Sudden, steady wind saves the day for Great Bay regatta racers

Tom Purrington accepts his first-place trophy on Saturday at Great Bay Yacht Club. (Courtesy photo)

DOVER POINT - A steady wind surprised Great Bay Yacht Club's Small Boat Regatta racers on Saturday as they drifted backward with the tide on the Piscataqua River at Dover Point.

But just as they were deciding to call off the race for lack of wind, a strong steady breeze swept up the Piscataqua River from Portsmouth to Dover Point and set the little boats on their way through the race course. "We were just tying up to the chase boat for a tow back to the dock when suddenly the sails filled and we started moving," said Ron Walton, commodore of the yacht club.

The sailing master, Tom Brown, had laid out some challenging courses for the racers, and they had time for six good races followed by an awards ceremony and barbecue.

Capturing first place was Tim Purington, followed by Tom Page in second place and Vicki Guy in third. Most of the participants raced Merry Macs, a class of boat built originally by Edward (Ned) Mcintosh in Dover.