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Very cool conditions prevailed at Risdon Brook but that didn’t stop a strong fleet of sixteen skippers turning up for today’s DF95 handicap event. The wind was a brisk 10 knots or so from the North-West when we arrived and many skippers were talking about B rigs but by start time the wind had moderated a knot or two and so A-rigs were the go. The wind did continually soften throughout the day and the last race was completed in ‘not much’. Ricky Price generously gave up his day to be the PRO and kept the racing happening promptly and orderly. Thank you so much for this Ricky. Tight finishes were the order of the day and several races were decided within meters of the finish line. There were nine different winners today from right across the handicap spectrum. John Penman was the only skipper to win two races. Nicely done John! Third place today was taken by Lisa Blackwood who takes into the break ahead that lovely feeling of winning the last race of the day. An often quoted saying around the club is – “You are only as good as your last race.” With the break ahead Lisa now has four weeks to savour that win! I managed second today with some consistent results (after discards) but it was Nick Connor who stole the day. Nick was never too far from the head of the fleet. Well sailed Nick but I do feel that the handicapper’s silent sword is approaching swiftly. Unfortunately that was our last sail for a while as Risdon Brook Park will be closed for maintenance until the end of June. Again our friends at Forcett have invited us to sail with them while the dam is closed. They meet on Thursdays to race IOM’s and will operate an 11:00 start over the next few weeks to accommodate anyone who is travelling from a distance. A huge thanks to Peter Webberley, Gerald Stephens and Ricky Price for making this arrangement possible. As the dam will be closed from next Tuesday until 30th June our next official Wednesday club event (given that Taswater’s works go according to plan) will be DF95 handicap racing on Wednesday July 2nd followed by IOM scratch racing on Sunday July 6th. That said, our last event will be the RM Southern State Regatta this coming Sunday. Last call for entries before close off at 5pm Friday. Shorty 
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A disappointingly small field of six sailors turned out for the third round of the IOM Winter Scratch series today. Those who missed it missed out on fantastic conditions—a steady 12-15 knot Nor'westerly katabatic breeze that held strong until we began packing up. The racing wasn’t without its challenges, as reliability issues affected Rod (who was out for the day) and Kyle (who managed a mid-regatta repair and rejoined the racing). The rest of the fleet, however, thrived in the excellent conditions. The day belonged to Ricky Price and his V12. After sailing in the Silver Fleet last year, Ricky dominated today, winning 8 of the 10 races and securing second place in the remaining two—a spectacular performance! Unsurprisingly, he took the overall win with just 8 points, while Ray Joyce claimed second with 21 points and John Cole-Cook third with 27 points. Andrew Wardrop, the sole Silver Fleet skipper today, earns valuable points toward the Winter and Annual Series Silver Fleet Championship. Following racing, we held our AGM at Montrose Bay Yacht Club. A big thank you to the outgoing committee for their hard work over the past year, and a warm welcome to the new committee—details will be announced along with the meeting minutes shortly. Upcoming Events
— Kyle  |