3:55pm Monday 10th August 2009
Still waters and calm conditions met the competitors for the first day of racing at the 2009 Henry Lloyd Falmouth week.
Competitors from Cardiff to Cowes gathered around the Helford waters for the start of a weeks highly competitive racing, but were met with no wind and a delayed start. Race Officers David Harford and Roger Hollingsworth patiently waited for the breeze to fill before setting course in the Bay for the Helford River Sailing Club regatta day.
IRC Division 1 were first away with a clean start on what was meant to be a windward leeward course. A wind shift early on in the race produced a calm and procession like introduction to the regatta with no real upsets. Jacobi, the largest boat in the fleet lead and went on to win, with local boat Gotcha, the smaller Corby 29 taking second and Jackhammer 3rd.
In IRC 2, sailing a similar course in the windward leeward courses, it was Musto Supersonic that stile the show posting two first places in both races, Shenanigan took a 2nd and a 3rd and Jethro and Macavity each shared a 3rd.
In the second race of IRC 1 the winds failed almost completely and it was a matter of finding the wind, with some boats becoming becalmed on the race course. Blue, the Melges, found what breeze there was and after a retirement in the first race for missing a mark after an otherwise good race, went on to take the win, along with Jetta, skippered by the rear commodore of HRSC for a joint 1st place, with Jackhammer again talking 3rd.
Meanwhile the river saw the working boats steal the show with their multi coloured headsails and close to the shore racing, sometimes too close as Victory ran aground at one point. It was a wonderful sight to see the working boats back on the Helford, it was Stella that took the win by just 26 seconds over Victory with Mabel 3rd.
In the PY fleet there was a run away win for General Chaos, romping home 6 minutes ahead of Ramshackle in 2nd and Illusions of Lorn 3rd.
The multihulls had some incredibly close racing and after 3 hours racing there was less than 20 seconds between first place Tickeld Pink and Alderney Race 2nd with Crackerjack 3rd.
Competitors were invited back to Helford River Sailing Club for teas and a hog roast afterwards as hundreds of boats morred up in the river, the sun shone, it was a glorious day, the wind could have been more, but there were smiles a plenty.
With another 5 days racing there is still much to play for in the regatta.
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