A 35 strong fleet met at Roadford lake in Devon over the August bank holiday for the 3rd annual cvrda regatta.
Saturday saw light winds and plenty of sun for the fun race, parade of sail and concours d’elegance.
Five races for various trophies were then held on the Sunday and bank holiday Monday. The racing on Sunday and Monday was held in a variable force 2 – 4 northerly that created a lot of shifts, making for some interesting beats and the shifts led to a few capsizes!.
Those boats that got a clean air start managed to find their way to the first mark clear of the trailing pack.
It was great to see so many classic racing dinghies enjoying the event. Two flying fifteen’s, fresh from their classic nationals, including the winners of that event (Stuart Jones & Jenny Prout), came along on their way home.
Classic Merlin Rockets and National 12’s including Merlin ‘6’, Iska – with her cotton sails – were well represented.
The event once again allowed the Pegasus class to hold their national championships. This year saw another newly restored Pegasus raced by a world class helm. It is hoped that this would help raise the profile of the class.
As in previous years the Sunday night saw a party in the barn, which caused many a headache in the morning, although no-one actually missed any racing.
The racing as always was closely fought but remained light hearted. Racing at the front of the fleet was tight with the Flying 15’s leading the way around on the water and the ever enthusiastic Stuart and Jenny having a battle with the Pegasus of David and Keith Rollinson. David and Keith eventually went on to win the event by 4 points. Seeing Keith crewing from the trapeze with a pipe in his mouth was one of the best sights of the weekend.
Racing throughout the fleet was tight with many classes having their own individual battles, particually within the National 12’s. The overall handicap results and detailed race results were calculated using the cvrda ratings, an explanation and ratings can be found by clicking here.