BUCS British University Fleet Racing Championships 2024 at Royal Torbay Yacht Club

by Isobel Stewart 19 Nov 11:17 UTC 16-17 November 2024

BUCS British University Fleet Racing Championships at Torbay © Moiz Shah

Light winds were forecast for Torquay during the BUCS Fleets weekend, hosted by Exeter University Sailing Club, but the race team pulled off an incredible event - managing to complete the six-race series in especially tricky conditions.

The event saw 95 boats and 182 sailors competing across two courses: the Firefly fleet and the handicap fleet, each racing on windward-leeward courses. Despite wind speeds barely climbing above 8mph all weekend, the race committee expertly identified the few windows of opportunity for racing, earning the admiration of all competitors.

BUCS British University Fleet Racing Championships at Torbay - photo © BUSA

Saturday's Racing

The day started early with a 9:30 briefing (a tough ask for university students!), followed by launching and Race 1. The morning saw a steady breeze, but by the final lap, Torbay was becoming glassy, and the Firefly fleet had a close yet slow-motion finish.

Race 2 looked unlikely with low-speed drifting dominating the scene, but the race committee persevered. The wind filled in up the first beat, saving the race after a challenging start.

Race 3 followed, starting just in time to finish the fleet before the wind completely disappeared, leaving competitors to sail home.

By the end of Day 1, the competition was fierce at the front of the fleet, with Will Pank and Dan Malickis (UEA) leading, followed closely by Jamie Tylecote and Jamie Elder (Exeter), and Ben Tylecote and Lucy Cox (Loughborough).

BUCS British University Fleet Racing Championships at Torbay - photo © Moiz Shah

Saturday Evening

The Saturday night dinner was a highlight, with special mention to Natascia Lillywhite for her amazing decorations and to Freya Lillywhite and Toby Hebblethwaite for organising a highly entertaining evening of dinner and dancing, followed by a night out in Exeter.

Sunday's Racing

Sunday began slowly, with competitors launching late (no prizes for guessing why). Initially, zero wind made getting to the racecourse look unpromising. However, the race committee once again nailed their timing, with the wind filling in across Torbay, allowing three more races to take place.

The patchy breeze meant finding gusts was key, and the Tylecote teams demonstrated exceptional skill (perhaps honed from their shifty reservoir experience), securing all the day's race wins between them.

BUCS British University Fleet Racing Championships at Torbay - photo © Moiz Shah

Final Results:

Slow Handicap Fleet: Ollie Meadowcroft and Harvey Godel (Exeter) dominated, counting only first places in their National 12, a fantastic boat for young sailors.
Fast Handicap Fleet: Hazel McDonnell, crewed by Laura Hantrais (Exeter), sailed an RS200 superbly in the light winds, counting all firsts and one-second place.
ILCA Handicap Fleet: Luke Anstey (Surrey) won in an ILCA 7, fending off strong competition from James Curtis (Southampton) and Paris Olympian Charlotte Webster.
Firefly Fleet: Jamie Tylecote and Jamie Elder (Exeter) put together an impressive series of only top-three results in a fleet of 66 boats.

Exeter women's team win their category at the BUCS British University Fleet Racing Championships at Torbay - photo © Moiz Shah

Acknowledgements

The event wouldn't have been possible without the dedication of Exeter University Sailing Club volunteers, who invested significant time into planning, organising, and arranging Fireflys borrowed from Sevenoaks School and RGS Guildford. Special thanks go to Robin Alexander (Event Director) and Matt Shaw (Exeter Commodore), the key organisers, and Louise Sanders for managing media.

A massive shout out also goes to the 42 Royal Torbay Yacht Club members who gave up their weekend to ensure the event's success, assisting with trolleys and managing the organised chaos of hundreds of university students. Particular thanks to PROs Bob Penfold and Mike Johnson for their tireless efforts, enabling the completion of a full series.

