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Medway Dinghy Regatta 2018

by Stewart Robertson 18 Jul 2018 07:00 UTC 14-15 July 2018

A great weekend event primarily about sailing but the backup services were all in place and well organised - it must have taken a huge number of volunteers to make this the successful event it was.

Put next year's event in your diary - 6th and 7th July 2019. Boats from as far away as Southampton arrived, from Friday evening onwards, to savour the delight of the estuary racing downstream of the Medway Towns. It's complex sailing with strong tides, mud banks and the navigation marks as racing marks. The weather was good so apart from a few commercial vessels there were many leisure craft out and about – some of whom knew what they were doing. We even had hovercraft!

But the real challenge is beating the opposition in such a complex environment. Anybody – regardless of their skill at sailing who ventures out needs admiration. My personal admiration goes to a little girl somewhere in the age range of 8 to 10 who took her RS Tera Sport (probably the slowest boat out) out on the Medway and won the Junior Fleet trophy. She sails at Wilsonian and she makes me so proud, her name Charlotte White.

There were 64 boats in all divided into fleets; Fast, Medium, Slow, Junior, Wayfarer and 2000. The Medium Fleet was as always the most numerous with sixteen entries, eight of which were Blazes. Boats came from several east coast clubs; Broxbourne, Seaford and Calshot. Steven Worf comes every year with his Kestrel from Calshot and every year he does well – this year second in the Medium Fleet beaten only by Andy McIvor in his Blaze.

The 2000s had 10 entries and was convincingly won by Richard and Ian Hudson from Bough Beech with 3 firsts. They were convincing winners last year I remember. The Fast fleet was won by one of our own, Chris Ashby and Ian Parris in an Alto. So too one of our own won the Wayfarer Fleet, Brian Lamb and Sam Pygall. I make no apologies for mentioning Charlotte White again as the winner of the Juniors in a fleet of seven.

The Slow Fleet had eleven competitors and Martin Jessop also from WSC, won again as he did last year. The racing started and finished on the club line with a strong incoming tide. Courses took us down to the vicinity of the now defunct Kingsnorth power station. There was lots of thin green weed and I think this had grown on the mud-banks during this hot weather and had been lifted off by the tide. It was weak and fell apart rather than choke up the foils. Yes, the weather was hot and the prevailing wind weak so the morning races were a challenge against the tide and the Sunday morning race had to be abandoned soon after it started. By the afternoons the wind had built to healthy, fully powered conditions.

What could be better than ripping along in hot summer sunshine? What could be better than such a well organised, two days of racing?

Overall Results:

PosBow NoClassSail NoHelmCrewClubPYR1R2R3Pts
Fast Handicap Fleet
1st25ALTO122Chris AshbyIan ParrisWilsonian SC92023510
2nd39MUSTO SKIFF547Sergei Sames Wilsonian SC84962311
3rd20MUSTO SKIFF539Neil Ashby Wilsonian SC84971412
4th38ISO1003John GillJuliet GillStone S C92235614
5th36ALTO118Tim KiftJo WickenWilsonian SC92044816
6th52ALTO120David MasonStewart MasonWilsonian SC92016DNC22
7th28ALTO111Andy HockeyLucy Hockey/Rachelle HopkinsWilsonian SC920571022
8th26FIREBALL14328Rupert SmithZoe McCaigNewhaven and Seaford S C95399927
9th42MUSTO SKIFF419Richard Smith Wilsonian SC84910DSQ730
10th59MUSTO SKIFF556Graham Oliver Wilsonian SC849DNCDNC131
11th16MUSTO SKIFF216Martin Jones Wilsonian SC84988DNC31
12th58MUSTO SKIFF545Nick Lett Wilsonian SC849DNCDNC232
13th13OSPREY1260Bob MechemWill SmithBroxbourne92811111133
14th9OSPREY1171Steve CarmichaelWally SanterBroxbourne928DNF101235
Medium Handicap Fleet
1st17BLAZE826Andy McIvor Blackwater S C10272316
2nd5KESTREL1545Steven Worf Calshot S C10381528
3rd31LASER RADIAL130732Harry Downard Wilsonian SC114231812
4th2742051358Jazz TurnerLucy McCaigNewhaven and Seaford S C111162412
5th32V30003608Martin BrownBen BrownWilsonian SC99557315
6th41BLAZE609Stewart Robertson Wilsonian SC102744715
7th18BLAZE676Scott Jaycock Stone S C102799523
8th55KESTREL1553Ian RinbulRuss WellerBroxbourne10381310629
9th33BLAZE563Malcolm Hutchings Burnham S C102776DNC30
10th6BLAZE737Charles West Wilsonian SC102788DNC33
11th12BLAZE711Russ Hall Broxbourne102710DNF935
12th11RS 200323Tim TruinBeth GibbsWilsonian SC104612121135
13th29RS 100 10.2133David Fentsh Wilsonian SC98111DNF1239
14th21BLAZE617David Thornelow Wilsonian SC102715DNF1041
15th37NATIONAL 123512Andy GibbsEnya GibbsWilsonian SC10641411DNC42
16th61BLAZE732John Henatt Wilsonian SC1027DNCDNCDNC51
2000 Fleet
1st4020002374R HudsonIan HudsonBough Beach11091113
2nd820002643David VettergreenJanice SmithWilsonian SC11092226
3rd2220002670Ed SumnerJerry MichellErith Y C110933410
4th46200022131Paul RodgersPaul ThorpeWilsonian SC110955313
5th442000 Jem DrummondDan DrummondWilsonian SC110966618
6th10200022547Mark FoleyIan KentfieldSnettisham Beach110944DNC19
7th14200021405Nina WallisChris WallisWilsonian SC110977519
8th1520002884Alan ThomasJan ThomasErith Y C110988824
9th1920002523Zoe RalphRachel SheridanWilsonian SC110999725
10th5720002678Tony GunnPaul GatelyErith Y C1109DNCDNC931
Wayfarer Fleet
1st1WAYFARER11170Brian LambSam PygallWilsonian SC11022316
2nd3WAYFARER11118John GoudieSam BonifaceWilsonian SC11021427
3rd2WAYFARER10974Richard StoneCatherine GoreMedway Y C11023238
4th50WAYFARER10686Brian McKenzieElizabeth McKenzieMedway Y C110241510
5th4WAYFARER10947Sterwart ColtariCatriona ColtariMedway Y C1102DNCDNC418
6th60WAYFARER10875Mike Pimm Medway Y C1102DNCDNCDNC21
Junior Fleet
1st24RS TERA SPORT2661Charlotte White Wilsonian SC14321326
2nd53TOPPER21262Bobby Deards Wilsonian SC13582147
3rd23LASER 4.7161799Gavin Cape Wilsonian SC12073238
4th56TOPPER36259Jack Dunne Wilsonian SC135855111
5th35TOPPER44304Charlie Leancy-Sharpe Wilsonian SC135844DSQ16
6th54TOPPER5Frankee Lawrence Wilsonian SC13587DNF520
7th49TOPPER6910Sam Cowwen Wilsonian SC13586DNFDSQ22
Slow Handicap Fleet
1st45STREAKER1965Martin Jessop Wilsonian SC11281113
2nd30STREAKER1808Peter Heyes Whitstable Y C11284228
3rd51STREAKER1611Ceri Thomas Broadstairs S C112853412
4th47STREAKER1818Amanda Randall Wilsonian SC112834512
5th7MIRACLE3737Mike SuranyiMatthew SuranyiWilsonian SC120066618
6th34STREAKER1940Peter Horner Wilsonian SC112825DNC19
7th43LIGHTNING 368337Jane Drummond Wilsonian SC117077721
8th64MIRACLE3829Martin McKayIsobelle HillWilsonian SC1200DNCDNC327
9th48BYTE Isobelle Hill Wilsonian SC119088DNC28
10th63SOLO3753Steve Dixon Wilsonian SC1143DNCDNC832
11th62MIRACLE3461Andrew ClarkeWill MitchellWilsonian SC1200DNCDNCDNC36

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