The Thunderbolt Regatta had a bit of everything on the weekend - storms, rain and some competitive sailing.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Hosted by Lake Keepit Sailing Club (LKSC), the inter-club regatta involved sailors from the local club, New England Sailing Club (NESC) and Big River Sailing Club, which is based at Harwood on the Clarence River.
LKSC commodore Tim Corben reported that the regatta was "appropriately accompanied by storm fronts on Friday night and again on Saturday" complete with "special visual and sound effects".
READ ALSO:
He said 17 monohulls and five catamarans took to the starting line for five competitive races, interspersed with time ashore for passing storm fronts.
The inter-clubs Team Thunderbolt Trophy went to three skippers from the Big River club - Wayne Culp, Kate Yeomens and Mark Mulligan.
The Olde Thunderbolt Trophy, which is contested between Lake Keepit and their New England counterparts, was won by the host club.
After New England were victorious last year, Corben said they were very happy to win it back.
Unlike the Team trophy which all five heats counted towards, the winner was decided on just the one heat. That was the fifth and final heat with the scores from the top three sailors from each club being tallied.
For Lake Keepit that was Mick Bradfield (third), Kevin Overton (sixth) and Corben (seventh), and for New England, commodore Chris Thompson (first), Bruce Floyd (eighth) and Darren Knight (12th).
Individual results
Best female monohull skipper - Kate Yeomens sailing a Laser (BRSC)
Best male monohull skipper - Chris Thompson sailing a Laser (NESC)
Best female catamaran skipper - Simone Coop sailing a Marie 4.3 (NESC)
Best male catamaran skipper - Darren Knights sailing a Nacra 16sq (NESC)
Best junior male skipper - Patrick McLaren sailing a Laser (LKSC)
Best junior female skipper - Emma McLaren sailing a Laser with Charlotte Overton (LKSC)
