Harken 29er Grand Prix 7 at Dabchicks Sailing club

The seventh Harken GP event on October 12th/13th at Dabchicks Sailing Club saw 42 boats competing in the penultimate event of the series. The conditions were varied, making for some tough and truly memorable racing.

Having waded out through the notorious Dabchicks mud, and sailed out into the estuary through a large slalom of yachts, racing began on Saturday in light-to-medium winds. It was then perhaps unsurprising that the light-wind specialists Lauren Miles and Charlie Darling (Hayling Island SC) should take the lead, followed by fellow girls and HISC members Ruth Allan and Alice Masterman. In a dying breeze, and ever-increasing tide, racing close to the shoreline on the upwind paid hugely in the following race, allowing the Scottish pairing of Gillies Munro and Daniel Harris (Royal Findharn YC) to take the race ahead of Rob and Emma Loveridge of Draycote Water SC who were in turn closely followed by Lauren and Charlie. Controversially, the race was then abandoned after 10 of the boats crossed the finish line owing to the light wind conditions. It was then a long sail in for the likes of Gillies, who with the aid of Matt Venables and Rob Loveridge convinced the jury of the fairness of the race, and consequently the race was reinstated with those 32 non-finishing boats being rewarded average points from their results over the rest of the weekend.

An early start on Sunday saw torrential rain, literally dampening the moods of many sailors who had to attempt the 'yacht slalom' in heavy winds to get out to the race area. Fortunately, all was well – bar a few capsizes – and the first race commenced with winds initially as high as 25 knots. Gillies and Daniel relished this wind and were first to the top mark, followed by Rob and Emma. Subsequently, on the downwind leg, a large change occurred, as not only did the rain stop, but the wind also permanently shifted 60 degrees and dropped to less than 10 knots. Thus, the last lap became a reaching competition – not a typical mode of racing for the 29er class. Perhaps overcompensating for the previous day's abandonment, the race was finished, again with Gillies and Daniel tailed by Rob and Emma, who were followed by the Lymington pairing of Mimi El-Khazindar and Ben Batten.

The course was then reset for the new direction and racing was shortly underway again in a rapidly oscillating, offshore direction. Rob and Emma relished the conditions alongside the pin bias and won the race, followed by the new pairing of Tilly James and Paddy Keech, again showing their worth after recent successes in their first Grand Prix.

Conditions were similar in the next race, and it was to be a victory for the ladies pairing of Ruth and Alice, with Gillies and Daniel in second and the consistent Mimi and Ben in third. In a marginally increased wind, the final race was won by Matt Venables and Curtis Mearns again followed by Gillies and Daniel, and Mimi and Ben in second and third respectively.

Overall, it was to be the fourth Grand Prix win for the impressive Scottish pair, Gillies and Daniel. Second went to Mimi and Ben who showed that consistency is key, and third to Rob and Emma. First ladies went to Ruth and Alice in seventh place overall. Thanks go to all of those who contributed to this memorable event.

Overall Results: