New Quay Yacht Club Dinghy Open Regatta
by Chris Seal 16 Jun 21:49 PDT
13-14 June 2026
Young Gun and NQYC Dinghy Open Champion Steffan Williams during the New Quay Yacht Club Dinghy Open Regatta © CJT Photography
Well, what a weekend of stunning conditions!
Those who were lucky enough to be there were treated to proper champagne sailing! It may not have been the biggest turnout (a lament of many clubs, it appears) but it was a superb event that had everyone grinning from ear to ear. We were blessed with excellent and rare conditions, the presence of Welsh ILCA Champion, Steffan Williams, fresh out of his exams. So really, the event was all about second place... or was it?
Two races were planned on the Saturday afternoon but the PRO changed his mind and pushed on with a third because everyone was having so much fun (especially Amanda and Tamara, the girls on Puffin), who could be heard giggling and screaming all around the course... whichever mark they were going for! To cater for asymmetrics, we started with triangles, followed by triangle-sausage courses before a shorter Windward-Leeward course.
Starts were all mostly clean and the slight port bias allowed a fair and impressively-compact 'get-go' - no stragglers! The fleet skill level is definitely improving across the board. Steffan did not disappoint his top billing but he was pressured by the old fox, Martin Wood/Sarah Skinner in an RS200 until a spinner twist developed which needed a capsize to sort. Time was lost but the determination to finish was impressive.
This allowed the ever-improving Roma Kearns and Paul MacIntyre to score well. Everyone was smiling by the end of the day - whether that was because of the long-awaited, perfect conditions or because the dolphins did occasionally make an appearance is unsure.
There were surprisingly few capsizes in the fresh breeze and those that did occasionally have a 'cooling dip' (names withheld to save blushes) were short-lived and expertly dealt with.
Later that evening, we were treated to a fabulous time of socialising, eating and dancing on the pier itself (our club house is still out of commission after a fire in January, while the landlords (County Council), planners and insurers try to enable us a swift recovery plan!).... that's not quite working yet unfortunately.
However, at least the weather was very kind to us again and we had a cracking evening, thanks to Sarah - who had just done quite a hefty shift on the water; respect!
Amanda had organised an impromptu raffle to get rid of some wanted Christmas presents (only joking) and she raised £100 to help cover event costs.
The next morning was a PROs' nightmare with shifting winds and strong currents which made the start-line a bit of a lottery. Nonetheless, the fleet, now devoid of a 'broken' Wood/Skinner combo, bore this with remarkable patience and good grace.
Eventually, 2 windward/leeward races with a leeward gate were run - with Steffan predictably, leading the pack once more but not without an OCS and quick return. In the first race, he was chased hard by Paul Mac initially - and between them, they forgot to go through the start-line on the second lap and had to return, allowing Amanda/Tamara and Roma to experience life at the front (this raised a big cheer on Puffin as they crossed the finish line second).
Commendably, as the race progressed Steffan had noticed how the Race Comm had adjusted the leeward gate slightly on the next lap and got an advantage by changing which gate to use. He didn't look back and won... again!
The last race, with an increasing ebb tide, was made a more little interesting by the windward mark doing a Lazarus impression - it picked up its anchor and walked itself down the coast as the fleet were approaching it.
As all the boats were so close together, it was decided to let them continue as the breeze was threatening to die and it would have been harsh to abandon and make them return to do it all again in even less wind. It didn't make any difference - Steffan still won, chased by Roma and Paul not far behind!
Steffan Williams was subsequently crowned Open Champion, First Laser/ILCA and First Youth.
Roma, solid and consistent, was a commendable second and also First Lady. Amanda/Tamara and Martin/Sarah were tied on points just ahead of Paul Mac but on count back (more second places) Martin won 3rd place and 'Classic Helm'.
Plenty of gizzits were provided by sponsor, Harken and prizes provided through donations by Schooner Park.
The Race Committee of Ruth Cullen, Deborah Johnson and PRO, Chris Seal, aboard Brainstorm were thanked for making it a hugely enjoyable and fun 2 days of superb sailing. Also applauded were
the whole host of crews aboard RIBs Celtic Rose (provided by a Sport Wales Grant), Nautilus, and Wally - a number of whose crews also, had gained their quals recently under the same Sport Wales Grant.
Those who weren't here, missed out on a seriously good time.
Next year's Dinghy Open will likely be on 19/20 June or 3/4 July 2027.... Watch this space!