Sailing Solutions RS Feva Open at Emsworth Sailing Club

Prize winners at the Emsworth RS Feva open © Bill Tucker

Discretion was the better part of valour, well for the race officer (Dave Acres) anyway. The wind teased impressively. It would let you think it was a mere 12-15kts, which seemed very pleasant in the sun, but seconds later these monster gusts hit. I suppose they were so monster that in reality the F4 bits were actually lulls rather than the gusts being the parts of short duration. In any event the racing was held a very watchable distance distance from the club rather than the more usual 1NM away. And boy, was there plenty to watch, despite a number of HISC boats that traditionally just sail up the harbour to us deciding that today was maybe a sensible one to miss. Well yes, it was sensible - but the fun was in double portions with cream on the top.

Racing was therefore conducted over some shallowy bits close in and in pretty short 2 lap sprints. Fast and furious doesn't begin to cover it. From the committee boat, with the top dozen or so forgetting their shorebased resolutions to not overcook things, it was positively frightening to seeing these guys (in the gender neutral version of the word) getting hit by gusts that according to the clubs recording kit regularly hit 28 or so kts (cambermet & others in the area reckoned some gusts hit 34+kts), managing to remain perfectly balanced and see little other spray. These guys quite clearly OD'd on the offered adrenaline rushes. That's not to say that there weren't any spills amongst the top boats because there certainly were.

Guess I'd better get around to the racing itself. Today Anna Prescott & Jess Eales' heavy weather sailing truly came of age. They were awesomely consistent and their particular skill was to get the inside track on the downwind legs. Incredible slick moving from heated-up-hang-on-for-dear-life mode to soaking mode and back again. With one discard out of this lot you can't do much better than 1,1,2,2! Reward, in the bribery and corruption sense as opposed to for the sheer-beauty-and-thrill-of-doing-it mode, came in the form of a carbon tiller extension from the sponsors Sailing Solutions.

Hugo Tucker & Tim Collino beat off the remainder to claim second podium step after possibly equalling 3rd placed Jovian Short & Guy Wilkinson for the most insane top whack speeds achieved in the biggest gusts! Both managed swims at various points however and so took the opportunity to do some extra triathlon themed training whilst participating in the glorious insanity that is a sailing in these conditions. Hmm, what'll they make of their next boats...?

Barney Blackstone & Will Proud are also establishing themselves as a outside chances for upsetting established orders every once in while. 4th was cool and got them above the days top golden ol***s, one of whom at least is as gloriously youthful as she ever has been, but we're hugely proud of their game and fun attitude to the sport. The Fisks in turn only beat Gemma Bird and Morgan Dibb, who are amongst my 2 or 3 favourites for most improved boats since last autumn, on goal difference. The Tonbridge School boats were showing great form and Seb Baucutt & Josh Bell were a comfortable 7th ahead of the Molly's (I try to alternate the spelling of the plural to keep both happy!) who battled on for the 3rd & 4th races despite an injury. Just goes to show how adrenaline masks pain. If Seb & Josh ever feel the need to (re)name their boat they won't do much worse than call it Hitchhikers. Those familiar with the Guide to the Galaxy and the answer to the question of the meaning of life will appreciate it once I tell them the sail number is 4242. Sadly for their results one of the other Tonbridge boats demonstrated the art of extreme reefing during a full bore kite ride.

Spot prizes went to: Delanie Rutter (& Evie Townsend) for getting flicked by her boat during capsizing, into a full somersault before aquatic re-entry, Cameron Webber & Olivia Winther for completing in singlehanded mode with 2 onboard, Tom Nicholls & Henry Proto for their extreme reefing activities mentioned above, and Samuel Grade & Katie Prescott for managing to elegantly capsize and sticking the mast betwixt committee boat anchor line and said boat - slick!

Whilst the results will statistically reveal that there were a lot of DNC & DNF's that doesn't tell the whole story. Every boat in the results (save for the three from HISC that didn't make it all the way up the harbour but were reported to have provided a ride and a half locally to HISC) made a decent attempt to do the races and I should think that most were glad that they tried. So a lot of newcomers efforts aren't reflected properly by the results but we who were there, know it very well indeed. Congratulations to you all. And finally of course thanks to the club, members, secretaries and others for a brilliant day of action around the tea table, the admin, and of course on the water. Thanks.