Saturday dawned with a promise of sunshine and unseasonably warm weather in the beautiful setting of Port Alberni. Unfortunately the wind gods were sleeping after many days of strong southerly. Racing got underway in the late morning when a light southerly filled in as the sun burned off the morning mist. It was fun to see curious local spectators arriving to watch the event and ask us lots of great questions.
The wind decided to take a break after 3 races and the sailors enjoyed an afternoon of interacting with the many residents that were wondering by and catching up on the latest boat gadgets. Steve Kinsey and Michael Kidd shared the lead at the end of day one followed closely by Art Prufer. Beer and pizza at the Twin Cities Brewery topped off the day.
Sunday dawned with thick fog/low cloud holding back any wind activity so the competitors relaxed, enjoyed the scenery and curious residents wondering by. Early afternoon saw a light westerly settle in which allowed for 2 races before it decided to vacate. A light southerly showed up just before the end of racing which allowed 1 more race. Michael Kidd, in his new purple K2 claimed first place with consistent top end results across both days…well done Michael ! Second place was shared between Brian Woodward and Steve Kinsey followed closely by Jerry Brower in his stealthy grey Viss.
It was great to have some local residents stop by to watch and learn all about RC sailing. A special thanks to the Port Alberni Port Authority for allowing us to use Tyee Landing for the event and also for promoting the event in the local media. Thanks also to Art Prufer for much of the event organization and lunches, Don Martin for the loan of his dinghy, Brian Woodward and Steve Kinsey for dozens of attempts to set a reasonable race course in the swirling 1 knot winds, and Marilyn Woodward for doing the starts and recording.
Next up is the final event at Royal Victoria Yacht Club on October 18.
See you there!
Some tight racing !!!!!