Bottle Boat Championship at Waldringfield Sailing Club
by Roger Stollery 25 Sep 2016 16:59 BST
11 September 2016
This radio sailing event is unusual because it is run on a tidal river and is sponsored by 'Gone Sailing - personalised mugs from the coast'. Competitors enjoyed the extra challenge of the tide which adds to the fun and provides a fantastic spectacle for family supporters and friends directly in front of the Waldringfield Sailing Club. The fleet of 14 included two juniors, one disabled entry and even an entry from California! It was sailed in a very relaxed atmosphere in absolutely perfect conditions apart from the start of the event where there was no wind. A gentle sea breeze soon came in to give some really good racing and 16 races were sailed.
The scene
The beautiful river Deben was bathed in warm sunshine with a 3-8 mph SE breeze, initially against the end of the ebb tide, but in the afternoon giving a beat against the flood tide. The 120 metre beat and run course was parallel to the shore in front of the clubhouse, which gave the opportunity for these colourful one designs to use the tide in the strategy for each race sometimes sharing the middle of the river with the big yachts that were cruising by.
The morning racing
At the briefing there was no wind and the start of racing was delayed. This didn't seem to matter to competitors as they relaxed in the sunshine chatting to their fellow competitors and even discussing technical matters of tuning up their BOTTLE boat to get them sailing well! When a sea gentle breeze blew up, racing got under way with a running start against the tide.
Initially it looked as if the event would be dominated by the Fish family with John winning the first race, but then letting his son, Lark sailor Chris win Race 2. Reigning champion, Rob Vice won the Races 3 and 5, whilst Alan Viney took Races 4 and 6. Bernard Kufluk who had a bad start with technical problems had been very consistent and finally made it to the top in Race 7.The lunchtime leaderboard was headed by Rob with 15, Bernard with 29 and Noel Fraser and Alan tied with 33.
The barbecue
A relaxed lunch was enjoyed by the competitors and their families thanks to the efforts of Mick and Margaret Lake and Jo McArdle.
The afternoon racing
As the tide had turned, the pace of racing slowed slightly as it took longer to beat against the tide. Although being chased hard by Oliver Stollery, Alan, Noel, Chris and Bernard in Races 8 to 13, Rob dominated the results with 6 straight wins. Wayfarer dinghy expert, Mike Pert won Race 14 after a string of consistent races and Marblehead sailor Alan won the final 2 races. It was good to see the youngest competitors really enjoying the event, competing in all of the races and improving their skills by the end of the day. Lady skipper, Dot Fraser excelled herself and took the prize for the best improver finishing 8th, 4 places above last year's result.
The prize giving
The two Championship trophies and the prizes, in the form of special mugs with a BOTTLE boat image, sponsored by 'Gone Sailing' and made in Waldringfield were presented by the scorer, Sarah Stollery. PRO Roger Stollery thanked Margaret Lake, the barbecue team and all those who helped to make this event successful, including John Smith who was afloat during event for boat rescue and mark moving where necessary. Rob thanked the organisers for making such a good job of this very special event.
Overall Results:
1st Rob Vice Guildford 24pts
2nd Bernard Kufluk WSC 40pts
3rd Alan Viney Guildford 46pts
4th Mike Pert WSC 48pts
5th Chris Fish WSC 55pts
6th Noel Fraser WSC 59pts
7th Oliver Stollery Guildford 85pts (Junior Champion)
8th Dot Fraser WSC 87pts (Best Improver)
9th Simon Kernthaler London 106pts
10th Bob Stroud San Francisco 116pts
11th John Fish WSC 120pts
12th Matthew Lake WSC 135pts
13th Henry Kernthaler London 138pts (Junior)
14th Richard Hopkins WSC 189pts