Cadet Open supported by Exe Sails at Fishers Green Sailing Club
by Peter Collyer 5 Oct 2014 21:08 BST
4 October 2014
Six visitors joined a home fleet of 9 boats at Fishers Green Sailing Club for the penultimate Cadet open meeting of the year. The sun shone long enough for the sailors to get rigged and launched before the forecast rain and squalls arrived in time for the actual racing.
In Race 1 saw a close battle between newly-crowned Inland Champions 8352 Lainey/Cally Terkelsen (Stone SC), ex-Fisher's Green sailors 9964 Lucy Corby/Ollie Payne (King George's/Stone) and 8521 Archie Penn/Hazel Whittle (Waldringfield). Lucy and Ollie led for the first part of the race but as the squalls became more frequent so did the changes of position. Lainey and Cally challenged for the lead before capsizing uncharacteristically while sailing upwind, and by the finish Archie and Hazel had pulled through to take the win with Lainey and Cally 2nd and Lucy and Ollie 3rd. By this point the rain was heavy and the temperature had dropped, and this took its toll on the younger sailors, with a depleted fleet lining up for Race 2. This time Lucy and Ollie established a big lead during the first beat which they held until the finish. Lainey and Cally came through to finish 2nd again while Archie and Hazel battled all the way to finish with 9963 Aliya/Aqil Jannaty (South Cerney SC), the Waldringfield pair taking 3rd place by the smallest of margins.
Lunch ashore featured a warming curry produced by the club's legendary galley staff, and this set everyone up well for a cold, wet afternoon back on the water. Race 3 started with very little breeze, and while Archie and Hazel were unlucky to find themselves parked in a wind hole soon after the start, Lainey and Cally were first to ghost around the windward mark with Lucy and Ollie close behind. Next round were home boat 9317 Aaron Chadwick and Ayisa Burke, an impressive showing at the front of the fleet for this new pairing. Lucy and Ollie took the lead on the third reach and places changed behind them too when another home boat, 8377 James Hague and Rishi Goswami, moved through to third. As the wind died the pace slowed, but Lucy and Ollie made the best of the conditions to pull away and win by a huge margin. Lainey and Cally hung on to 2nd and Archie and Hazel produced a remarkable recovery to finish third, setting things up for a tense finale as all three boats were still in with a chance of winning the event. In the final race the competition for first place was once again played out between Lucy and Ollie, and Cally and Lainey, and on this occasion it was the Terkelsen's who pulled away on the last leg to win, with Archie and Hazel third again.
Overall the two race wins for Lucy and Ollie were enough to ensure that they won the event by a point from Lainey and Cally, with Archie and Hazel 3rd. Lainey and Cally were also awarded the Eastern Travellers' Trophy having also achieved podium places at the Waldringfield and Stone open meetings. Aliya and Aqil were 4th and James and Rishi took 5th and the cup for the first Fisher's Green boat. The trophies and great prizes supplied by Exe Sails were presented by the club's commodore, Kevin O'Brien, while competitors and parents enjoyed the excellent tea and cakes for which Fisher's Green has become renowned.
This warm welcome doesn't stop at the end of this open meeting either as Saturday Cadet sailing continues at the club into the autumn. New junior members are welcome at this perfect venue for newcomers to sailing. Find out more at www.fishersgreensc.org.uk/fgsc/index.php/2013-02-18-19-05-26/cadets.