Grand Prix 1
We arrived on Saturday morning, it was hot and sunny 29 degrees. The club is right on the edge of
Chichester Harbour and the dinghy park is decking which goes out over the mud banks. You have to be
very careful not to drop any split rings or shackle pins! There was a steady 6-10 knots of wind, and 30+
boats rigging up in the boat park.
The race area on Saturday was in the channel a short distance from the club, just before the Bosham
channel. It was narrow and very tidal.
Races 1 and 2 had shifty conditions and favored those staying in the channel upwind and playing the
shifts. Big gains were made downwind by staying out of the channel and gybing down the shore. Ed
Stubbs and Noah Kenny mastered this technique by soaking down the margins and gybing when the
bottom got too close.
Race 1 was won by Ed and Noah from Lyme Regis Sailing Club, followed by Ollie Atkin and Adam Craig
from Cardiff Bay SC / Burghfield SC and Zoe Lomas-Clarke & Mark Soars from Frensham Pond Sailing
Club in 3 rd . Pippa Paley and Noah Helm from Starcross SC / Lyme Regis SC had their best race of the
weekend finishing in 5 th . Race 2 again won by Ed & Noah with Felix Howe and Laslo Drummond in 2 nd and Ollie Atkin & Adam Craig in 3rd
For races 3 and 4 the tide had swung 180 degrees and was now heading out. The windward mark was
positioned precariously close to a sand bank and Ed & Noah ran aground and 5 or 6 boats sailed into a
hole at the windward mark. They were still there when the leaders came around again and lapped
them. Race 3 was won by Ollie & Adam with Zoe & Mark in 2 nd and Ed & Noah in 3 rd
Race 4 was more of the same, it was a very short race and was won by William Stratton-Brown & Will
Ahlheid of Frensham Pond SC, with Ollie & Adam in 2 nd and Zoe & Mark in 3 rd
At the end of the first day the racing was led by Ed and Noah, with Ollie and Adam in 2nd and Zoe &
Mark in 3 rd .
On the Saturday evening there was Thai Curry in the club and disco, the food was excellent and great
fun was had by all.
Sunday dawned a very different day, it was overcast and a little bit cooler. The forecast of strong winds
and possible thunderstorms at lunchtime threatened to cut the racing short. The race area today was a
lot further down the channel due to the direction of the wind. Race 5 started in around 17-18 knots and
built as the race went on. Ed and Noah had a 200m lead at the top of the first beat, but not gybing off
soon enough on the run meant they underlaid the gate a bit and got blown over trying to make up
height to the layline. The wind picked up to 22-23 knots and there were capsizes left right and centre.
Ollie & Adam capsized and had spinnaker issues which left them out of the race.
About 30 minutes in the heavens opened and lighting moved in from the channel. The wind picked up
and visibility drew in. The race was won by Ed & Noah with William and Will in 2 nd and Jack Hodgkins & Isabella Barnes in 3 rd .
Overall the event was won by Ed & Noah, with Ollie and Adam in 2 nd and William and Will just pipping
Zoe and Mark to 3 rd place.
Heavy rain ensued for the next 2 hours whilst most packed their boats away still in their wetsuits. The
club grounds were flooded, as was most of the surrounding area. But that didn’t put a damper on the
weekend.
Thanks go to Itchenor Club for their support in hosting the event. Thank you for your continued support Rooster, our series sponsor and to all the sailors and parents!
Written By Ed Stubbs and Noah Kenny
Full results can be found here