Enthusiasm’, ‘commitment’, ‘fun’ and ‘skill’ were all words used by David Merriman of the sponsors Sekonda to describe what he witnessed at Whitstable over the Bank Holiday weekend.

Funny then given that competitors were faced with wind, rain, calm, cold and storm. Whitstable Yacht Club’s generous and warm welcome made up for a lot but it was still the competitors who stole the show. In the end it was Olympian and Flying 15 world champion Barry Parkin who won with 8 year old Jack

Prior to setting sail on Saturday the clever money was on a James Hamer/Ben Gratton v. Nathan/Anna Ackroyd for the main spoils whilst amongst the adult/child combinations it was on a Rob/Georgi Cage v. Barry/Jack Parkin.

The junior (combined age max 25) looked like being more open but with Tim Gratton/Chris Taylor leading the charge with the likes of Alex Mothersele/Hamish Ellis and Jess Lavery/Philippa Lawson in hot pursuit. Also hot favourites in the ladies category were Alex Poyner/Holly Tucker but a storming return to form meant that you couldn’t rule out Laura Sanders/Issy Duce nor Natalya/Francesca Eyre who had won their first Open meeting a month earlier.

Mike Fitzgerald had the unenviable task of ensuring fair racing was possible given the exceedingly challenging conditions over the three days but credit where it’s due – he did it. Saturday saw an average wind of approximately 12 knots from the ENE which gradually shifted further E but within which it was oscillating and peaked at 20 knots.

First blood went to the Ackroyds who pulled through to establish a controlling position over the Cages. The Parkins were never completely shaken off though and just managed to keep Hamer/Gratton behind. Laura Sanders/Issy Duce was sparkling in fifth Whilst Alex Poyner/Holly Tucker lay claim to the position they were to take proprietorial interest in over the weekend – 6th.

Second race saw James Hamer/Ben Gratton stake an early claim to overall honours with the first of 3 consecutive wins. They didn’t put a foot wrong as they stalked anyone who had the temerity to try and set up shop in front of them. It was dominant sailing without doing a horizon job. In fact these championships were noticeable for how close every single race was.

The other leading positions went in varying degrees with the pre-event form book. Making good forays into the more rarified atmosphere at the front were Paul/Mark Minors with a 4th, Craig/Ethan Davies 7th. The Eyres with two 7ths and Jamie Bolingbroke/Matt Heathcote with a 9th and 7th. Alex Mothesele/Hamish Ellis started well but tailed off in the energy sapping conditions. Finally honourable mention on the first day should also go to Derek/Eleanor Ness from Gurnard for a 6th & 8th.

It has to be said that 4 races back to back in those conditions was energy sapping. Consequently the first evening party with BBQ and disco was appreciated even if slow. The Hawaiian night on the second evening was perhaps slightly more raucous but by then everyone was nervous for the predicted howler on Monday!

So, Sunday then. Despite the big breezes reported elsewhere Whitstable sat quietly and sedately. The PRO sensibly brought the fleet ashore after a first attempt at racing. A number of competitors were saddened by this but a fair race wasn’t really possible as some boats couldn’t stem the tide to even reach the first mark whilst others got round that one but then couldn’t make the spreader mark!

With the forecast for Monday looking very grim the emphasis was on getting as much racing in as possible. By early afternoon it looked like a steady breeze of at least the minimum required had settled in and everyone got afloat again. There were plenty of shifts around and a balance had to be found between going with the shift or heading for the pressure. Ultimately it seemed as if pressure was probably king..

This was where wise old heads could reign if they could beat the lightweights! In the end it was Olympian and Flying 15 world champion Barry Parkin who reeled of three straight wins with 8 year old Jack. Now Jack clearly has some future ahead of him.

A lot of the youths struggled in one or more of these races which left the door open for the talented lightweight juniors. Tim Gratton/Chris Taylor weren’t to be denied as they took two 2nds and a 4th whilst James Hamer/Ben Gratton struggled to 7, 8, 19. This left Gratton with a one point lead over Hamer overnight. Poyner/Tucker continued the consistent series they were putting together to remain in 6th whilst the Ackroyds did manage a 3rd before bombing. Rob Cage had a so called bad day at the office but how bad can being in 4th be?

It was however a number of other youngsters who shone at various points. Mothesele/Ellis got a 5,4 whilst Jess Lavery/ Pilippa Lawson got 8,3,6 after a very ordinary first day. Who can forget the smiles of the two Hugos , Jones-Warner/Tucker after their blitz into a 5th place or the steady 4th of Harry Derbyshire/James Poyner. Pete McCoy/Natlaie Irons showed glimpses of true speed as did the slightly less fortunate (BFD) Phil McCoy/Josh Irons.

