Wierdsmas Edge Out Pilling/Romaniuk in Breezy Wayfarer Debut at Peterborough SC

Well, we certainly didn't lack for wind at Peterborough Sailing Club averaging 15-20kt and gusting higher. We could've used a few more Wayfarers . It was interesting using the Portsmouth system to sort out the eight-boat fleet which included 4 Lasers (below), 2 Albacores (above) as well as Rob Wierdsma with daughter, Samantha, and Sue Pilling with Steph Romaniuk in their Wayfarers. The wind was brisk too much to let the anchor hold the committee boat in place but they still did a fine job of blowing whistles and raising flags while untangling anchors from propellers without ever needing to restart the sequence. Sue and Steph opted for a reefed main which seemed to help them to weather but not off the wind. The modified Olympic Course, triangle/windward/leeward, was refreshing and we enjoyed the screaming reaches as crews were fire -hosed by the spray of the planing hulls. Even with a capsize, the Wierdsmas took the win in the decisive 5th race and won the regatta, a point ahead of Sue and Steph. The Wayfarers also placed 1-2 overall, both on elapsed and corrected time, despite being seeded as slowest by the Portsmouth system (Albacore expected to be fastest with a rating of 90.3 ahead of Laser's 91.1 with Wayfarer ranked slowest at 91.6). Complete results here. A kiter on a foiling board wandered around the fleet having casual conversations as we hung out by our toenails The fact that some of the sailors were people who had just taken lessons or were paired up sailing with more seasoned helms, says heaps of good things about the spirit of and teaching at the Club. After we got off the water, the wind continued to build and we all felt satisfied that we had survived it and had stories to tell. It was nice to see people of all ages, kids playing on a SUP board and generations chatting at the picnic tables on the shore.  The beautiful Castle Wierdsma is well worth coming to visit, with its riverside view and top notch hosts. The Peterborough Sailing Club is a very friendly and down-to-earth sailing club that has been around since 1964, and many older sailors were on hand to welcome guests and newer sailors who are keeping racing alive. We hope to do more racing at this wonderful venue. Sue Pilling and Steph Romaniuk

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Peterborough SC Regatta
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