Osprey Inland Championships at Rutland Sailing Club

Osprey Inlands at Rutland © Tim Rush

Osprey Inlands at Rutland © Tim Rush

Something happened this weekend at the Osprey Inland Championships, something strange but very exciting. Nick Broomhall appeared with a new young jockey who hasn't been seen in an Osprey before. Nick was quiet and secretive using words like "new apprentice" and "trying out", he wouldn't even tell us his name!

Pickering was introduced to him in the changing room and said he thought this young man was someone, not just another "try out" for Nick, who changed his name on the entry form to Bick Boomhall for some reason, maybe trying to put us off his scent. Not old Pickering, he knew, he has a sixth sense for these things because he's been knocking around the UK sailing circuit since God was a boy. He's a sort of a Gandalf of the dark art of spotting young sailing wizards.

Race 1 was all it took to expose the silky skills of Nick's new helm. They were in the mix with the old guard and popped out in front just ahead of Gandalf in 2nd and our new National Champions Gareth Caldwell and John Gibbons in 3rd. At the end of the race a lot of slightly anxious regulars sailed over to Nick to have a look at who was at the back of 1311. Who was he? Was this just a lucky first race?

Still anxious, the fleet reset and went again for Race 2. The wind shifted back and forth making it hard to cross the line on starboard, some tacked away and hit the port lay line into the mark feeling a bit more relaxed because there were familiar faces arriving at the front, but no, he was there again looking comfortable and confident.

At the bottom mark he went into battle with Basher Marshal, which no one in their right mind would ever do because one invariably ends up in the workshop with a repair to do. Nick Broomhall lent over and tipped his new man off and he let him go and sailed away where he couldn't come to any harm from the killing machine. 1311 posted a 4th, giving him the lead after two races from Kevin Francis and Phil Male from Castle Cove in 1296. Kevin and Phil sailed well and although we've seen them in action before this summer, they too were adding to the excitement of an apparent new breed of Osprey sailors coming out of the woodwork.

The 2nd race was won by unmistakeable 1280 Disco boat, helmed by Steve George and Crewed by the man mountain himself, Mikey Greig. This was much more like it from these two, they had it in them and with the added advantage of a jolly good rub down with some performance enhancing gel in the van later, they could be the team to beat this weekend. Sadly it wasn't to be, despite a quiet dinner with the hard core lime and soda brigade and an early night, the pressure and emotion of it all got to them. However, it was rare treat for us to see them at Rutland all the way from Mounts Bay, life is always more fun when there's a pirate or two in town!

Anyway, back to the mystery man and race 3. What would he do this time? The wind went light for the last race of the day and out popped the light wind specialist, Gareth Caldwell and John Gibbons closely followed by Mick Greenland and Jerry Dixon, who had swapped boats from Dave Springett. Jerry said he couldn't be in a sailing relationship that included a duck, which Dave insists on having in the boat with him when he's racing. Jerry was finding the feathers difficult to deal with and when they were approaching the windward mark in a crowd he just couldn't cope with Dave and the Duck flapping about the boat together. Having said that Dave showed us again, as he did at the nationals, he is also a master of the light stuff with a good 4th in the last race on Sunday.

Broomhall and his new boy finished 3rd in race three in the end leaving them in the top spot for the day.

Day 2 dawned and it was wet and extremely uninviting. Was the new guy going to be able to deal with this? Could he be put off by light wind and rain and the temperature gauge barely of the bottom.

Race 4 got underway and thankfully the old masters, Cooney and Frith made the first mark ahead but today wasn't going to any different, they were there again, 1311 taking the shifts perfectly edging up the course keeping anyone out who got the wrong side of the beat at bay, which was the story of the day. They took a 2nd behind Cooney and Frith. This is getting beyond the joke.......someone had to do something.

Race 5 was the last chance to show this young man who was boss, we can't let this happen. It was almost as if he knew there was a desire for someone to get him and sail him off the course, something! But no, he was truly brilliant, completely calm, really cool and sailed a perfect race and took the last bullet of the event.

Ladies and Gentlemen raise your glasses to the newest recruit to the Osprey Fleet, Chris Gould, we wish you a very warm welcome and look forward to seeing again soon I hope.

The other exciting thing that happened this weekend is there was a realisation that there was very little difference in boat speed across the fleet, every race had 8 or 10 boats finishing within a split second of each other. There is a high standard of sailing going on in the Osprey class and it is attracting new blood, long may it last.

See you on the SailJuice circuit.

Overall Results: