Yachts and Yachting London Boat Show pursuit race 2007

A great mix of classes at the London Boat Show pursuit race 2007 © Magnus Smith

Winners of the London Boat Show pursuit race © Magnus Smith

Spectators line the bridge during the London Boat Show pursuit race © Magnus Smith

48 boats, 30 classes – you don’t often get such diverse racing. Especially not with the top sailors from a majority of classes. Certainly you wouldn’t expect all this at Royal Victoria Dock! This fantastic range of craft raced together on the last day of the London Boat Show, giving the public something more exciting to look at than the usual line of gin palaces.

2 Optimists started the pursuit race off, exchanging pleasantries up the first beat, shortly followed by the Cadets and Mirrors. There were some confused faces at the first mark, as a massive barge decided to practice manoeuvres in the race area. The narrow stretch of water could be considered wide, compared to many other reaches of the Thames where fleet racing thrives, but today’s competitors included classes more at home on open water, where there is room to choose their route downwind. The massive buildings on each shore certainly did not create favourable wind conditions for skiffs.

Whilst a few competitors grumbled about the crazy wind, most still came off the water smiling, pleased to have represented their class to their fellow sailors and the public. However, the unusual venue was excellent for spectators, normally somewhat of a rarity in this sport. The atmosphere on the footbridge, 4 storeys above the water, was very jolly. Friends and family watched the progress of their favourite boat with more ease than usual, and everyone seemed caught up in the fun. Cameras clicked constantly, and then the photographers would dash across to the other edge of the walkway, craning their heads over to see the boats appear on the other side in a bizarre form of ‘pooh sticks’.

Some spectator confusion was also evident as to the identity of the British Moth. Muttering was overheard, insisting a Moth would be 6 inches wide and up on foils...not made of wood with a very round bow!

By the second lap, the classes were well mixed at the windward mark, and the wind was increasing somewhat. There were massive cheers for the Tasar which capsized right under the footbridge. The crew had no trouble righting their boat quickly, and quipping, “All part of the demonstration!” They were not the only ones to get wet either.

First off the water was the 12ft Skiff, though not because they won. The crew made a gallant decision to retire for safety reasons – “We had to come in because we were dangerous!” The sailors did not fancy the chances of any boat that might be to leeward when a gust hit the skiff, especially not with young sailors on the water.

At the finish line, it was the Fireball which took the honours, closely followed by a National 12 and a Finn. The Fireball team had a snapped trapeze wire to deal with towards the end of the race, and mentioned how much hard work it was to keep ahead of the 12s, but the day was also summed up as, “good boat handling practice.”

The National 12s managed 2nd and 4th, so scooped the team prize. With the team comprised of a brother and sister in different boats, it was clear that sibling rivalry had been put aside for the day (however, there was apparently some match racing between the Albacores).

Following these classes to the slipway was the rare sight of an A Class catamaran. Last to start, this helm ‘scythed’ his way through the competition, being able to tack faster than most cats (due to the daggerboard arrangement), and not suffering in the narrow water as much as might have been expected.

The prizes were presented by Yachts and Yachting managing director John Heyes, who also competed, thankfully unaffected by repeated knocks on the head, due to his knee. This odd cause-and-effect came about from being unable to bend down enough to get under his Finn’s low boom.

Yachts and Yachting would like to thank all competitors for being part of this special event, and to the race management team from Hayling Island SC.

Additional comment from Yachts and Yachting managing director John Heyes:

As the competition grows so does the pressure on the handicapping system and Race Officer Paul Carpenter spent considerable time reviewing and adjusting the handicaps to suit the very individual nature of the venue. As single-handed monohulls had won the last two years, some double-handed and asymmetric classes were given assistance to reduce their problems of sailing on a highly shifty and gusty venue. As Dave Hall sailing a 29er commented, “It’s hard enough trying to follow the wind here with one sail, let alone three!” There was some discussion as to why the Fireball had been given 2 minutes, but seeing that they won by over 4 minutes the result seems justified.

As it was the results proved a very fair split of the classes, on what was not an ideal course for asymmetric boats. With 5 different boats in the top 6, the local handicap worked well and will be refined further in the light of this year’s race. However, over-zealous class officials should remember that every dog will have it’s day, and that handicap race results will always depend on wind strength and direction, as well as the ability of the sailors.

There was some confusion with results as officials raced to get them out in time for the prize-giving ceremony in the Sky Sports Cinema, hosted by BBC TV weather girl Alina Jenkins. A group of 5 or so boats finished incorrectly, cutting across to the finish line before they had completed their final lap. These boats were initially recorded as finishing in the top ten, but the final results saw them allotted positions between 19th and 25th. The correction did not affect the trophies, with the first under 16 helm being James Briggs in a Hobie 405.

Everyone seemed to enjoy the event and the buzz on the water was great, with hardly any collisions and few hails of “Starboard”. Feedback has been strong, with requests for a burger van at the watersports centre and demands for a dockside commentary to keep the crowds of supporters informed. All these ideas will be worked into next year’s race, which with hopefully increased support from National Boat Shows can help make the race an even bigger feature of the London Boat Show, attracting many more racing sailors who presently feel there is little to interest them.

Class associations should also remember that the Yachts & Yachting Pursuit Race is a great opportunity to show and promote their boats to possibly the biggest dinghy spectator race in Europe, and that the venue (in between numerous large buildings), and the shore-side facilities, are not the reason for the location of the event! The great advantage of ExCel is the water just outside the hall, which should be busy every day of the show with races and demonstrations. It seems crazy that the organisers do not use the viewing gallery overlooking the dock more to show visitors what is going on the water. Whilst all the glistening hulls on display in the North and South halls may look great inside, they make a whole lot more sense on the water!

Finally the answer as to who were the top classes on the day, using the combined score of the two boats in each class; top dogs were the National 12s with 6 points, sailed almost exclusively by the Gifford family and the recent editor of Rowing & Regatta magazine, Sophie Mackley. Antony Gifford told me the 12s had instigated a great new tradition that it was the Chairman’s duty to sail the Pursuit Race on behalf of the class… other classes take note!

Second were the Finns, and third the Albacore class, who gave us an amazing match race between Mary and Jeremy Rook who held the upper hand for most of the race before just loosing out to Chris Turner and James Wallace at the finish. These two were never more than a couple of lengths apart for the entire race. The Enterprises were next, scoring a fifth and ninth overall. Will your class be up there next year?!

Overall Results: