Write-up is courtesy of Dave Kneale as I was too busy trying to stay upright to take in what was happening around me!!

 

Island champions Russell and June Collister won the first major dinghy event of the 2014 season with a dominant performance in the IOM Copiers Easter Regatta.
They put in a near-flawless performance in their RS200 during the three-race series hosted by the Manx Sailing and Cruising Club on Saturday. Tellingly they were one of the very few boats to avoided capsizing in the testing conditions, with Ramsey bay exposed to strong southeasterly winds gusting up to 20 mph.
Russell and June spent most of their day at the front of the fleet, beating the rival RS200s of Dave and Ben Batchelor and Andrew and Katie Kneale on the water and opening a wide enough gap to beat the remainder of the mixed fleet on corrected time.
The Collisters were only denied a clean sweep of wins by the Manx Youth Sailing Squad’s Patrick Cope, who showed great form by winning race one and taking third in the subsequent two races on corrected time to finish an impressive second overall, Alongside youth squad team-mate Matthew Perry, 13-year-old Patrick was one of only two Tera sailors to tough out all three races.
Mike Pridham, sailing a Laser Radial, took third overall with two second place finishes and fifth in race one.
The Easter regatta is the first of five summer events that comprise the Traveller’s Trophy series, which takes in regattas in Ramsey, Laxey and Port St Mary and culminates in the Isle of Man dinghy championship in August.
Accepting the overall prize Russell thanked the race officers, safety boat crews, onshore helpers and everyone who helped prepare the refreshments in the clubhouse after racing. MS&CC’s dinghy captain Ralph Kee gave special thanks to Mark Corrin of IOM Copiers for sponsoring the event.