Fulfords Champagne Challenge at Exe Sailing Club
by Mike Saunders/Mike Rice 22 Sep 2004 16:40 BST
18 September 2004
40 YACHTS FINISH “THE FULFORDS CHALLENGE” DESPITE LIVELY WEATHER
Such is the popularity of the Exe Sailing Club’s annual Fulfords Champagne Challenge yacht race from Exmouth to Brixham that this year (the twelfth year of the event) it attracted a record entry of 74 yachts, making it the largest sailing event of its kind in the South West yachting calendar.
The predicted gale for last Saturday (18 September) failed to materialise but, the inclement weather had an impact on the day as only 46 of the more intrepid yachts actually started the race.
The wide range of yachts participating was emphasised by the fact the fastest yacht sailed the course in 2 hours and 51 minutes and the slowest in 5 hours 14 minutes!
When the final results were computed, the X-79 Xanthippe skippered by Exmouth’s Chris Rhodes was declared the overall winner of the Fulfords Challenge Cup just 28 seconds ahead of Colin Leach’s Red Fox. Ian and Shirley Watson, sailing Exe-Press, were winners of class 2 and were awarded the Fulfords Champagne Trophy
The fleet assembled in Brixham with numerous stories and tales and the sun emerged to put everyone in good spirits for the evening reception hosted by Brixham Yacht Club and, the highlight of the day, the Champagne Reception sponsored by Fulfords Estate Agents, was followed by the prizegiving and an excellent meal.
Overall Results:
| Pos | Boat Type | Boat Name | Helm | Club |
|---|
| 1st | X-79 | Xanthippe | Chris Rhodes | Exe SC |
| 2nd | RF 290 | Red Fox | Colin Leach | Exe SC |
| 3rd | Fulmar 32 | Mew Gull | Neal Ricketts | Topsham SC |
| 4th | Laser 28 | Silk Purse | Ivan Wilkinson | Exe SC |
| 5th | Moody 31 | Mood Indigo | Mike Searle | Topsham SC |