Father and son victory

Derbyshires win Feva open at Chichester

On Sunday, July 18th, Chichester Yacht Club held its first ever Open meeting for the RS Feva Class, which is being actively promoted at the Club. This initiative was handsomely supported by Fat Face, who sponsored the event with vouchers to accompany the prize glassware.

Eleven boats entered – six from CYC, three from Emsworth and two from Hayling Island. The forecast promised south to south westerly breezes increasing from F3 to F5, and this promise was thoroughly fulfilled. Most of the crews were youngsters, but the class is attractive to fathers with young children with an eye for something slightly more dashing than the Mirror, and two combinations of this sort did well.

The first race was won by Martin Orton and his daughter Alexandra with the young brothers Peter and Alec Henry second and father John Derbyshire sailing with son Harry third. The Derbyshire duo, in an increasing wind, took races two and three, with the Ortons slipping to second and third, and the Henrys to third and fifth, while behind them brothers George and Jack Yeoman improved from their initial sixth place to a fourth and a second (in race three James Ponsford, with more weight and muscle substituted for Jack in the increasing wind). Behind them Simon Kitchen, crewed by Bethany Robson secured fifth place with two fourths to count.

At the prize-giving the first Lady Helm prize was awarded to Jess Derbyshire, crewed by Holly Tucker, and the special prize for tenacity went to Rachel Scarfe who, crewed by Camilla Mapstone, managed to survive to finish in race three despite having had one gear failure after another in their borrowed Feva.

Results:
1st John and Harry Derbyshire, Emsworth SC
2nd Martin & Alexandra Orton, CYC
3rdPeter & Alec Henry, Hayling Island SC