RS Feva Open at Emsworth Sailing Club

Sunshine for the Emsworth RS Feva open © Angus Peel

Sunshine for the Emsworth RS Feva open © Angus Peel

Sunny with 10-14 from the SW was forecast. By 3pm 26 Fevas could sort of agree with the first 2 parts of the prediction - the direction was only roughly right given the 20° shifts and whilst the strength was right it still managed to vary between the upper and lower ends of the scales for boats separated by no more than 4 or 5 lengths. The day really rewarded those who sailed with their heads out of boat but even then there were times when even the best laid plans were flawed due to the capriciousness of the wind strength. Fevas in that wind range will have huge speed differences with just 1 or 2 knots difference in wind speed causing 20-30% boat speed differentials. Either way it meant that the race course was tight and high octane requiring typically 4 or 5 laps per race.

Alex & Steph Orton were 1st out of the traps followed closely by Will Lowes & Hugo Tucker. Both these National Squaddies were chased all the way home by local Southern Squad sailors Will Acres and Ed Bowman. These last two have been slip sliding along nicely in the few months. Self evidently they must have that loud click when all of a sudden what they had been trying just starts working!

Race 2 saw the tide still flooding but at reduced pace and this continued to help keep fleet behind the start line. HISC & Emsworth team Hugo Jones-Warner and James Poyner had the bit between the teeth in this one and took the bullet from locals Harry Derbyshire and Charlie Warren. These two have quite regularly sailed a Feva over the years but Harry’s current success in Oppies has delayed the start of his 420 career with Charlie. So quite handy then to keep the two handed skills ticking over. The big movers though were Jack Hawkins and Chris Thomas from the renowned Restronguet Club. Having clocked 6th in R1 they were up to 3rd for this one. Paul Fisk though had a dog of a race coming in an unaccustomed 14th with Jack. For those not in the know Paul is the very amiable wrinkled one and Jack is the one with the cheeky grin and who can run between the average 6-footers legs without ducking. This weekend is their temporary Feva swan song as they are disappearing on an 18month cruise in the near future. Jack is getting his racing legs on so we’ll have to watch it when they get back! Their normal position involves contesting the choccies…

By now the ebb tide was beginning to move but not sufficiently to affect the start. A group of 4 got away including Steph Harding and Kat Colvin. By the end of lap two these had been whittled down to what would prove to be the pivotal moves of the entire day. Jack and Chris had nailed a small lead over Will & Hugo who inturn had developed a gap to Harry/James and Steph n’Kat. On lap 3 Will/Hugo established quite a large lead over Jack/Chris but they got pegged back with the latter 2 picking on the wind better. Meanwhile Harry/Charlie got a penalty on Steph ‘n Kat when the latter tacked within the mark zone on top of them. One consultation later the girls smartly and fairly took their turn. 2oo meters later the girls had to do another turn when they had caught the boys up rather more efficiently than they had anticipated and attempted a rear boarding manoeuvre. Up front though Will/Hugo were being caught by Jack and Chris. Whilst it might be that they were bringing better breeze with them it is equally probable that they merely sailed the last run just that fraction better. It was key though as will be seen shortly with Jack and Chris taking the gun by half a length from Will and Hugo. The fight for 3rd was won by Harry/Charlie but might have been very different had they not been very fortunate at the start. I was hugely impressed with Steph ‘n Kats maturity and fair sailing though.

The reason for the importance of that last gasp win in race 3 was that effectively for 2/3rds of the fleet that was their last race and Jack/Chris had a 1pt lead over Will/Hugo (had they not snuck ahead in dramatic fashion at the last the positions would have been reversed!). What followed though was a comedy of errors. The tide was now ebbing strongly and pushing the fleet over the line. The line was short in any event due to the reduction of water available some 2 hrs after high water. Under black flag conditions virtually the entire fleet were over the line. PRO problem was that they couldn’t be entirely sure who the 3 or 4 innocents were. So for fairness sake the race was restarted with no one having been lobbed. Some though had not appreciated this state of affairs and were swanning around the wrong side of the line to just watch what happened. Quelle domage as they say in France. Anyway, this time the PRO was certain who was over and fully 2/3rds of the fleet skipped of for an early showere leaving 8 only to race for the last honours. Toby Hodge and Abbie Page kept a cool head and won narrowly from Adam and Lisa Kay who in turn kept Paul and Jack Fisk at bay (see, told you they were usually there doing the right things!).

As it has been all season the racing has been as tight as you’d like. Jack and Chris were the 4th different winners this year and there have been 5 in the last 7 events! This had been fantastic reward for Team Kernow, as they are affectionately known, having been steadily getting closer. Will and Hugo were gutted having missed on their own maiden win by half a length in the last couple of yards but still very proud with their 3rd second place this year. 3r’d and 4th were only split on the tie break with Alex & Steph Orton taking it from Harry Derbyshire and Charlie Warren. So close was racing that 5th and 6th only one point back also had to be split on the tie break with Will Acres and Ed Bowman having it from Steph Harding and Kat Colvin.

Emsworth Sailing Club having laid on a great event – again – then went the whole hog and fed most of the fleet that night before the circus decamped for the Chichester Open on the Sunday. Thank you Russell Payne, Dave Acres and whole hordes of smiling helpers! Also thanks to LDC, Gul & Rooster who made the prizes possible.