Manx Sailing and Cruising Club’s Watling Streetworks-sponsored winter dinghy races got underway on the reservoir at Injebreck on Sunday morning.

A fine fleet of 16 boats shepherded by Ralph Kee and Huw Bevan in the patrol boat Hilary made it for the 10am start time, an excellent turnout.

The enthusiasm may have been helped by some rather pleasant late October weather including balmy conditions at Injebreck on the preceding Saturday, while the boats were being brought up.

There was likely a renewed joy in the sailing experience in view of Manx sailor Peter Cope’s victory in the UK Waszp National Championships recently, which means he now stands as both UK and French national champion - an incredible achievement (see report on back page).

But the westerly 5-6 forecast did suggest a possible increase especially in gust strengths and these duly appeared within minutes of the dinghies being launched just before 10.

Iain Fenna (RS Aero 7) was the first and therefore initially most newsworthy capsize, going over just before the start as he was hit by a gust - the first of the new season.

It was very pleasing to see within the fleet a great turnout of youthful sailors including the four RS Tera sailors Lucy Fenna, Charlie Watterson, Jake Walker and Finbarr McSevney, the Lasers sailed by Tullie Hyett (4.7) and George Pearce (Radial) and the RS Aero 7 sailed to great effect by Tom Watterson.

The latter won the first race and finished fourth in the second after a capsize albeit, with a very quick recovery.

So there was a really wide age range out on the water as young and old (plus male and female) were well scattered through the results.

The top four of Simon Pressly (Laser Radial), Tom, James Walker (Streaker) and Dave Batchelor (RS Aero 7) hogged their end of the leaderboard, with Pressly taking the day with a second and a first.

Further down the list came the septuagenarians, Jerry Colman (Finn) and Andrew Dean in a Devoti Zero 8.6.

The wind picked up a bit for the second race and, while the battle at the front continued, those following began pressing harder to get to the front.

The four Teras mixed it up with some determined racing while the other RS Aero of Fenna and the Lasers (George, Tullie, Bob Love and Jason Hyett) battled it out largely on the basis of minimising the number of capsizes.

Everyone is looking forward to seeing the Wayfarer back racing again next week after their terminal dip in a new boat too - apparently the water is colder than it used to be!

Hopefully there will be an even bigger fleet this Sunday (November 9) and more of the very competitive but friendly racing the series seems to provide.

Thanks go to the patrol boat crew, officer of the day Keith Poole, the spectators and of course to the sponsor Doug Watling of Watling Streetworks.

Full results and some pictures on the club website and Facebook.

JERRY COLMAN