Wind and sun

Fantastic conditions for Burnham Week Dinghy Regatta

Glorious sunshine and strong winds over the bank holiday weekend gave the competitors in the Dinghy Regatta hosted by Burnham Sailing Club and Creeksea Sailing Club the best sailing conditions of year. The Regatta forms a part of Burnham Week organised by the combined clubs.

Joining the dinghy fleet this year were six RS K6 keelboats, which launched and recovered each day with the dinghies at Creeksea Sailing Club. This gave an exotic feel to the weekend as these powerful boats hammered up and down the River Crouch under their asymmetric spinnakers.

Slow and fast handicap fleets comprised a wide mixture of classes with entries from local clubs being joined by visitors from further a field. Phantoms and Lasers had their own class starts, although the size of the Laser class was reduced by the inclusion of Radial’s and 4.7’s in the handicap fleets.

Returning visitors from last year included a strong contingent of MRXs from Wembley Sailing Club who were notable for their enthusiasm for the long spinnaker reaches, matched only by their difficulty in following the complex courses.

Race Officer Alf Reynolds and his able crew met the challenge of setting appropriate courses for everything from a Burnham Scow to the RS K6’s and also engaged in a unique shuttle between the two clubs.

Morning races were started at the Burnham Sailing Club line and finished at Creeksea Sailing club, allowing all crews ashore for a lunch break, before the afternoon race starting at Creeksea and finishing at Burnham Sailing Club. This allowed easier launching, recovery and storage of boats at Creeksea Sailing Club.

All classes enjoyed close competitive racing with short tacking duals, power reaching and tidal tactics sorting out the pecking order. Longer courses for the K6’s, Fast Handicap and Phantom fleets tested both stamina and navigation skills, whilst shorter but equally complex courses kept the slower boats more than occupied.

The success of the regatta was judged by the number of classes subsequently requesting further opportunities to sail on the Crouch and the format of two host clubs has proved a great success.

Results:

RS K6

1-Ian Robson and Sam Johnson - Aldeburgh Yacht Club
2-Paul Botterill and Ben Robinson - Aldeburgh Yacht Club
3-Bob and Gill Pearson - Carsington Water Sailing Club

Fast Handicap

1-ISO 730 - Lee Brown and Steve Sugg - Leigh on Sea SC
2-Laser 2000 3026 - Andrew and Francis Chudley- RBYC
3-MRX 3622 - Mark Candelas and crew - Wembley Sailing Club

Slow Handicap

1-Laser Radial 164828 - James Brown - RBYC
2-Laser Radial 176698 - Jonathon Brown - RBYC
3-Streaker - Dave Banfield - Eyott Sailing Club

Phantom

1-John Torrance - Creeksea Sailing Club
2-Chris Roberts - Creeksea Sailing Club
3-Alan Tolley - Blithfield Sailing Club

Laser

1-Matthew Pickett - Up River Sailing Club
2-M Ettershank - Eyott Sailing Club
3-Nick O’Conner - Creeksea Sailing Club