2026 Firefly UK Nationals at Tenby Day 2 - Sunshine, Cricket, and 3 Gate Starts...

It was a stop-start day for the fleet in Tenby when the early breeze that the fleet launched in petered out and the fleet was sent back to shore for a couple of hours. During the break ashore an impromptu game of cricket started on the beach, while others sorted hydration issues at the clubhouse, settling into a swift pint. With the tide coming in, the sailors on the beach had to gradually pull their boats up the sand, but thankfully after a two hour postponement a sea breeze was starting to fill in and the fleet went back out on to the water. Getting the race away proved problematic. Gate starts are notoriously difficult in light winds, and the fleet were a touch too eager to get racing, especially those who had gathered on the western end ready for the pathfinder to cross. Two attempts ended in failure, which was clearly getting on the nerves of the pathfinder boat, which was none other than Will Pank, with his crew Matilda Wilson. On the third attempt a vociferous Will ordered the fleet to go low enough so that he and the gate boat behind him could pass them on port tack and the race could get underway. We start with some of the action ashore, including the cricket, then move onto the epic fail gate start, then the windward mark rounding, then the finish. We also have interviews with Will Pank and Matilda Wilson about being pathfinders, and Ben Whaley and Rhona Enkel who won today's race. #sailing #firefly #tenby