London Mid-Week Series at Ranelagh Sailing Club - Day 9

by Michael John Gifford 1 Sep 2009 14:57 BST 25 August 2009

It seems the summer is drawing to an end and the fingers of Autumn are starting to creep along the River Thames. As the days shorten and the night air gains a chill, as the fruit ripens on the bushes and trees and the harvesters strip the corn from the fields, so comes the end of the 2009 London Midweek Series.

Thursday evening saw the ninth and final race in what has once again proved to be the Epsom Derby, the FA Cup final, the Calcutta Cup and the Ashes all rolled into one glorious sailing series. Once again the competitors were blessed with perfect sailing conditions. The sun dappled waters glistened like the tears of a beautiful girl as she waves her sweetheart off on his journey. The warm winds of the season’s end were steady and firm as they wrapped themselves round the rigs of the assembled fleet.

Not since Drake set forth to wrestle the Armada of Philip of Spain has such intensity of spirit been seen as that which gripped the sailors as the race started. Leading off the line was the Lark of Chris Whitehouse and Liam Dempsey, closely followed by the Laser of Maury Shenk and Chris Edwards in a Solo. Series favourite Michael John was looking extremely vulnerable as Thomas Stolpher held him in a perfectly executed trap on the line and all he could do was watch as the fleet streamed away on the flood tide.

With both Chrises in with a shout of winning the series they didn’t ease off the pace and drove their boats until they were broken and bleeding, then pushed them harder still. As the fleet rounded the mark off the Crabtree pub Chris W and Liam were just ahead of the Maury and Chris E. The chasing pack included another Chris, this time Chris Gould, the Woolney’s in their Merlin, and the beautiful Sarah Edwards.

The next leg saw the lead swap between the two Chrises as they extended their advantage on a fleet struggling to pick the best line back up against the tide. The Woolneys made good use of their Merlin’s superior boatspeed to work through the fleet to third. After suffering at the hands of Thomas on the line, Michael John also started to impose himself on the race and pushed through to 4th just ahead of Chris G, Maury and Sarah.

Thus the race was beset with complex battles and regular place changes as the fleet split into a series of private duels. After three laps John and Margaret in the race-box called time on this classic contest. In the final roll of the dice Chris W crossed ahead of Chris E. They both watched with bated breath to see if Michael John had done enough to save a top 4 position which would give him the series win. Fate then tipped the balance in favour of Michael John as the Woolneys suffered rudder failure and abruptly slipped down the fleet leaving the blue Solo to take third place across the line.

At the final count Chris E won the race on handicap from Chris W and Liam. Michael John got the third place he needed for the series win ahead of Chris G, with fifth being taken by Sarah.

For a series of this magnitude and seriousness Goldman Sachs were drafted in to calculate the results which they finished as the competitors enjoyed a pizza and beer. On countback Chris Whitehouse finished third with the same number of points as Chris Edwards in second. Michael John took the miniature tankard set for first place, and the whole club enjoyed testing their ability to hold the finest Norwegian Aquavit.

Next year there is talk of holding the series in Antigua or Sydney Harbour. It has been pointed out however that the conditions there are not as reliably good as those found on the Putney reach. What is more, it is hard enough to get off work in time to make it South London so on balance it was decided that the 2010 event will once more take place on the hallowed waters of London’s great river. We are confidently expecting to increase on the 57 entrants that so delighted the spectators this year, and hope that those of you who have simply read about this pinnacle of the sporting calendar will travel to Ranelagh to experience it yourselves.

Race 9 results

1. Chris Edwards, Solo
2. Chris Whitehouse and Liam Dempsey, Lark
3. Michael John Gifford, Solo
4. Chris Gould, Laser
5. Sarah Edwards, Laser

Overall Series results

1. Michael John Gifford, Solo
2. Chris Edwards, Solo
3. Chris Whitehouse, Various
4. Joe Driver, Laser
5. Frances Gifford, Merlin