THE past week has seen glorious weather conditions in the Windermere area, with easterly breezes over the Bank Holiday weekend bringing warm but boisterous conditions for the Royal Windermere Yacht Club’s sailors and their yachts.

The Rear Commodore’s series of three races concluded with the Richardson family dominating the top places, with Robert Richardson (son) in his RS100 taking first place, John Richardson (father, also in an RS 100) taking second, and Richard Broughton in his Blaze coming third.

Saturday 26 May 26 brought particularly strong gusts which saw the cancellation of racing for the Windermere Class (‘17 footers’) yachts.

The intrepid dinghy sailors braved the conditions although a number of competitors experienced an unscheduled swim, keeping the club’s rescue boats busy.

In Bank Holiday Monday’s Dinghy Handicap Race, two Solos took first and second places, with Richard Thompson narrowly taking top slot followed closely by Nigel Hutchinson.

'Very shifty conditions with wind speed and direction changing by the minute kept everyone on their toes' is how Gavin Tullett described the weekend. Gavin, crewing with his father Nigel Tullett in aptly-named ‘Niffty’, took top place in both of Sunday’s Flying Fifteen’s races.

Other results include:

Sunday 27 May race 1 – Flying Fifteens

- 1st - Nigel and Gavin Tullett in ‘Niffty’

- 2nd – Julian Newman and Amanda Wilson in ‘Felix Felicis’

- 3rd – Miles and Cathy Thompson in ‘Across the Lake’

Sunday 27 May race 2 – Flying Fifteens

- 1st – Nigel and Gavin Tullett in ‘Niffty’

- 2nd – John and Roseanne Walter in ‘No Illusion’

- 3rd - Julian Newman and Amanda Wilson in ‘Felix Felicis’

Bank Holiday Monday saw the start of the Royal Windermere Yacht Club’s Race Week, one of several such weeks in the sailing season. Races take place every day during the week, culminating in a Race Week barbeque and social.