Gull Rock Manacles Race/Bay Race 2 Report

Gull Rock Manacle/Bay Race 2, 2024 Race Report

The forecast was good, with winds of about 15kn from the west predominantly with perhaps a southwest in the wind first thing. In the end it varied from 3kn closer inshore coming up to the Dodman and >20kn coming back into Falmouth. It was more to the south when we wanted west and vice versa.

IRC boats went to the Manacles and then to Gwineas Buoy and back via Gull Rock and Black Rock Beacon, whilst the RYAYTC boats did a similar length course but went to Dodman Buoy C instead of Gwineas and missed some of the “interesting” winds on the east side of the Dodman. Lots of spinnakers were in evidence on the outward legs.

I think we were rained upon about 5 or 6 times during the race and it was sometimes warm and sometimes freezing cold.

Nevertheless, there was a huge turnout of >25 boats, most racing in both the Coastal and the Bay Series, but a few in one or the other and there were also some boats racing in the Flushing Series who were not racing in the COGS Series at all. This made for really complex scoring! Trigger’s Broom took the honours in the IRC Fleet in both Bay and Coastal Series and Green Magnum did the same in the RYAYTC Fleet. Pogolyre won out in both Series in the RYAYTC Short-Handed competition – there were no short-handed IRC boats. This is the first year of the Bay Series, which has been very popular so far, and we will be reviewing the new race calendar changes for next year and suggestions are more than welcome.

Flushing Sailing Club hosted a packed Prize Giving Ceremony and we thank all the race officers, scorers, organisers and FSC officials and staff for a great day of sailing and socialising!