Cook secures first in Flag Officers Cup

Welland Yacht Club racers took to the water for the Flag Officers Cup at the weekend.

An excellent turnout of 11 boats started race one in a gentle breeze that was set to build throughout the day and with a course of number 1 to number 3 it gave the boats a chance to experience all the points of sailing.
The river weed situation is once again causing a problem and boats throughout the day won and lost places as they encountered the growth now stretching into mid river slowing them down.
There was a short tack to number 1 buoy which made a good start essential to stay out of congestion trouble at the rounding.
It was Gerri van Haren followed by Keiron Powell and Mark Scourfield who managed that, and rounded in that order.
However once around the chasing pack with the wind behind them, soon made up some lost ground and closed in on these leading three.
At the first turning mark it was a tight reach back before the tacking to the clubhouse turn and Powell overtook Scourfield and Van Haren to lead the fleet round the course.
Martin Cook in the Solo was making good progress, as was Alistair Mitchell, Alan Chapman, both in the laser full rig, and Alan Cox in the radial rig as they made their way up the fleet to hang on to the front two boats.
It was Powell who crossed the line first, followed by van Haren and Cook and after the handicaps were applied it was Cook who had done enough to secure first place from Powell and Chapman in the laser in third.
Due to a starting rule infringement there were a number of boats that incurred disqualification and as a result they finished but their times were not counted.
The second race of the day had to be abandoned as there was a course misunderstanding and therefore was void.
The next race was contested by fewer boats which made the start line a little less hectic as the wind had increased to provide a few interesting gusts.
It was a different course with a longer sail on the reach to number 4 buoy which gave a chance of some off-wind planing.
Scourfield made the best start and was followed by Cox, Cook, Neil Tack and Rebecca Slator in the Graduate, Helen Boyd in her Solo and Richard Stedman in the Comet.
An uneventful race but for a couple of collisions with the same powerboat for Cox and Stedman which luckily did not cause a capsize or personal injury to the helms.
After 45 minutes of racing it was Cox who took line honours from Scourfield, with Cook in third place, Tack and Slator in fourth and Boyd in fifth and these were the actual corrected times positions .
The third place was enough to give Cook a well deserved win overall, with Scourfield in second and Boyd in third, giving the Solo class dinghy all top three places .