Powell breezes to win in Munson Cup race

With little wind and a reasonably fast flow on the river, only two boats took to the start for the first race of the day at Welland Yacht Club, the third in the Munson Cup series.

With the shortest possible course set, the GP14 of Nick Bonsor and Helen Boyd took the lead from Kieron Powell in a loaned Solo. Progress was slow against the flow on the river, with Powell soon taking the lead and, once clear of the clubhouse, there were patches of breeze that allowed that to be extended.
Trying to get to the elusive patches of breeze proved unachievable for the heavier GP14 and they had to retire. That left Powell to take victory.
The wind seemed to pick up slightly ahead of the second race and all looked well for a four boat line-up but, as the five-minute start procedure began, the wind fell away, leaving the boats well short of the line once the start signal sounded so the race was abandoned.
The club hosted Cambridge City Rowing Club for a five-day training session and, in the absence of the second race, they put on a couple of sprint races to offer a different spectacle.
The wind picked up slightly after lunch, so four boats took to the water for the second race in the Afternoon Points Series.

An optimistic two laps of the short course were set and the initial lead was taken by the GP14, helmed by Boyd with Powell as crew. Second was Richard Stedman in a Comet WX, ahead of Neal Tack and Rebecca Slator in a Graduate and Alan Cox in a Laser.
As the fleet headed up river, Cox made his way to the front with Stedman still holding second. By the time they rounded the top mark, Tack and Slator were in third.
The run back to the clubhouse was assisted by the flow on the river and the finishing order remained Cox, Stedman, Tack-Slator and Boyd-Powell. There was no change once handicaps were applied.
The club is hosting an open day on Sunday, May 21, when anyone can go along and experience dinghy sailing.
q Anyone wanting to find out more about sailing can contact the club via email secretary@wellandyachtclub.co.uk