EAORA Janes Cup & Thames Estuary Races

Tony and Chuffy Merewether with the Thames Estuary Shield © Tony Cross

The second back to back EAORA weekend of the 2012 season was a return trip from Burnham on Crouch to the Medway, racing for Medway Yacht Club’s Jane’s Cup and the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club’s Thames Estuary Shield.

Jane’s Cup (Saturday 2nd June) by Tim Cross

Early fears about a shortage of breeze for the Jane’s Cup were soon allayed by a brisk wind from the ENE on the Saturday morning, sufficient for the race committee to set the longer of the two courses, despite the large amount of foul tide to be encountered. Two class 3 vessels new to EAORA, Stephen Hendry’s Sigma 33 Scorcher and Bob Stevens’ Dehler 34 Valkyrie, led the fleet on the wind away from the Branklet buoy and out of the Crouch.

Class 2 was away next, Tony & Chuffy Merewether’s Sunfast 3200 Amazon making an immediate move for the north shore and putting clear air between themselves and the chasing pack almost at once.

With a strong flood tide slowing progress out of the river, Class 1 were soon amongst the earlier starters and the top rated boat, Angus Bates’ J133 Assarain IV was the first around Whitaker, the weather mark.

From Whitaker it was off the wind down the Maplin channel and into the Thames Estuary. The angle was hotter than many expected and reaching kites and even code zeros were used. The tide had turned as most of the fleet approached the Whitaker and yachts were once again facing foul tide.

Once into the Estuary, kites came down at Blacktail spit for a fetch south to the Oaze Buoy with Assarain, Amazon and Inn Spirit all rounding the mark within one boat length of each other. Gybing at the Oaze, running spinnakers were set to charge back to the Essex side of the Estuary with the breeze now slightly south of east and strengthening somewhat.

Several vessels opted for smaller headsails upon rounding the South Shoebury and coming back onto the wind and heading back towards Kent to the East Cant buoy. The wind over the strengthening ebb tide was starting to throw up a decent sea by this point.

Another deep spinnaker leg followed across the Cant shallows and into the Medway, with the asymmetric boats gybing out into the tide, by the time the leaders approached Garrison Point Amazon was back at the front of the fleet. As if crews had not already been tested enough by repeated sail changes, the twisted nature of the Medway presented a further challenge with several gybes in restricted water required.

After crossing the finishing line at Medway 19 with Mike Wallis’ Another Diamond as committee boat, all yachts headed for mooring buoys off the Medway Yacht Club. In true Jubilee spirit a “Best Dressed Yacht” competition was held - deservedly won by Inn Spirit - and followed up by an excellent meal ashore.

At the prizegiving in the evening, Scorcher won Class 3, Inn Spirit won Class 1 and was second overall EAORA Chairman Tony Merewether took his second overall win of the year winning the Janes Cup as well as a win in Class 2. Fay J was third overall.

Thames Estuary Shield (Sunday 3rd June) by Tony Merewether

After a good evening in the Medway Yacht Club the crews had a sleepless night on the moorings with torrential rain and gale force winds, with the wind passing through by dawn and the rain now down to a fine drizzle. With a force 7 in the forecast from the east backing north east and memories of the 40 knot north easterly beat from two years ago, two boats stayed on their mooring and the rest of the fleet went to the start line in trepidation. In the end the force 7 never materialised and apart from the cold and constant drizzle and poor visibility the wind topped out at about 22 knots which was still a lumpy ride to windward, but all those who started finished.

The foul tide out of the river and along the Cant shallows was in poor visibility and lighter winds with the coast line shrouded in low clouds. Stephen Hendry’s Sigma 33 Scorcher led the fleet out of the river with Tony and Chuffy Merewether’s Sunfast 3200 Amazon leading class two and passing Scorcher at Garrison Point with Angus Bates’ J133 Assarain IV leading class one and showing the way to the North Oaze buoy. At the buoy Assarain IV was followed closely by Amazon and then Alan Bartlett’s Inn Spirit who were the only two boats to fly asyemtrics on this off-wind leg.

From the South Shoebury buoy the tide was still foul for the first hour of the beat up the Maplin, turning fair for the leaders at Blacktail Spit, followed by a fetch to North East Maplin and then back on the wind to the Whitaker, about 16 miles in total. Assarain IV was first round the Whitaker followed by Inn Spirit with Amazon still close behind. From here it was a long spinnaker run with gybes to keep out of the tide all the way to the finish at the Royal Corinthian line against a weakening foul tide. For the back of the fleet the wind went more northerly at the finish so that Fay J and Scorcher finished under headsails.

With everyone back in the dry and warmth of the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club there was a short prizegiving with Scorcher winning Class 3, Inn Spirit winning Class 1 and second overall and Tony and Chuffy Merewether’s Amazon winning Class 2 and the overall Thames Estuary Shield. Assarain IV was third overall.

The Nore Command team trophy for the two races over the weekend was won by the Crouch Yacht Club with Amazon, Inn Spirit and Fay J.

Full results of both races can be found on www.eaora.org.uk