Pumpkin Regatta 2010

A big group of sailors from the Royal Van Race Team attended the annual Pumkin Bowl in West Van.

The weather was fantastic, sunny both days with solid outflow winds in the mornings and westerlies in the afternoons.

There were over 200 sailors in total , making it the biggest event in the BC Circuit. Ken Cutting did a great job managing all the controlled chaos.

The Eric Stibbe CYA had a clinic for the Radial Team for the week prior and brought the girls over , so the Radial fleet with 40 entries was very high quality.

We had 13 sailors in Lasers and Radials and had good success in both fleets. Ben Scott was 3rd, Thomas Roehrl 4th and Matt Percy (just joined the team) was 8th.

In the Radials Luke Ramsay (normally in a Laser) was 2nd behind Olympic Sailor Lisa Ross, Joanna Moore was 3rd, Natalia Montemayor 5th, Cam Ho 6th, Becky Power 7th , Alex Kroitsch 9th, Gabe Frame 10th.

Results are @ http://www.wvyc.bc.ca/images/stories/documents/racing/Pumpkinbowl/2010/Alpha_results.htm

This was the final travel regatta of the season and ended on a high note , well done to the team!



Al

Laser Worlds Report: Ben Scott

The World Laser Championships held in Hayling Island, England in September was my first European regatta I have participated in.

It was the first time they have had a junior division which is for ages 21 and under. Hayling Island Sailing Club did a great job hosting all of the 270+ sailors. The management was fantastic with absolutely no unnecessary waiting and always on time with the scheduling.

The racing was amazing,large 60 boat starts with long upwind beats made for a 60 minute battle for every position. The race committee did not hesitate to administer the black flags to those who decided to push the limits of the line, in one race they caught 15 boats, me being one of them.

During the majority of the regatta, it was about playing a side of the course and deciding the right time to make your move. To be successful in this style of racing it’s not about being 1st in one race but being conservative. A couple of top 15 races was good enough for a top 10 placing.

I had a difficult qualifying series which put me in the middle of silver fleet. This allowed me to use my upwind skill and really sail in a comfortable area. The last few days we saw a steady 15-20 knots with big waves that really made this the best sailing of my life and I think everyone else would agree.

Overall I really pleased with this regatta and I have come away with plenty of knowledge and great memories.

Ben