A first aid course will be run by Steve Upsdell on 31st March at 09:15.  Cost is £65 for non members and £55 for members.  Please contact our Training Chair, Wendy Hill  [wendyhill@manx.net] if you would like to join this course.  Please also contact Wendy if you are interested in a Powerboat Course in the Spring.

ISLE OF MAN YOUTH DINGHY CHAMPIONSHIP 2012

RS TERA OPEN REGATTA
notice of race here... entry form here...

ISLE OF MAN YACHT CLUB REGATTA 2011

The IOMYC hosted its annual regatta over the weekend of 18-19 June with racing for both dinghies and cruisers. The sailing weather was ideal, 8 to 12 knots of breeze and even a bit of sunshine greeting competitors.

The eight cruisers entered enjoyed a pursuit race each day. A pursuit race is one whereby the handicaps are applied at the staggered start and you have to overtake the slower boats ahead before the fixed finish time. The races worked out 64particularly well with nail-biting close finishes. Pete Ashurst's Ruffian 23 "Rapscallion" managed to just hold off the heavy metal closing behind to win both races.  In race two, the yachts just behind Rapscallion were so close that a draw was agreed between Richard Baker's Dehler 36 "Shellan" and Mike Newby's Moody 33 "Talisker". Mike Stanton, cruiser class captain and runner up race one on his Sigma 33 "Sorcery", had invited the staff of Skanco to take part in the regatta as a company team event. Each yacht took two or three Skanco members aboard for the weekend. They were given a briefing and a couple of hours sailing round the bay to learn the ropes before race one. All the "green-hands" had a great time and intend to repeat the exercise later in the year.

Twenty-four boats sailed in the dinghy fleet. Race Officers Pete Hinds, Chris Williams-Jones and Russell Armstrong very efficiently stitched together three races each day. The racing was desperately close and great fun. At the end of the series, the National 18's of Antony Ellis and Mick Kneale were equal on points. The tie was broken in Antony's favour as he had won two races and Mick only one. 
Antony and his crew Nige Collins and Mike Wilson are current British National 18' champions, so the standard of sailing was high. It is therefore a fantastic effort to note that young Greg Kelly, sailing one of the six little Tera Sports also managed to win two of the races. The Manx Youth Sailing Squad obviously continues to produce top young sailors.

The club laid on afternoon tea after the Saturday racing and a huge BBQ Sunday afternoon. Competitors sincerely thank all the safety-boat drivers, catering committee, race officers and club for running such a fine regatta.

Dinghies top six:
1st Antony Ellis & crew, National 18; 2nd Mick Kneale & crew, National 18; 3rd Russell & June Collister, RS200; 4th Greg Kelly, Tera Sport; 5th Dave & Emily Batchelor, RS200; 6th Mike Pridham, Laser Radial. 

CADOGAN Round Mann Race 2011

CADOGAN Marine & Aviation sponsored the 2011 Round Mann yacht race, which started at Port St Mary on Sunday 29th May. The IOMYC hosted the annual race and competitors thoroughly enjoyed the usual pre-race party. Fourteen boats entered but only eight made the start line, half of them visitors from around the Irish Sea. The gales over previous few days meant that many entrants were stormbound in ports as far apart as Oban, Strangford, Fleetwood and Holyhead.
The race started at 8am on a very grey Sunday; rigs were well reefed in the strong SW wind as the yachts beat their way round the Calf. An exciting spinnaker run up the West coast followed, with the wind slowly easing as the day went on, then back on the wind for the beat back to Port St Mary. The HW start, clockwise around the island course means that there is always a tidal gate and boats will meet the new flood as they progress down the East coast.
Two boats retired - the first just on the approach to the start line. Mike Stanton's Sigma 33 ripped the mainsail and turned back to its mooring. Mike Newby's Moody Eclipse 33 decided that an overnight race in this weather was perhaps not the thing and motored back to Port St Mary after ten hours at sea.

Three boats finished in each Division. Jason Corlett's First 31.7 "Eauvation" (Douglas Bay YC) was first to finish in exactly 11 hours to convincingly win Division 1 and Richard Baker's Dehler 36CWS "Shellan" (IOMYC) finished in just over 12 hours heading Division 2.

Eauvation made it a hat trick by winning Division 1 for the third year in a row and Shellan, a regular entrant for many years, last won Division 2 in 2003.

Division 1 (IRC) - 1st Eauvation, 2nd Charlie Don't Surf (Everitt 31) Philip Quinn, Strangforl Lough YC, 3rd Roaring Meg (IMX 38) Nigel Jackson, Roa Island SC.

Division 2 (PY) - 1st Shellan, 2nd Supermouse (Contention 33) Andy Thistlethwaite, Ribble Cruising Club, 3rd Jetwind (Colvic 34) David Holmes, Glasson SC

The Friday feeder race from Fleetwood to Port St Mary was won by "Roaring Meg".

The club and competitors are very grateful to Cadogan Aviation & Marine, headed by Steve Malley, for their generous sponsorship, without which, the event would lose a lot of its magic. Both Cadogan and this year's entrants are already looking forward next year's effort.

Mick Kneale