Cam Cup Team Racing at Grafham Water Sailing Club

The Itchenor team (orange stripe) taking 1, 2, 5 to clinch the Cam Cup final in the third race © Anthony Butler

Itchenor Sonicboom team win the Cam Cup © Anthony Butler

Itchenor Sonicboom finished worthy winners, from a field of 19 teams that included two from Ireland, in a superb Cam Cup held at Grafham Water on Sunday 16 February 2014 ¨C organised by Cambridge University.

Gales prevented any sailing taking place on the Saturday, which resulted in the traditional black tie dinner in Cambridge being enjoyed more thoroughly than ever. Perfect conditions on Sunday, plus clockwork race organisation headed by Jo Lucas and Keith Sammons, enabled 104 round robin races to be sailed, followed by a three-race final.

In the round robin series, Itchenor, Royal Thames Blue (bearing a remarkable similarity to Oxford Blue!), and Cambridge Blue quickly established their pre-eminence. None of these three teams actually met in the round robin races, but Cambridge dropped one race to take the Bronze medal and so the final was between Itchenor and Royal Thames. A table of detailed results follows this report.

In the first race of the final, Itchenor won the start and, with two Royal Thames boats spinning on the first beat, finished a comfortable 1, 3, 4. Royal Thames struck back in the second race, breaking through Itchenor's 1, 4, 5 on the final beat with a 2, 3, 4 ¨C to even the score and take the final to the wire on the third race.

The third race was a titanic struggle to the background of the Grafham hooter sounding the end of day. The start was even, but Royal Thames held 1, 2, 6 at the windward mark. The three Itchenor boats attacked the leading Royal Thames pair ferociously on the run and, coupled with some fast sailing, took 1, 2, 5 to clinch a worthy victory.

The prize giving, presided over by Cambridge Captain Arthur Henderson, was notable in that the near-mythical Cam Cup made its first appearance after being lost for over 10 years. It was entirely appropriate that Itchenor should capture the cup because it was presented originally by Stewart Morris in the 1930¡äs ¨C and Itchenor was Stewart's home club from after the Second World War until his death. Stewart Morris also did more than probably any other individual to promote team racing throughout the world ¨C through his involvement in International 14 team racing and his founding of the Oxford & Cambridge Sailing Society.

Many thanks to Birmingham and Oakham School for providing the two additional flights of Fireflies, to the Race Officers, on-the-water race team, and umpires for their sterling work, and to Grafham Water Sailing Club for its excellent support. A full gallery of photographs is available on the CUCrC news website (www.cucrcalumni.org.uk/?p=532).

Overall Results: