Harken 29er Grand Prix Round 2 at Datchet Water Sailing Club

Harken 29er Grand Prix 1 at Datchet Water © Jo Harris

Harken 29er Grand Prix 1 at Datchet Water © Jo Harris

The 42 entries for the Harken GP2 arrived at Datchet for the two day Harken Grand Prix on Saturday, 14th October to find the tide has gone out. The high sides of the reservoir walls made conditions unpredictable and it was a game of snakes and ladders for the sailors. Ian Bullock and his team did a great job to get the racing completed in double quick time.

Saturday began with 5-8 knots for the first two races, where the left side of the course was dominated by the front runners, despite having to sail through a Laser course and a couple of the reservoir's added features. The final two races had glimpses of heavier winds at times, but the average wind speed remained light. Henry Jameson and Toby Atherton led overnight with Freya and Millie just 4 points behind. With every boat counting at least one big score, there was still a chance for big changes on the leaderboards for the second day.

Sunday was expected to bring heavier winds of 10-20 knots, yet the sailors had to wait almost an hour of postponement for the wind to fill. When the wind was steady enough, the first race began in well under 10 knots, but by the third downwind on the same race the boats were planing through gusts of up to 15 knots at times.

Henry Jameson and Toby Atherton mastered the conditions and aside from an 11th in race 2 finished in the top 3 in the other 7 races to take the win by a significant margin. Freya Black and Mille Aldridge took second place (and first ladies), with James Hammett and Piers Nicholls taking 3rd overall. First Juniors were Pierce Harris and Alfie Cogger in 5th, while top mixed pair were Iain Bird and Anna Rowe in 7th.

Overall Results: