Eighteen boats entered this year's season opening Albacore Open at MSC.
Eighteen boats entered this year's season opening Albacore Open at Maidenhead Sailing Club on Sunday 16th April. Although the forecasters tried to put pay to the 20+ boats expected with an exceptionally light forecast that transpired to be inaccurate; the wind gods offering up sailable conditions to the crews who had been early on Sunday morning.
For many this was the second sailing instalment of the weekend fixture as Saturday had seen Mike McNamara (ex-World Champ, one of the county's finest independent sail makers and expert in sailing) give a wonderful training session for Albacores that started in the classroom, trained onshore before an afternoon of mixed exercises on the water. Thanks Mike!
The Race Officer, Sacha Mayhew, and Officer of the Day, Mark Hudson, arrived on scene to sunshine and the lake tranquil and inviting. They and their team soon set about creating a course that could be adjusted should the expected wind come in, especially given the variable nature of the forecast. Initially setting a triangle (beat, reach, run) and three laps for each race. This year Maidenhead aimed to put on five races with a single discard should all five races be completed, aiming for two longer races before lunch and three shorter races in the afternoon to keep competitors on their toes. The wind started to come in from the NNW at around 10am and much to the delight of the entrants this was offering 5-8 knots with the occasion heavier gusts.
The full article outlining the race - and some action shots is published in Yachts and Yachting - you can find it here: https://www.yachtsandyachting.com/news/261112/Maidenhead-Albacore-Open?source=email