Rutland's Tiger Trophy

Conditions make for a difficult weekend, but hugely succesful in support of the John Merricks Sailing Trust

Despite an inclement forecast of strong winds and freezing temperatures, 188 boats braved the Midlands weather and made their way to Rutland on 7-8 February for the 11th Tiger Trophy, the seventh in aid of the John Merricks Sailing Trust, in memory of Great Britain's 1996 470 Olympic silver medallist.

The format for the annual regatta is simple; three handicap races on Saturday, followed by a non-discardable pursuit race on the Sunday. In between the two days is a black tie dinner and dance to raise more money for the trust and ensure Sunday's racing is as hard as possible. As John's former crew and trustee of the John Merricks Sailing Trust Ian Walker said of the event. "It's always cold, it's always windy, it's always fun, and its always hard work!"

2004 turned out to be no different. Present as always were a huge number of the youth classes, 420s, 29ers and even a few Lasers, as well as 49ers, International 14s, RS800s, Cherubs, RS400s, RS200s and a huge number of other classes. Sailors included World Champions, National champions and the odd Olympic sailor here and there.

Sub zero temperatures greeted competitors on Saturday morning and as the classes set out for the first start at midday it was clearly going to be a tough day at the office, as many took dips into the chilly Rutland Water on their long run down to the starting area.

The handicap racing is split into fast and slow starts, with overall positions being worked out by the average lap times from boats over the trapezoid course. Race 1 for the fast start got away cleanly although some confusion at the first windward mark forced the race committee, led by Olympic medallist Dave Wilkins, to abandon and restart. The slow handicap got away after only one general recall and it was, as predicted by many, going to be a 420-day in the shifty, blustery conditions.

Luke Patience and Adam Wagner from Royal Northern and Clyde Yacht Club, who were ninth in the 420 World Championship held at Hayling Island Sailing Club in 2003, won the first race on corrected time from another 420, Jonathon McGovern and Stuart Bithell from Hollingworth Lake. The shear number of youth classes came through in their determination and dominance of the top ten with 420s and 29ers taking eight of the top ten places in race 1. The Merlin Rocket of Richard Whitworth and Matt Mee finished race 1 in seventh place and the top ten was rounded off by Dave Wade and Richard Wagstaff, third in the Fireball Worlds in Australia, in tenth place.

A somewhat depleted fleet stayed on the water for race two, many suffering from gear failure in the difficult conditions, among these the winners of race 1, Luke Patience and Adam Wagner. Both the Fast and Slow starts got away, with race officer Dave Wilkins having to resort to a black flag for the over eager 420s. Conditions had become squallier as one after another black cloud blew over the racecourse, bringing rain, hail, truckloads of wind, and the odd rainbow.

It was the consistent sailing from Jonathon McGovern and Stuart Bithell who took victory by over a minute from local sailors James and Edward Wilkes in the first 29er of race 2. Again the 420's and 29ers dominated the fleet, showing the older hands that it is still possible to sail in the UK in February. This time, apart from the Wilkes brothers in second and the 29er of Roger Phillips and Will Crocker from Great Moor Sailing Club in seventh, the top ten was an entirely 420 affair.

After race 2, with light fading rapidly and the conditions worsening, the race committee took the decision to send the fleet ashore in order for them to prepare themselves for the Saturday evening revelleries.

Traditionally a black tie, bangers and mash affair with a live band, raffle and speeches, the Tiger dinner has always been attended by a cross section of the sailing community. Sponsored by Everards Brewery (providing the liquid refreshment and inebriative properties of Tiger Beer for a mere £1.00) nearly 200 sailors VIP's and guests crowded the venue, and after the meal and speeches from Ian Walker, Paul Brotherton and Dennis Merricks, the live band kicked off.

The aftermath of the celebrations left many competitors for whom sailing was the last thing on their mind on a bright and early, and sunny Sunday morning. Luckily, that was indeed the case as 25-30 knot breezes battered the club. After a short postponement, the non-discardable pursuit race was cancelled for the first time in its history.

With the results from Saturday standing, victory in the 2004 Rutland Challenge for the John Merricks Tiger Trophy went to the 420 of Jonathon McGovern and Stuart Bithell, who proved the most determined and consistent in the tough conditions. The Lady Tiger for the first all- girl team went to Sarah Allen and Rachel Cooper from Hamble in an RS200. This year, a new trophy was presented to the first veterans who had a combined age of over 80 years old for double-handed boats, or 45 for single-handers. The Shere-Khan trophy was presented to Ovington Boats' Dave Hall and Paul Constable in a 29er, who had a combined age of over 85.

Overall, despite the difficult conditions, the team at Rutland Sailing Club did a fantastic job both on and off the water, everyone left with a smile, and a reminder of why the event happens, and continues to attract a huge number of competitors year on year. On the Saturday night, Ian Walker presented Dick and Vicky Sanders, who have run this event since its inception in 1994, with a commemorative appreciation from the John Merricks Sailing Trust. In excess of £4000 was raised for the John Merricks sailing trust at this year's event.

Results:

	Fleet	Class	Helm	Crew	Club	R1	R2	Pts
1	Slow	420	Jonathon McGovern	Stuart Bithell	Hollingworth Lake	2	1	3
2	Slow	420	Ben Ainsworth	Harriette Trumble	Whitstable	5	4	9
3	Slow	420	Fynn Sterritt	Matthew Day	East Lothian	12	5	17
4	Fast	29er	Justin Visser	Simon Wheeler	Royal Lymington	4	14	18
5	Slow	420	Dix	Gray		6	13	19
6	Fast	29er	Josh Wilce	Olly Wilce	Rutland	8	11	19
7	Slow	420	Thomas Mallindine	Ian Heywood	Corus	20	3	23
8	Slow	420	Tom Makey	James Wade	Corinthian Otters	15	8	23
9	Slow	Merlin Rocket	Richard Whitworth	Matt Mee	Hollingworth Lake	7	20	27
10	Fast	470	Callum Macdonald	Joe Glanfield	RNCYC	17	12	29
11	Slow	420	Andy Fielder	Louis McVeigh	Broadwater	9	26	35
12	Fast	29er	Jonathon White	Alex Chruttenden	Pevensey Bay	19	19	38
13	Slow	420	Ally Martin	David Steed	Burghfield	29	10	39
14	Slow	420	James Goss	Daniel Shiever	Burghfield	35	6	41
15	Fast	29er	Jonathon Frazer	Tom Heywood	HISC	24	23	47
16	Fast	29er	Ben Burns	Guy Filmore	Draycote Water	33	16	49
17	Slow	National 12	Tom Stewart	Jane Wade	Royal Harwich	23	31	54
18	Slow	420	Sponk Mapplebeck	Nicola Macgregor	Poole	28	27	55
19	Fast	29er	David Hall	Paul Constable		21	35	56
20	Fast	29er	Tristan Jaques	Alain Sign	Stokes Bay/Lee on Solent	45	15	60