08/10/2017
WOBYC open Waveney And Oulton Broad Yacht Club

Four local boats were joined by three visitors for the Streaker class open meeting at Waveney & Oulton Broad Y.C. in Suffolk on Sunday 8^th October. The conditions were rather disappointing with overcast skies and a light north-westerly that faded at times almost to nothing. Fortunately the rain held off until we had finished the final race – although most hadn't got ashore before the heavens opened!

Veronica Falat of the home club won all three races with a combination of good boat speed in the conditions and many years of local knowledge. Duncan McDonald, whose sailing CV includes world championship wins in International 14s and J/111s, is new to Streakers this year and it’s bound to be just a matter of time before he’s winning the serious prizes in this class too. However, on Sunday he had to be content with three 2^nd places. In race 2 it was very close between him and Veronica until a passing motorboat got much too close and sloshed water into his boat, allowing Veronica to pull clear ahead. Doug Horner was 3^rd in the first two races and then decided to sit the last one out. That final race was a very slow affair as the breeze got lighter and the clouds got darker. Veronica finished well clear but everyone else was closely packed until Duncan gradually got ahead of Mark Langston and Adam Yorkston and they finished in that order.

This was also the final event in the East Anglian travellers’ series which included open meetings at Hickling, Royal Harwich, Beccles and Blakeney as well as Oulton Broad. Veronica was the series winner with Doug 2^nd and Mark 3^rd.