BUCS British University Fleet Racing Championships at Torbay - photo © Moiz Shah

Open Team Results:

1st: Southampton
2nd: Exeter
3rd: Warwick

Women's Team Results:

1st: Exeter
2nd: UEA
3rd: Bristol

BUCS Points:

1st Exeter 70
2nd Southampton 32
3rd UEA 28
4th Bristol 18
5th Portsmouth 14
6th Surrey 12
7th Warwick 10
8th Cambridge 8
9th Solent 8
10th Bath 6
11th Loughborough 6
12th Cardiff 5
13th Falmouth and Exeter 5
14th Imperial College London 4
15th Swansea 4
16th Plymouth 3

Firefly Fleet Results:

Pos	Sail No	Helm	Crew	University	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	Pts
1st	3764	Jamie Tylecote	Jamie Elder	Exeter	1	‑3	2	1	3	1	8
2nd	999	Will Pank	Dan Malickis	UEA	3	1	1	(DNF)	2	4	11
3rd	3037	Benjamin Tylecote	Lucy Cox	Loughborough	‑4	2	4	2	1	2	11
4th	4445	Terry Hacker	Luke Knezevic	Southampton	2	5	3	4	4	‑8	18
5th	3871	Alice Lucy	Hazel Jones	Exeter	‑5	4	5	5	5	5	24
6th	4443	Ben Hutton‑Penman	Eva Briggs	Southampton	6	‑7	7	6	6	6	31
7th	4094	Becky Caiger	Julia Barnes	Edinburgh	12	6	9	‑13	10	7	44
8th	4095	Ota Dvorak	Rory Gifford	Edinburgh	11	17	‑21	3	11	3	45
9th	2300	Freddie Fisher	Isobel Stewart	Exeter	7	‑24	8	12	8	10	45
10th	E5	Samuel Zolnai	Thomas Harland‑Smith	Warwick	‑15	15	10	7	9	9	50
11th	E2	Rachael Betschart	Amelia Lewis	Exeter	8	8	13	‑16	12	11	52
12th	4439	Luis Sampedro	Gonzalo Altamirano	Southampton	13	13	12	9	7	‑17	54
13th	3914	Henry Koe	Lola Andrews	Warwick	10	11	6	22	‑29	22	71
14th	395	Ben Osborne	John Rudd	Portsmouth	9	18	14	‑19	17	13	71
15th	K1	Ralph Nevile	Quinn Cassidy	Cardiff	18	9	11	21	‑28	16	75
16th	4441	William Hill	Maximus Flambard	Southampton	‑36	14	16	26	30	12	98
17th	3951	Curtis Mckay	George Ross	Portsmouth	21	20	26	‑38	15	21	103
18th	K2	Barty Gray	Alicia Condie	Cardiff	17	‑48	43	14	16	15	105
19th	3953	Louise Davies	Grace Capers	Portsmouth	23	21	22	‑28	20	19	105
20th	3797	Ethan Davey	Charles Blagburn	Plymouth	25	16	19	15	‑32	31	106
21st	E1	Florence Nicholls	Manuela Rodríguez	Exeter	16	34	‑35	8	18	34	110
22nd	22	Maryn Wilkes	Pim Sirilar	UCL	32	‑33	31	17	19	14	113
23rd	23	Cara Bland	Alec Orr Prosper	UCL	14	32	‑36	10	27	33	116
24th	3795	William De Jaeger	Oscar Mason	Plymouth	26	19	34	‑35	13	27	119
25th	3798	Max Cully	Ryan Davies	Plymouth	24	25	20	27	‑40	24	120
26th	4444	Finlay Campbell	Rhys Evans	UEA	28	22	27	‑29	26	18	121
27th	E4	Cameron Yates	Toby Hebblethwaite	Exeter	20	29	23	25	25	‑35	122
28th	E3	Finbar Wormwell	Freya Lillywhite	Exeter	27	27	28	‑30	24	20	126
29th	3950	Alfie Cogger	Andi Hoxha	Portsmouth	22	‑43	33	23	22	28	128
30th	24	Issy Leetch	Mia Wilson	UCL	29	39	‑42	11	14	36	129
