The Williams Spring Series at the Royal Victoria Yacht Club has concluded after 6 races featuring close finishes, shifting conditions and strong competition across all fleets.
Sailors of the Fishbourne-based yacht club were met with a wide range of weather conditions throughout the series, testing crews across the slow handicap, fast handicap and Squib fleets.
In the slow handicap fleet, Jack and Megan showed determination in some of the more challenging early-season conditions, with Megan ultimately claiming victory by the narrowest of margins, finishing on 8 points compared to Jack’s 9 points.
The fast handicap fleet saw increased competition this season with several new boat owners joining the line-up, including Guy and Susie sailing their RS400.
Neil and Mark, also in an RS400, battled throughout the series with Lawrence in the Hadron and Jon in his Europe dinghy. Steve and Chris impressed during the middle races with several third-place finishes in an especially tight field.
Race 3 proved particularly competitive, with the top 5 boats finishing within a minute of each other on corrected time.
The final race, held on 31st May, brought gusty conditions and a longer course, forcing sailors to carefully manage their energy levels. The top 3 boats crossed within less than a minute of each other.
Overall, only 2 points separated the podium places, with Lawrence finishing third on 7 points, Jon second on 6.5 points and Neil and Mark taking first place overall on 5 points.
The Squib fleet also produced a closely fought series, with 4 different race winners across the 6 races.
Rhapsody made a strong start to the competition with 3 strong results, while one race produced unusual scenes after the wind collapsed near the finish line. Kestrel, which had been leading, was forced to kedge after rounding the final mark as the tide swept the boat backwards.
Icarus and Rhapsody managed to edge ahead before the wind eventually returned, allowing Icarus to take victory on its seasonal return.
The remaining races saw Kestrel secure 3 wins, while Party Hat recorded 2 second-place finishes and Icarus and Panther continued to trade positions throughout the fleet.
The series concluded with Panther in third place on 11 points, Icarus second on 9.75 points and Kestrel taking overall victory on 6 points.
The Royal Victoria Yacht Club has thanked its race volunteers and Williams Estate Agents for sponsoring the opening series of the season.
The next series, sponsored by Westridge Golf Centre, begins on 7th June with the first warning signal scheduled for 16:00.
