Sunshine and breeze in Essex

29ers and 49ers enjoy the conditions at Thorpe Bay YC

Thorpe Bay held their annual 9er open on 13-15 September, shared with the B14s and Musto Skiffs it turned out to be an excellent weekend. The sailors were treated to a variety of conditions on the water and the usual hospitality on the shore including the now legendary party.

29er

After a short postponement race one was started in light and shifty conditions requiring much concentration from helms and a chance to get comfortable for crews, it was lead from start to finish by Adam Larvin and John Whelton who shot off the line with great speed and able to pull away from the pack and take line honours with a comfortable lead, Henry Lloyd Williams and Sam Batten came second with James Briggs and George Hand coming in third.

Race two began in similar conditions to race one, however, halfway up the first beat the wind died completely and filled in from the right hand side of the course. Some of the teams on the right of the course hoisted their kites to get to the windward mark, whilst the unlucky few on the left watched in dismay as the leaders of the right hand pack flew into the lead. Nick Redding and Adam Hilton sailed off into the distance to take first with a very comfortable lead with Natalya Eyres and Oliver Herve coming in second and Adam Larvin and John Whelton in third.

Sunday's forecast turned out to be slightly better than anticipated with 12-15 knots and choppy waters and so racing was started on time by an eager race committee. Race three was won by Henry and Sam closely followed by James and George with Adam and John coming in a close third.

Race four proved very similar to race three with Henry and Sam sailing consistently to take another bullet with James and George following with Nick and Adam taking third.

With the wind and sea increasing race five was won by Nick and Adam showing superior boat speed in the challenging conditions with Henry and Sam coming in second followed by Chris Mathews and Ed Gibson.



49er

Fourteen 49ers gathered at Thorpe Bay Yacht Club for a fantastic weekend of sailing and evening entertainment.

Saturday started with a postponement, after waiting on the beach for an hour, the fleets were released just before lunch in what was now blue skies and sunshine. Race one took place in about five to six knots of south westerly breeze. At the top mark, Mark Asquith and Paul Cambell-James led the fleet round closely followed by Daniel and Jamie Hare, in third were Richard Bone and Chris Rodway. After some place changes around the course it was Mark and Paul finishing in first still closely followed by Daniel and Jamie then Richard and Chris.

Race two started and the wind went to nothing then filled in from the opposite direction, the first beat became a reach then a reach back to the bottom mark. Leading from the start were Paul and Mark followed by Colin and Amanda Goodman then Richard and Chris. At the end of the race the places had stayed the same.

With the wind now diminishing to just a whisper and the tide flooding the race officer decided to abandon all racing for the day. With racing over for the day it was now time to focus on the second part of the event, the evening entertainment. A big thanks must go to Steve Hopper from EITS for providing the free BBQ, bar and entertainment.

Sunday morning dawned with a lot of sore heads after the late night. An early start scheduled and the breeze already building, everybody knew that today was going to be a good day.

Race three started with a breeze of about 12-15 knots. Paul and Mark rounded the top mark first followed close behind by Richard and Chris then Mathew Kimber and Hugh Bull.

Race four started with the wind increasing, this led to some excellent sailing conditions with a nice chop and good breeze. Chris and Richard led from the start with Paul and Mark coming in second and Mark and Paul Dell coming in third.

Race five got underway with similar conditions, the front five boats rounded the top mark cleanly, with the sixth boat capsizing on the mark and this caused a problem for the rest of the fleet as they were all closely bunched together. At the finish of the final race of the day it was Paul and Mark followed by Richard and Chris then Mark and Paul in third.

This was a fantastic event, with some challenging sailing conditions, and Sunday being complete champagne sailing. A big thanks to Thorpe Bay Yacht Club for hosting an excellent event and a huge thanks to Steve Hopper and EITS for sponsoring the event and making it very memorable. The fleet look forward to coming back next year.

Results:

29er

1-HENRY LLOYDS-WILLIAMS and SAM BATTEN
2-ADAM LARVIN and JOHN WHELTON
3-JAMES BRIGGS and GEORGE HAND
4-NICK REDDING and ADAM HILTON
5-CHRIS MATHEWS and ED GIBSON
6-FIONA HAMPSHIRE and MATT HOLLIS
7-WILL TWEMLOW and KATHRYN TWEMLOW
8-LILLY CARLISLE and CHRIS PEEL
9-ALEX POYNER and HOLLY TUCKER
10-JAMES BOLLINGBROKE and MATT HEATHCOTE

49er

1-PAUL CAMBELL JAMES and MARK ASQUITH
2-RICHARD BONE and CHRIS RODWAY
3-DANIEL HARE and JAMIE HARE
4-COLIN GOODMAN and AMANDA GOODMAN
5-MATHEW KIMBER and HUGO BULL
6-MARK DELL and PAUL DELL
7-RON PRICE AMY and CARTWRIGHT
8-GARETH DAVIES and PIPPA ARNOLD
9-STEVE MURRAY and NICK MURRAY
10-MAX RICHARDSON and ALEX GROVES