West Kirby SC Arctic Series day 4 - photo © Alan Jenkins