Also noteworthy is the emergence of the two school powerhouses in Feva sailing – namely Sevenoaks in Kent who came with three boats and Oakham in Rutland who brought five! Honours though went to Charlie Esse and Sophie Williams from Wellington College who made it 21st overall despite never having sailed together before.

The fantastic Alice Kent and Jamie Rankin from Rutland not only got 2nd in the silver fleet but also managed to get their in-loco-parentis Nick Neve awarded the famous JD trophy. This goes every year to the parent most soundly beaten by one of his offspring and the judges deemed that this should include anyone with care.

Monday unfortunately fell victim to the 30 knot winds so overnight positions got locked in. Some offered silent thanks whilst others bemoaned the lost opportunity to get at those just ahead of them. It was the right decision though and it was made early enough to have an early lunch and prizegiving.

There is always far too much to say in reports like this that just can’t be included but I’ll just list the various award winners seperately. I should also thank our most generous main sponsor Sekonda who gave every competitor a very nice watch and boom-bag and our secondary sponsor Craftinsure.com who provided all the various prizes.

 

Rank SailNo Helm Crew Club Flags Race 1 Race 2 Race 3 Race 4 Race 6 Race 7 Race 8 Gr Pts Nt Pts
1 2147 Barry Parkin Jack Parkin Hayling Island S C 3 (8) 2 4 1 1 1 20 12
2 1691 Tim Gratton Chris Taylor Hayling Island SC/Wraysbury Lake SC (10) 3 5 5 4 2 2 31 21
3 1753 James Hamer Ben Gratton Hayling Island SC 4 1 1 1 7 8 (19) 41 22
4 1545 Rob Cage Georgina Cage Bewl Valley SC 2 5 4 3 12 (67) 7 100 33
5 834 Nathan Ackroyd Anna Ackroyd Norfolk Broads YC 1 2 3 2 3 (31) 24 66 35
6 1582 Alex Poyner Holly Tucker Emsworth SC 6 11 6 6 9 7 (29) 74 45
7 1354 Craig Davis Ethan Davis Hayling Island SC 11 (14) 7 11 6 6 9 64 50
8 1641 Paul Minors Mark Minors Royal Lymington YC 9 4 16 9 10 (67) 14 129 62
9 1765 Jamie Bolingbroke Matt Heathcote Dabchicks SC 12 9 15 7 11 (67) 11 132 65
10 419 Alex Mothersele Hamish Ellis Emsworth Slipper SC 8 17 21 (28) 5 4 12 95 67
11 1464 Laura Sanders Issabel Duce Thorpe Bay YC 5 19 9 8 (41) 20 8 110 69
12 1671 Jess Lavery Philippa Lawson Emsworth SC 21 20 (32) 15 8 3 6 105 73
13 1300 Derek Ness Eleanor Ness Gurnard SC 15 6 8 21 2 (67) 22 141 74
14 2000 Natalya Eyre Francesca Eyre Thorpe Bay YC 7 7 22 13 (42) 12 26 129 87
15 1639 Milly Stephens Cassie Symes Oxford SC/Yarmouth SC (18) 12 14 17 13 16 17 107 89
16 1659 Christopher Neil Brown James G N Brown Burghfield SC 17 (25) 17 19 18 5 20 121 96
17 1904 Jack Kilburn Hamish Kilburn Whitstable YC 20 21 10 12 (30) 14 21 128 98
18 997 Peter McCOY Nathalie Irons Emsworth Slipper/Spinnaker SCs 19 16 13 10 (39) 13 30 140 101
19 1102 Harry Derbyshire James Poyner Emsworth SC 13 15 (36) 22 32 21 4 143 107
20 825 Eilidh McIntyre Cassia Roberts Hayling Island SC 14 13 12 18 25 (67) 34 183 116
21 1690 Charlie Esse Sophie Williams Wellington College SC 23 29 11 16 (35) 11 28 153 118
22 1482 Charlie Williams William Nicholls Hayling Island SC 22 26 20 (34) 15 26 25 168 134
23 627 Robert Palmer Matt Purdon Thorpe Bay YC 25 10 19 29 21 38 (41) 183 142
24 1374 Samuel Rowell Tom Earl Felixstowe Ferry SC (37) 23 27 36 24 22 18 187 150
25 957 Roger Houston Niall Houston Hayling Island SC 29 (40) 23 20 23 24 33 192 152
