Bristol Channel IRC Championships and Shanghai Cup - Leg 1
by Tim Pearson 13 Jun 2023 00:07 NZST
10-11 June 2023
Bristol Channel IRC Championships and Shanghai Cup - Leg 1 at Portishead © Timothy Gifford
A key fixture in the Portishead Cruising Club (PCC) calendar is the Shanghai Cup. Comprising of two weekends of racing - one in the waters off Portishead and the other off Cardiff - the event brings together crews from all over the Bristol Channel.
This year, crews from Pembroke, Cardiff and
Thornbury joined local Portishead competitors as they sailed five races over two days.
Saturday's conditions were mixed as the last of the stronger north easterly winds blew through giving way
to lighter airs. The courses took yachts up towards the Prince of Wales bridge before heading back to a
finish line just off Portishead.
The racing required multiple manoeuvres and sail changes as the wind and
tide conditions changed. This meant crews had to be constantly in tune with the testing waters of the Bristol
Channel.
At the end of day one, two PCC boats held podium positions in the overall results table. Ctrl-J, a J109
skippered by PCC member Andy Williams was in first place, Emma Peel, a Elliot 7 from Cardiff Bay Yacht Club
took second and PCC's Hero, a half tonner skippered by Simon Britten, in third. With close scoring in the
next few positions, it made for exciting racing at the start of day two which ended with Ctrl-J retaining their
prestigious first overall position.
After the Portishead racing, nine boats from the fleet raced down to Cardiff in a passage race ahead of the
second half of the regatta on 24th/25th June. With a building wind and a strong tide running, the race was
won by Silverback, a First 40.7 skippered by Will Boland from Cardiff Bay Yacht Club.
A huge thanks to all the crews for participating in another successful weekend's racing and to all the sponsors
for their support.
The second and final leg will be held off Cardiff on 24th/25th June.
The final prize-giving will be at Cardiff Bay Yacht Club on 25th June.
If you've always hankered to be part of a racing yacht crew or want to get back into sailing then the team at
PCC would love to hear from you! The fleet races in a number of club series across the year in the waters
of the Bristol Channel - including some evenings during the summer.
Contact Nick Duppa-Miller at
to find out more and get involved - you don't need a boat to join in the fun!
Event website: www.shanghaicup.co.uk