31st	3915	Shaan Mutreja	Claire Van Heel	Warwick	34	37	18	18	23	‑39	130
32nd	3799	Madeline Bilbrough	Olivia McMorris	Plymouth	35	23	30	20	‑36	25	133
33rd	K3	Tilly Phelps	Tom Lee	Cardiff	19	10	‑44	40	39	26	134
34th	4353	Phoebe peters	Ciara charlwood	Bristol	‑39	12	17	39	31	37	136
35th	3796	Oliver Baddeley	Thomas Humphrey	Plymouth	‑50	26	25	37	21	32	141
36th	4378	Sasha Tydeman	Alice Bradford	UEA	‑49	28	40	24	33	23	148
37th	3820	Chloe Harding	Louise Woodley	UEA	31	‑42	32	36	34	41	174
38th	4379	Rosie Madin	Rosemarie Howes	UEA	37	(DNF)	38	33	41	30	179
39th	4442	Toby Peter Moore	Thomas Christopher Nelson	Southampton	41	30	15	52	47	‑53	185
40th	4355	Joshua Lyttle	Aurelia Meadway	Bristol	44	54	24	34	44	‑59	200
41st	4354	Eliza South	Freya Hudson	Bristol	42	(DNC)	41	43	45	29	200
42nd	4351	Emma Ramm	Ellie Cole	Bristol	38	36	‑49	44	43	42	203
43rd	3955	Zoe Smith	Rachel Palmer	Portsmouth	47	44	37	‑49	42	38	208
44th	2516	Cian Epstein	Rosalie Trilling	Imperial College London	‑52	38	45	42	49	40	214
45th	3913	Brett Tudor	Andrew Scott	Warwick	48	40	‑59	32	46	49	215
46th	F31	Todd Watkins	Adam Newns	UWE	40	49	53	31	‑55	50	223
47th	3800	Fay Murray Smith	Hayley Olden	Plymouth	33	31	29	(DNC)	DNC	DNC	227
48th	4440	Madeleine Slater	Lauren Hu	Southampton	‑58	35	52	50	38	55	230
49th	20	Lucy Aird‑Brown	Libby Chamberlain	Oxford Brookes	46	‑59	58	48	37	46	235
50th	80085	Josh Williams	Summer Brooks	Imperial College London	‑54	47	47	45	54	44	237
51st	4352	Thomas Baulkwill	Richard Millett	Bristol	55	‑57	46	41	53	48	243
52nd	4356	Jack Robinson	Elsie Jackson	Bristol	43	‑56	54	51	51	45	244
53rd	1446	Oscar Morgan‑Harris	Jack Owens	Solent	30	45	39	(DNC)	DNC	DNC	248
54th	T2	Olivia Jackson	Rosaleen Cunningham‑Day	Exeter	‑63	51	55	53	50	43	252
55th	R5	Maximillian Harry England	Oscar Sullivan	Falmouth and Exeter	(OCS)	52	UFD	47	35	54	255
56th	E6	Daisy Nichols	Dominic Switzer	Newcastle	45	53	50	‑58	56	57	261
57th	2297	Archie Martin	Charles Arnold	Solent	57	41	48	56	(DNF)	60	262
58th	19	Alexander Dentskevich	Toby Moore	Oxford Brookes	53	58	51	‑60	58	47	267
59th	21	Max Smith	Spike Combes	Oxford Brookes	62	62	‑63	46	52	51	273
60th	R4	Isabella Hardaker	Joe Simpson	Falmouth and Exeter	61	61	‑62	54	48	52	276
61st	R1	Fergal Wallbank	Dylan Haddon	Falmouth and Exeter	60	63	(UFD)	55	57	56	291
62nd	T1	Aidan Wong	Liam Reilly	Exeter	56	46	56	(DNC)	DNC	DNC	292
63rd	3954	Amber Braker	Beth Sharp	Portsmouth	‑64	60	57	59	59	58	293
64th	3778	Ryan Harris	Will Ward	Surrey	51	55	61	(DNC)	DNC	DNC	301
65th	R2	Chloe Mansi	Hettie Rankin	Falmouth and Exeter	‑65	64	60	57	60	61	302
66th	T3	Lana Halawe	Tilly Welsh	Exeter	59	50	(UFD)	DNC	DNC	DNC	310

