East Coast champions

Sophie Mackley reports on the Hunter 707 East Coast Championships in Burnham

The Hunter 707 fleet enjoyed close racing in fickle winds at their East Coast Championships, hosted by the Royal Corinthian YC, Burnham over the May bank holiday weekend. Local knowledge was the name of the game, but it wasn’t enough to stop the charge of the on-form Pocket Battleship.

The first two races were windward-leewards, beating into a flooding tide in light breeze. Local boat Cacciatore led the fleet round the first mark before being overhauled by Pocket Battleship at the finish. But it was third placed Wind Job that impressed, and put those sailing five up to shame, as it was being sailed single-handed. Racehorse came in fourth followed by Sword.

In the second race Pocket Battleship and Emu Excursion got away, and finished in that order. The fight was for third with three boats close tacking up the last beat, but in hugging the shore a little too close Sword had be towed out of a muddy embrace and it was Cacciatore that took third from Baby Beluga, then Doh!

On the Sunday, race three was round the cans, starting on an ebb tide with a light easterly. Hamble-based Sword showed the way and stretched out a good lead by keeping their kite up on tight reaches where most had to drop.

However for the long beat home the tide had turned and was now emptying the river at a considerable rate, as the wind dropped.

The final leg saw many opportunities for place changing, and it was Pocket Battleship and Sword fighting it out at the front. Nearing the finish, the wind had dropped further and local boat Baby Beluga risked crossing the stream to the south shore to benefit from the favoured end of the line, a bold move which paid off as they crossed the line first, followed by Pocket Battleship and then Sword both on the north shore. A consistent Racehorse was fourth followed by Wind Job (now five up).

The afternoon racing began in the same light easterly and finished with abandonment in a slightly stronger southwesterly. Racing for the day was called off as although the wind had filled in steadily from the new direction, the sun was a long way past the yard arm.

The last days racing started early in the hope of getting in two races. But as the fleet sailed out, the wind steadily dropped and it was soon apparent that we were not going to get a race in, in time to crane the visiting boats out on the top of the tide.

So with three races completed and no discard, Pocket Battleship were crowned 707 East coast champions, adding another trophy to their fast expanding cabinet having already won at the Warsash Spring series and Spring championships this season. Burnham boats then took the next five places with Baby Beluga finishing second and a consistent Racehorse in third.