56th Venetian Trophy for GP14s at BTYC Sailsports

The 56th Venetian Trophy was held at the Welsh Harp © BTYC

The 56th Venetian Trophy was held at the Welsh Harp © BTYC

On Saturday April 14, the 56th Venetian Trophy was held at the Welsh Harp. The six visiting boats from Milton Keynes, Papercourt, Frensham and Tollesbury were welcomed by a strong fleet of locals from Seahorse (7), Wembley (1) and BTYC (20).

The wind was predicted to be moderate and northerly, shifting to north-easterly during the day, promising interesting wind-shifts with good gusts. Frank Pearce, the Race Officer for the day decided that a long figure of eight would provide a lot of opportunities to overtake (and be overtaken). The first race was won by Mark Wolf and Alain Renault, with visitors Richard Cornes/James Goodfellow providing stiff competition.

The second race used the same course as the first, but the location of the start line changed so that it was shorter, causing some over-excitement at the start. After a general recall, the fleet got off cleanly, but some serious wind shifts and sudden changes in wind strengths along the course caused a few minor collisions. This race was also won by Mark Wolf/Alain Renault in the Gold fleet, closely followed by Jim Faulkner/Suzanne Williams (Gold), with Brian Jefferies/Penny Abbott third – and first in the Silver fleet.

Because of the shift in wind direction, the course of the third race was changed to provide shorter beats across the Harp. As usual with a northerly wind, sailing near the north bank proved quite testing owing to wind shadow from the bank, and a number of boats had to do their 360’s or 720’s after touching buoys or other boats. A lot of boats changed places during the race which made it quite exciting! The third race was (again) won by Mark Wolf & Alain Renault in the Gold fleet, followed by Richard Cornes/James Goodfellow. Brian Jefferies/Penny Abbott dropped down to fifth in this race, but this was more than adequate to keep their first place in the Silver fleet.

After a good day’s sailing with only one capsize, the event concluded with homebaked cakes, tea/coffee or something stronger. The prize giving was extended with the presentations of the 2011 Southern Travellers Trophy (winner Mark Wolf/Alex Dotch/Alain Renault), the Jaldi Cup for best newcomer to the Series (George Rogers /Jilly Wilkinson from Tollesbury); and the WHSA prize - the Frank Hewlett Cup – awarded anually to the the sailor who best promotes the Welsh Harp at other events was presented to Mark Wolf.

A fantastic day like this can only happen with the help of a lot of volunteers: many thanks to all who put time into making this day possible.

Overall Results: