Cadet Peter Scott Trophy at Rutland Sailing Club
by Peter Collyer 7 Apr 2015 09:25 BST
1-4 April 2015
The UK Cadet Class spent the first part of the Easter break at Rutland Water rounding off the winter training programme and beginning the new season of racing. On Wednesday the training squads were treated to a cold, windy day, perfect for honing heavy weather techniques and (for most) getting in some swimming practice too. The lighter wind on Thursday allowed the sailors to save some energy before racing for the Peter Scott Trophy (also the first World Team Selector Event of the year) began on Friday.
Friday morning dawned with grey skies and a light wind and the Race Officer laid a course just off the clubhouse. Race 1 featured several general recalls under the black flag which claimed a number of notable victims including three Nation Squad boats. When the fleet finally got away cleanly it was 9020 Anna Morgan/Jemima Hill (Frensham Pond) who hit the front at the first mark, a lead they held through to the end of the race. Behind them the newest boat in the fleet, 9985 Jamie/Bettine Harris (Bristol Corinthian), came through to take 2nd with Waldringfield's 8514 Ed Harris/Anna Wootton 3rd.
Race 2 also featured the appearance of the black flag, and on this occasion it took a further 9 victims. While these sailed in for an early lunch the depleted fleet competed in increasingly shifty conditions, and it was 9877 Daisy/Hamish Collingridge who opened their account with a win from fellow Waldringfield sailors 9876 Elle Wootton/Kate White, with 9635 Louis Mellor/Antonia Wilkinson (Frensham Pond) 3rd.
After the lunch break launching for Race 3 was delayed while the dropping wind shifted East and settled, and it was still fluctuating when the race finally got underway, causing an abandonment at the windward mark. The breeze held for the second attempt and it was Inland Champions 8352 Lainey and Cally Terkelsen (Stone) who worked through the fleet to take the win while Ellie and Kate scored another excellent 2nd place with Anna and Jemima taking 3rd to secure the overall lead at the end of Day one.
Day two began with a much better breeze, a steady F3 blowing straight down the reservoir, and the race officer moved the course to the open water off Normanton Church. In Race 4 Daisy and Hamish once again emerged in the lead at the first mark while behind them a group of front-runners from Day 1 including Jamie/Bettine, Ed/Anna and Louis/Antonia were joined in battle by 8846 Tom Collyer/Cara Bland (Aldenham/Waldringfield). As the race progressed Tom and Cara broke free of this group to challenge for the lead and a great tussle ensued with Daisy and Hamish just holding on to the win with Tom and Cara close behind and Jamie and Bettine 3rd.
Race 5 followed immediately and provided Daisy and Hamish with the opportunity to stamp their authority on the event, escaping the pack once more and running away to a convincing win with 9964 Lucy Corby/Ollie Payne (King George) taking 2nd place in hot pursuit. Another tight battle for third was won by Tom and Cara while Harry and Faye Chatterton confirmed their potential by scoring their second 4th place of the event.
After lunch ashore the fleet returned to the water for the final race to be met by a much lighter breeze. Tom and Cara made the best use of the shifts on the first beat and emerged at the windward mark with a huge lead. Daisy and Hamish were next round, also with a big gap behind them, while the main fleet began to struggle with the dying breeze. Tom and Cara continued to sail away and ghosted across the line to win after an hour's sailing. Daisy and Hamish hung on to 2nd place but behind them the remaining boats ran out of wind on the run in to the line. As the pack was shuffled it was Louis and Antonia who took 3rd with Ed and Anna 4th.
Having scored a race win on the first day and two on the second Daisy and Hamish Collingridge won the Peter Scott Trophy overall by 13 points. This marked an impressive return to the Cadet Class for Daisy, who had spent the winter training with the RYA Laser Radial Transitional Squad. Jamie and Bettine Harris sealed 2nd place overall with consistent sailing all weekend and Anna Morgan and Jemima Hill were 3rd, just reward for their excellent sailing on the first day.
In the Silver Fleet Aaron Chadwick and Ayisha Burke (Fisher's Green) won, having spent most of the weekend jostling for position in the front group of boats and finishing in the top ten twice. Katie Spark and Connor Line (Waldringfield) were 2nd and Ben Barr and Josh Bennett were 3rd.
In the Bronze Fleet race winning honours were shared between 4 boats, but bullets in races 1, 5 and 6 sealed the overall prize for Charlotte Videlo and Kate Yelland (Frensham Pond) with Rosie Targett and George Colquitt (Frensham/West Kirby) 2nd and Rebecca Videlo crewed by Oscar Ferenczy (Frensham)3rd.
Full results can be found here.
A number of protests meant that the prize-giving (and Daisy's winner's speech) has been postponed until the next World Team selector event, the Alf Simmonds Memorial Trophy at Brightlingsea on 2nd/3rd May.
Before then the class has open meetings to look forward to: Fisher's Green on 19th April and Frensham Pond on 25th April. For details of these and other Cadet Class events go to www.cadetclass.org.uk