Please select your home edition
Edition
Savvy Navvy 2024

Firefly Vines Series Open at West Oxfordshire Sailing Club

by Jono Pank 22 Oct 08:22 UTC 19-20 October 2024
Firefly Vines Series Open at West Oxfordshire Sailing Club © Stewart Eaton

The annual Firefly open meeting at WOSC took place over the weekend 19th & 20th October. The event really was a game of two halves. Saturday provided beautiful sunshine & a pleasant force 1-3, allowing the full 5 races to be completed (with a half-time break for the included lunch) taking in the full extent of the lake.

WOSC is never a venue to grant a "safe place" and the fleet franticly jostled for positions throughout the days racing.

At the end of day 1, Jono Pank & Jo Mason sailing F4400, Swaggle, managed to peak at the right time in the races to take 5 wins. James Ball & Tristan in F3554, Stringa held 2nd ahead of James Nicholl & Bea Burrows in F4125, Thresdar, who were tied on points with Jonny Bickford & Rachel Crebbin sailing F3616 Top Dolly.

The fleet then retired into an awesome evening of WOSC hospitality commencing with a fish & chip supper, discovering the Sebi is a pool hustler and ending up a bit dark & stormy...

Stormy was a particularly pertinent term considering Sunday's forecast, and the fleet arose to a scattering of rain & a very solid breeze.

The SE breeze enabled a very simple (and exceedingly unusual for WOSC) windward / leeward course to be set for 5 "sprint races".

Much excitement was had across the fleet with 5 quick fire races, a few swims and one broken mast. The tired fleet returned to shore to be treated with to a lavish WOSC lunch, tea, cake and even free beer!

The race winners on Sunday were Jono & Jo and James & Bea.

James Nichols & Bea Burrows sailing the composite F4125 "Thresdar", deservedly took the victory in the "All to count" Sunday Sprint Race series.

Jono Pank & Jo Mason took the overall event win in the Ovington build F4400, Swaggle.

Overall Results:

1st F4400 Jono Pank & Jo Mason
2nd F4125 James Nicholls & Bea Burrows
3rd F3554 James Ball & Tristan
4th F3616 Jonny Bickford & Rachel Crebbin
5th F3625 Sebi Schmidt & Lorelei Bates

Related Articles

Firefly Inlands at Bough Beech
An extraordinary entry of 41 boats for the event This year's Firefly Inlands was a fantastic success. Forty-one double-handers for an Inland Championship is extraordinary. It was also great to see so many of the students enjoy themselves and learn. Posted on 9 Oct
Firefly Craftinsure Vines Series at Papercourt
Sometimes we all wonder why we do it? Sometimes we all wonder why we do it? That was certainly the case for competitors at the 2024 Papercourt Open in conditions one poor soul described as "the worst wind in 30 years of sailing here". Posted on 7 Oct
Broads Area Champion Club Ramuz Trophy
Annual end of season Inter Clubs event held at Wroxham Broad This annual end of season Inter Clubs event for The Broads Area took place on Saturday 21st September, at Wroxham Broad, by kind permission of Norfolk Broads Yacht Club. Posted on 29 Sep
Dell Quay Firefly Open
Craftinsure Vines Series Event 8 Saturday dawned sunny with a decent breeze as the 15 visitors and 12 club members sat around eating bacon butties waiting for the tide to come in. Posted on 25 Sep
Chipstead Firefly Open
As thrilling and competitive event as ever and the sun came out to boot The Firefly Open 2024 at Chipstead Sailing Club was as thrilling and competitive event as ever and the sun came out to boot. Not bad for the first day of September. Posted on 6 Sep
78th Firefly Nationals at Restronguet overall
The final race brought the wind The Final Race of the 78th Firefly Nationals at Restronget Sailing Club brought wind, finally! The race officer set the alarm early to attempt to complete a full series. With a brisk and shifty force three, the fleet was finally ready to stretch its legs. Posted on 3 Aug
78th Firefly Nationals at Restronguet Day 5
The most coveted race of the championships, the Sir Ralph Gore Trophy Day 5 of the Firefly nationals held the most coveted race of the championships, the Sir Ralph Gore Trophy, for which the Deed of Gift stipulates a minimum 13-mile triangular course. Posted on 1 Aug
78th Firefly Nationals at Restronguet Day 4
Wednesday's distance race (The Gore) rescheduled to Thursday due to light winds Wednesday's distance race (The Gore) was rescheduled to Thursday due to light winds forecast. The forecast wind was not due to materialise until 2ish so the fleet was under AP from 11 onwards. Posted on 1 Aug
78th Firefly Nationals at Restronguet Day 3
The fourth race of the series was sunny, light, shifty and tidal.. for a change... On the 'A' course type ('trapezoid, sausage') for the first time this nationals, the fourth race of the series was sunny, light, shifty and tidal. Posted on 31 Jul
78th Firefly Nationals at Restronguet Day 2
Two races held in a light and shifty breeze The day dawned with a light and shifty breeze before before steadying sufficiently for the race get away on time. The race started in 5 knots of breeze with the pin being the biased end. Posted on 30 Jul
Maritimo 2023 S600 FOOTERSavvy Navvy 2024