Wallasey Yacht Club Offshore Challenge Trophy Race

Liverpool Yacht Club used the Wallasey Yacht Club Offshore challenge trophy race to Puffin Island Anglesey as the fourth race in the offshore race series.

WYC Sailing Secretary Andrew Watson got the fleet of 12 away promptly at 05 30, with one recall, despite the start line stretching the 0.75nM. Most of the fleet started on the far shore in a F4/5 NNE to make the best use of the ebb tide and hopefully reaching the westerly turn of the Crosby channel 6nM downriver without having to tack. This strategy worked for most of the fleet.

Once the turn had been reached it progressively became a run to the finish line. When the fleet reached open water they were in a good F5 with a quartering sea. The larger yachts rapidly had their spinnakers up and were flying to the finish. For the smaller yachts conditions were marginal with many deciding not to fly their spinnakers and some that did finding conditions interesting with frequent broaches.

The day’s conditions favoured the larger yachts as they were able to reach the finish line some 40nm away before the wind started to decrease and the tide turned. For the smaller yachts the final 10 – 15 nM was frustrating as the wind decreased to a fluctuating F2 -3 and they were punching an increasingly foul tide. Two “non-racing” WYC yachts Zadir a Beneteau 44, fresh from a trans-Atlantic crossing and Blue Moon an Arpege also completed but well behind the other yachts.

Overall winner was LYC and WYC member Neil Thomas in his Prima 38 beating Nick Ogden’s J122 Ulula who had taken line honours by 32 seconds. Third overall was Richard Booth in a second Prima 38. Fourth and fifth were the class 2 and 3 winners. In class 2 Steve Harrison in his Sigma 33 beat the other two Sigma’s of Michael Inman and Rod Darling. In class 3 Jeanette Wight in her Int. H boat took class honours with Richard Baldwin in his Superseal taking line honours by 1min 35secs. John Myerscough in his Sadler 32 was third.

Long Series 4 Results:

Class 1 IRC (TCF > 0.936)
1st. Neil Thomas’s Prima 38 Mighty Max II
2nd. Nick Ogden’s J122 Ulula
3rd. Richard Booth’s Prima 38 Another Nods

Class 2 IRC (TCF 0.871 – 0.935)
1st. Steve Harrison’s Sigma 33 Quattro
2nd. Michael Inman’s Sigma 33 Musketeer
3rd. Rod Darling’ Sigma 33 Lezayre

Class 3 IRC (TCF < 0.871)
1st. Jeanette Wight’s Int. H Boat Hocus Pocus
2nd. Richard Baldwin’s Superseal Tango
3rd. John Myerscough’s Sadler 32 Catch 32

Wallasey Yacht Club Offshore Challenge Overall Results:

1st. Neil Thomas’s Prima 38 Mighty Max II
2nd. Nick Ogden’s J122 Ulula
3rd. Richard Booth’s Prima 38 Another Nods