Yacht racing gets underway again on the Mar Menor

Yacht racing got underway again on July 17 with members of the SAMM (Sailing Association Mar Menor) taking to the waters, the first time in nearly two months.

A spokesperson for the Association said on Monday, July 25 that racing had been cancelled for more than six weeks citing reasons beyond their control, including water quality issues that have affected the mar menor.

Enjoying good sailing conditions with a wind speed of eight to ten knots, a square course was set with the first leg upwind and the boats sailing clockwise leaving all marks to starboard for an Average Lap race.

Race one saw an excellent start with the four leading boats all over the line within a few seconds of each other.  During the handicapped one-hour race John Down in his Laser Radial completed eight laps, Jack Moss and Mark Williams in Shoestring Uno seven laps, Robert Hudson on Ginetta six laps and Julian Pering and Kieth McKintosh on Sirocco five laps.

By the start of race two, the wind had increased to between 10 and 12 knots, resulting in the fastest two completing eight laps and the slower pair seven laps. John Down managed a capsize and a boom bump on the head just before the start but recovered and again all started within a few seconds of each other.

All had a good days racing, but two plus hours was enough due to the heat, especially the officials.

After applying the handicaps, the winners of the first race were Jack and Mark in Shoestring Uno and Robert and Kieth in Ginetta took the honours in the second. In the second race Sirocco beat the Laser Radial into third place by just 2 seconds, fantastically tight racing!

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