Firefly Craftinsure Vines Trophy at Thames Sailing Club
by Rob Cage 22 May 2006 20:47 BST
20 May 2006
Action from the Firefly Craftinsure Vines Trophy at Thames Sailing Club © Jason Mullins
The first dinghy Open meeting at Thames SC for 20 years saw 18 Fireflies come to the start line on day 1 of the Craftinsure Vines Trophy Travellers event, shared with Tamesis Club.
20 mph gusts and the more usual holes in the wind greeted the fleet as they
came to the start line for the first race. A perfect start by National
Firefly Champion Tony Gunstone and Lucie Hopkins saw them clear, as the rest of the fleet
fought with the testing conditions, and each other, over 4 laps.
By race 2 the strong breeze had got the better of some of the home boats. A
couple of really vicious gusts also tested the boat handling of some of the
best Freddy sailors in the country. Barney Smith and Emma Pettit, from Hamble River
SC, held off Gunstone to take the win in an exhibition of small boat skills
not seen on the river for some years.
The last race showed no let up in the competitors enthusiasm for the start
line, and only 5 boats were behind the line when the gun went.
A general recall saw a more orderly start and again Gunstone took an early
lead. Local Thames SC Firefly, F18, a fully restored 1946 built Freddy
sailed by Rob and daughter Georgina Cage, took to the front downwind. Tony
retook the lead by the gun and with it secured the event.
Craftinsure provided the prizes for the main open, the first day of a series of five Craftinsure Vines Trophy Open Weekends taking place during 2006.
Following the main event there was a feeder race from Thames SC to Tamesis Club - a first for both the Fireflies and Thames SC - in preparation for the Craftinsure
Tamesis Open on Sunday.
Taking local advice, Simon Spolton and Daisy Tennant Thames in F1853 took
the gun from AnTony Gunstone and Lucie Hopkins after Antony's steed (his boat) was seen to refuse at the first jump (bridge!). Stella provided the prizes for this race with the crate being rapidly consumed by some very thirsty sailors.
Overall Results:
1st 3747 Tony Gunstone & Lucie Hopkins (Castaways)
2nd 3023 Barney Smith & Emma Pettit (Hamble River Sailing Club)
3rd 3841 Ian Sanderson & Sally Wakefield (Royal Lymington YC)
4th 18 Rob and Georgina Cage (Thames Sailing Club)