ILCA Fleet Results:

Pos	Class	Helm	University	Rating	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	Pts
1st	ILCA 7	Luke Anstey	Surrey	1102	‑3	1	1	3	1	1	7
2nd	ILCA 7	James Curtis	Southampton	1102	‑2	2	2	1	2	2	9
3rd	ILCA 6	Thommie Grit	UEA	1154	1	3	3	2	‑4	3	12
4th	ILCA 6	Charlotte Webster	Falmouth and Exeter	1154	4	4	4	4	3	‑5	19
5th	ILCA 6	Caroline Hoheneder	Bristol	1154	‑5	5	5	5	5	4	24
6th	ILCA 7	Edward wildman	Southampton	1102	‑8	6	6	7	7	6	32
7th	ILCA 6	Robin Alexander	Exeter	1154	6	8	(DNC)	6	6	RET	36
8th	ILCA 6	Emelia Tinch	Plymouth	1154	7	7	7	8	8	(DNF)	37
9th	ILCA 6	Will Jackson	Falmouth and Exeter	1154	(DNC)	DNC	DNC	DNC	DNC	DNC	50

Fast Handicap Fleet Results:

Pos	Class	Sail No	Helm	Crew	University	Rating	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	Pts
1st	RS200	1616	Hazel McDonnell	Laura Hantrais	Exeter	1046	1	1	‑5	1	2	1	6
2nd	RS200	1747	Matt Taylor	Eddie Latham	Solent	1046	2	‑4	1	2	1	4	10
3rd	RS200	1654	Imogen Wade	Fred Langhorne	Bath	1046	6	2	3	‑9	5	2	18
4th	RS200	655	Oliver Mitchelmore‑Hawkins	Archie Mitchelmore‑Hawkins	Swansea	1046	3	5	‑6	5	3	3	19
5th	RS200	1666	Amy Boyle	Alice Carter	Bristol	1046	4	‑7	2	4	4	6	20
6th	RS200	1540	Max Sydenham	Ed Saunders	Bristol	1046	9	3	7	3	‑10	7	29
7th	RS200	1543	Natalie Annels	Darcy Lynall	Southampton	1046	5	8	8	6	7	‑9	34
8th	RS200	1577	Daniel Corbett	Sam Walton	Southampton	1046	‑10	6	4	7	9	10	36
9th	RS200	1659	Esme Barraclough	Ben Dearden	Loughborough	1046	8	‑10	10	8	6	5	37
10th	RS200	1536	Ben Simmonds	William Hellewell	Southampton	1046	7	9	9	‑11	11	8	44
11th	29er	2122	Millie Deacon	Thomas Armstrong	Exeter	895	11	11	11	10	8	(RET)	51
12th	RS800	1014	Derrin Scott	Ella Nichols	Newcastle	799	(DNF)	DNF	12	DNC	DNC	DNC	64

Slow Handicap Fleet Results:

Pos	Class	Sail No	Helm	Crew	University	Rating	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	Pts
1st	National 12	3543	Oliver Meadowcroft	Harvey Godel	Exeter	1070	‑3	1	1	1	1	1	5
2nd	RS Aero 7	2439	Tim Hire		Cambridge	1061	1	2	3	2	3	‑4	11
3rd	RS Aero 7	3018	William Caiger		Bristol	1061	2	‑5	2	3	4	3	14
4th	Solo	4643	Henry Heathcote		Imperial College London	1142	‑6	3	5	5	2	2	17
5th	RS Aero 7	2438	Kate Wharmby		Cambridge	1061	4	4	4	‑6	6	5	23
6th	420	56339	Heather Quinn	Thomas Clayton	Exeter	1100	5	‑6	6	4	5	6	26
7th	Solo	4434	Cameron Griffith Norris		Loughborough	1142	‑7	7	7	7	7	7	35
8th	Laser 3000	3224	Josh Donley	Theo Clifton	Swansea	1085	(DNF)	8	8	DNS	8	DNF	42