Royal Burnham Yacht Club Payne-James Icicle Race 2013

by Phillip Harbott 1 Jan 2013 20:04 GMT 1 January 2013

The annual New Year's Day race from the Royal Burnham Yacht Club took place today, in bright sunshine and a fresh westerly wind on a flood tide. The course took the four IRC yachts up and down the river in front of the Club. They had an upriver windward start to Number 11 before running downwind to Number 1, and then Number 13, Number 3, Number 13 before being shortened by Commodore and Race Officer Chris Slatter.

Just Is got a flying start tucked up on the North Shore under the club, making the most of the biased line, and on starboard. The other three started on the South Shore on the leading tack. Just Is crossed well clear of the fleet, and rounded Number 11 first, with Quencher helmed by Ian Gray, owned by Roger Noble second, Duncan Haley's Double Trouble third, and Phillip and Sally Harbott's, Aphrodite 101, Mantra fourth.

Just Is tacked down wind with their large pink kite up, but the crew of Double Trouble looked on as Quencher's spinnaker went up sideways. They dropped quickly to correct their error, but Double Trouble the other SJ320 which rates slightly higher had capitalised on this error and got through them. However, Quencher were not in third on the water for long, as they kept in the very shallow water on the North Shore, as opposed to Double Trouble who gybed down the river in more tide towards the middle of the river.

As the race progressed, Just Is owned by Frank Curtis and Carole Pickett, a J 95, stretched ahead of the lower rated fleet, and at the finish, the crew were acutely aware of how close it could be as they hovered on the line to time in Quencher. Quencher finished just over two minutes behind, with Double Trouble close on their heels. Mantra, who were short of crew and so didn't fly her kite in the gusty conditions, came in fourth.

At prize giving in the Royal Burnham Yacht Club, Commodore Chris Slatter warmly welcomed the visitors from the Crouch Yacht Club who had raced and announced the results. On corrected time, in fourth position was Mantra, Phillip and Sally Harbott, third was Double Trouble, Duncan Haley, second was Quencher, owned by Roger Noble and sailed by Ian Gray, with Frank Curtis and Carole Pickett from Just Is winning the Payne James Icicle Trophy.