AFTER weeks of high winds and cold weather, Sunday was a far better day at Cheddar Reservoir with many sailors having their first sail of the year.

AFTER weeks of high winds and cold weather, Sunday was a far better day at Cheddar Reservoir with many sailors having their first sail of the year.

The northerly wind coming over the Mendips provided plenty of wind shifts and opportunities for place changing.

Mark Tinker led the solos off the line in the first race and was never caught, although some strange wind shifts at the end had him a little bit worried. Ian Wakeling and Sean O’Neil led the Enterprises, but behind them there was frequent place changing with Rachel and Alan Hamilton eventually holding second.

In the handicap fleet, there was a close tussle between Phil and Ryan Bush in a National Twelve and Ian Harris in his OK.

With less solos on the water in the afternoon, the Enterprises were first away again led by Ian and Sean, with Bryan Smith close on their tail. As the beat became confusing with large wind shifts, Richard and Kelly Wright came through to second and for a moment thought they were going to catch Ian and Sean, only for them to run into a calm patch.

The handicap again featured close racing throughout the fleet with the National Twelve and OK close together, chasing Jimmy Millar in an RS300 with RS200s and Laser 200s also having close racing.

Overall, it was a pleasant day to be out on the water with good competitive sailing and a bit of sun to warm the crews.

The club is holding an open afternoon for new members on April 3 starting at 1pm.