10 Teams Compete In 141st Anniversary Regatta
Ten teams hit Hamilton Harbour this past Sunday aiming to claim victory in the RHADC’s 141st Anniversary Regatta.
A spokesperson said, “Racing in the Club’s fleet of six RS21 boats, the teams rotated through a round robin series in an ideal westerly of 8-14 knots. Each team completed six races on the course set between White’s Island and Salt Kettle Point.”
“This is the first time we’ve done this format in the RS21s so we were really pleased to get 10 teams out and we couldn’t have asked for better conditions,” says John Nicholls, RHADC Commodore. “It all ran very smoothly considering we were swapping teams on and off boats between races. It really highlights what a fantastic racing venue Hamilton Harbour is.”
The spokesperson said, “In the tightly contested regatta, Team Victory, helmed by Alan Frith, came out on top with Team Salty Sea Dogs, helmed by Carola Cooper, in 2nd place and Team Elizabeth II, with Mikey Wollman on the helm, in 3rd place.
“The regatta featured a variety of sailors ranging from a RHADC junior team, made up of high school students, to sailors from the RBYC and St George’s Dinghy and sports Club and a few sailors completely new to the RS21.
“This is what we envisaged when we invested in the fleet, it’s a great boat for youngsters to transition into after the Optis and 420s,” continues Mr Nicholls. “Its also a good club racer in that it’s a high performance keel boat but it’s very stable and most sailors can hop right in them and go racing.”
The spokesperson said, “Mr Nicholls was keen to thank the race committee run by RHADC flag officer, Patrick Copper, Andrew Butterworth and Will Rossiter, as well as the RHADC’s director of sailing, Nico Stefani, who managed the odd running repair and over saw the changeovers of teams from the barge kindly supplied by Bermuda Marine Services. The Club plans to run more regattas this fall and hopes to up the team limit to 12, now that they’ve seen the format run successfully.”
“Teams were either in a boat racing or sitting on the barge watching the racing and getting ready to go again,” says Mr Nicholls. “Great breeze and close races, it was a glamour day.”
