The 2026 RS21 Inter Club Winter Series launched into action this weekend as the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club played host to a fiercely competitive opening day of racing. Five races were contested in the waters of Hamilton Harbour, with the leading pack already inseparable as the low-point scoring system and the crucial race discard began to shape the leaderboard.
Jeff Bennett emerged as the early pacesetter for the host club, though he was forced to fight for every inch of water. Bennett started the day with a discardable third-place finish but quickly found his rhythm to record a remarkably consistent scorecard of two-one-two-one. That late surge secured him a net total of six points, a tally that reflects both his technical precision and his ability to read the notoriously shifty harbour winds.
However, Bennett does not hold the lead alone. Clubmate Sebastian Round produced an equally impressive display of tactical sailing to match the six-point total. Round enjoyed a dream start to the series, claiming back-to-back victories in the opening two races. Despite a slight stumble in the fourth race where he finished third, his strong finishes in the third and fifth races ensured he remains on level terms with Bennett in what is shaping up to be a thrilling intra-club rivalry.
Leading the charge for the visiting clubs is Miguel Power of Sandys Boat Club. Power proved that he will be a significant threat as the series progresses, highlighted by a superb victory in the fourth race of the day. While a fourth-place finish in the second race had to be discarded, his net score of nine points keeps him well within striking distance of the leaders and firmly in third place overall.
Further down the rankings, Pablo Sanguinetti sits in fourth for the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club with fifteen net points. Sanguinetti’s afternoon was hampered by a non-start in the third race, but he showed resilience to bounce back with consistent fourth-place finishes in the final two contests. Meanwhile, the Bermuda Comet Class, represented by Maxwell Curtis, did not compete on the opening day and sits at the foot of the table with twenty-eight points. With four more race days scheduled throughout February and March, the fleet now looks ahead to next Sunday to see if anyone can break the deadlock at the top.
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