26 1834 Jenni Davies Ben Davies Aldeburgh YC 34 37 (38) 26 20 25 16 196 158
27 1250 Ollie Kemp George Simmons Bewl Valley SC 38 18 29 32 19 32 (39) 207 168
28 972 Charlie Warren Georgie Mothersele Emsworth Slipper SC 51 (67) 49 31 14 23 3 238 171
29 1838 Alice Kent Jamie Rankin Rutland SC 41 44 37 (46) 16 18 15 217 171
30 1028 Holly Watson Brittney MacKinlay Hayling Island SC 24 27 26 24 (56) 41 36 234 178
31 576 Mike King Will Acres Emsworth Slipper SC (67) 41 48 41 17 10 27 251 184
32 1305 Nick Neve Tom Paddock Rutland SC 31 22 31 25 (51) 35 44 239 188
33 1434 Hannah Maunder Rebecca Partington Hayling Island SC 33 38 25 27 (57) 33 37 250 193
34 1226 Will Lowes Kate Sanders Whitstable YC 30 50 (67) 67 28 9 10 261 194
35 1926 Jake Bullock Dan Bullock Burghfield SC 45 30 (50) 33 31 15 46 250 200
36 2012 Neil Warren Phoebe Warren Emsworth Slipper SCSC 42 (45) 33 30 26 27 42 245 200
37 696 Marcus Lawson Jemima Lawson Emsworth SC 28 35 34 35 37 34 (45) 248 203
38 1583 Samuel Norris Matthew Norris Warsash SC (54) 32 39 14 34 54 31 258 204
39 574 Jonathan King Ellie King Emsworth Slipper SC 47 (49) 46 48 27 17 23 257 208
40 1429 Lydia Mapstone Camilla Mapstone Chichester YC 32 39 30 38 (48) 37 32 256 208
41 1002 Phil McCoy Josh Irons Spinnaker & Emsworth SCs 16 (67) 24 23 36 43 67 276 209
42 1893 James Aylward Otto Collier Hayling Island SC 36 33 40 (67) 33 39 35 283 216
43 655 Timothy Norris James Norris Warsash SC (67) 36 18 39 22 50 53 285 218
44 1868 Tom Adams Joel Bell Burnham SC 35 31 43 (47) 40 30 43 269 222
45 936 Hugo Jones-Warner Hugo Tucker HISC/CYC/Emsworth S C (67) 46 54 67 44 19 5 302 235
46 469 Alexandra Orton Stephanie Orton Chichester YC (56) 48 45 43 38 28 38 296 240
47 365 Amber Brown Robin Raniero Burghfield SC (67) 56 44 50 43 36 13 309 242
48 22 William Goldsmith Tristan Smith Whitstable Y C 27 24 56 (67) 29 40 67 310 243
49 1522 Chris Hardy Joe Ball Burnham SC 39 34 35 40 50 49 (56) 303 247
50 9 Laurence Gibbons Henry Forward Sevenoaks School SC 46 42 28 44 47 42 (52) 301 249
51 7 Olivia Trapp Camilla Pudney Sevenoaks School SC 44 28 41 49 54 44 (55) 315 260
52 1308 Edward Langford Oliver Holland Rutland SC 40 47 (57) 42 46 46 51 329 272
53 1664 Harry Bowerman Owen Bowerman Hayling Island SC (67) 67 67 37 49 29 48 364 297
54 1854 Sarah Bell Gemma Bell Burnham SC 50 52 42 45 (60) 55 57 361 301
55 1839 Catherine Kent Jocelyn Drabble Rutland SC 49 43 47 53 58 51 (59) 360 301
56 774 Samantha Denyer Stuart Denyer Dell Quay SC 52 54 51 52 45 48 (67) 369 302
57 839 Libby Watkins Abbie Heathcote WMYC & DSC 43 51 53 51 (59) 57 54 368 309
58 338 Samantha Weetch Portia Hutchings Royal Burnham YC 48 53 52 55 (61) 47 58 374 313
59 1307 Cathy Lear Laura Wheatcroft Rutland SC 57 (58) 55 56 53 53 49 381 323
60 8 Chris Baddeley Oliver Lambert Sevenoaks School SC (67) 57 58 54 62 45 50 393 326
61 625 Hugh Gower Millie Gower Bewl Valley SC 53 55 59 (67) 55 67 40 396 329
62 1125 Sarah Adams Hannah Burnham SC 55 (67) 67 67 63 52 47 418 351
63 971 Guy Ellis Catriona Ellis Emsworth SC 26 (67) 67 67 67 67 67 428 361
64 2045 Finn Tonry-Brown Milo Tonry-Brown Whitstable Y C (67) 67 67 67 52 56 67 443 376
65 1866 Harry Coulson Oliver Bruton Whitstable Y C (67) 67 67 67 64 58 67 457 390
66 31226 Siobhan Lamb Megan Williams Whitstable Y C (67) 67 67 67 67 67 67 469 402