Two Vane 36r’s from Llandudno contested the vane 36r national championships at Birkenhead lake. This is the first vane race held at Birkenhead in approximately 20 years and it was a pleasure to sail on this excellent water with a convenient and well appointed clubhouse.
- Gecko Sailed by Dave and Rob Bell
- Koorah Sailed by Alan and Marg Bell
A total of 9 entries contested the trophy over the weekend 9th – 10th April.
On Saturday a complete round of 9 heats was sailed. Initially conditions were light and variable, however a breeze moved in with the tide from the NW end to provide excellent competition in top and later second suit sails. conditions gradually eased as the tide receded back to a top suit. Gecko finished the day 7 points clear at the top of the table.
On Sunday the wind freshened from the SE end of the lake providing racing in a gusty second and third suit breeze. Some spectacular broaches were seen by competitors flying excessively tall spinnakers.
The final summing of the boards sailed resulted in a win for Gecko (co-skippered by Dave Bell/Rob Bell). Chris Harris and Sam Roberts chased hard but were unable to catch up and had to settle for second.
RGB 2016.04.10
