Bollé RS200 Grand Prix at Itchenor Sailing Club

36 boats arrived for the Bolle RS200 circus at Itchenor Sailing Club, near Wittering.

If you have never been, Itchenor itself really is quite quaint, and remote enough to be the setting of a pretty convincing zombie movie. Even my B&B had heated floors, tennis courts and a pool. Both redundant, as plenty of damp exercise awaited over 8 races, for which the forecast of 12-14 knots proved to be a sad underestimate. ('Sad' as my novice shipmate is the same weight as a dry J-cloth and, at best, an open meeting virgin). We loved the RO's well-intended yet prolonged and detailed briefing. ('Windward, leeward, sail through start line upwind', would have done).

For the record, locals Will and Rob Henderson rather upset the form book by winning races 2 and 4. Mar-Eye-Yah Stanley won the first, Chris Catt the 3rd, at which a squarer line and maybe a flooding tide saw 8 numbers on the OCS naughty board. First two races were as port-biased as Winston Churchill with a salty Stilton. And you really needed to work the tide, an X factor initially beyond mere (Welsh Harp) pond life such as I.

Saturday night was all frocks and top tucker, as (almost) all attended a black tie dinner, then mingled with club locals... think tweed, think red trousers, think mustard cords. By dint of some logistical error, I managed to forget my black trousers, wearing jeans below my dinner jacket. 'M' would have pursed her lips in disapproval.

Day two was initially less frisky, though some ominous looking squalls and even a bit of lightning made an appearance. Winners were... rather than bore you, see below.

Congratulations to The Hendersons for scoring below par on a couple of tricky days, and beating some very quick regulars, with Catt and Martin 2nd, and Cherub National Champions the Peterses 3rd.

Thanks also to Itchenor Sailing Club, who were hugely hospitable. The place is as much sailing hotel than sailing club, and I'd recommend a visit.

Next 200 Bolle GP – Stokes Bay 28 and 29th; next SEAS event – Downs SC on Saturday 14th.

Overall Results: