Crewsaver 2000 Millenium Series at Broadstairs Sailing Club

Dave Adams and Richard Thomas win the Broadstairs SC 2000 Open © Broadstairs SC

Matt, Gwen, Johnny and Clare Sargent, 2nd overall at the Broadstairs SC 2000 Open © Broadstairs SC

Anthony Payne and Deborah Thomas, 3rd overall at the Broadstairs SC 2000 Open © Broadstairs SC

Fun for all the family!

The Crewsaver 2000 Millenium Series Event at Broadstairs SC 2-3 May 2015 was a full on family affair with a son and his mother in 1st and 3rd, a whole family in racing in the 2nd place boat, and father and son combinations in 5th and 8th. Despite an even worse than usual May Bank Holiday forecast ten boats made the trip. There was even a brief shaft of sunlight during Saturday's launch and Sunday's forecast F5 to F8 failed to arrive.

This report comes with extra colour from Gwen (9) and Johnny (7) Sargent - Saturday's crews in the second placed boat.

Visiting competitors followed the Broadstairs boats out into a F4 Easterly breeze which had built up a decent swell, with the tide running South to North across the course. The Race Officer had threatened 4 races due to the frankly disgusting forecast for Sunday.

Gwen: "We had lovely rolls from the galley for lunch before we launched but a huge seagull swooped down and stole mine out of my hand as I was about to bite into it. Daddy said I had to eat Mummy's roll because I needed enough energy for 4 races".

Off a square line Dave Adams and Richard Thomas tacked to port first and led to the windward mark on a tidally dominated beat, leading on a short starboard lay line from Matt and Gwen Sargent. James and Jenny McGregor rounded out the top three. Gwen: "It was incredibly fun riding the waves – usually Daddy takes the spinnaker sheet but when I asked him to he said he was a bit busy with the mainsheet and rudder because of the waves". On the run Dave and Richard sailed fast and high while the superlight Sargents (not a phrase you often hear) went deeper. All gains and losses were even at the leeward mark but gradually Dave and Richard pulled away upwind to win a 3 lap race from Matt and Gwen, with James and Jenny winning their battle with Anthony Payne and Deborah Thomas for third.

Race two was very much a repeat of race one with Anthony and Deborah taking third from a charging Tim and Pierce Seward, the McGregors slipping to fifth. A strange wave set made the drop and leeward mark rounding challenging and a few capsizes resulted.

Johnny: "It was fun bouncing out on waves rushing on the RIB to changeover with Gwen. Sadly we didn't arrive until there was just 1 min 23 secs to the start so Gwen did another race".

Race three: Matt and Gwen may have been distracted by the near arrival of the substitute crew and made less of the start on the now biased line. Tacking and ducking Ian and Paul Patrick they found themselves back in the hunt behind Dave and Richard again. The breeze was now a solid F5 at the windward mark. Gwen: "Dave capsized on the first run and we got ahead of him but he got back ahead of us when we had our worst leeward mark rounding of the day". The race was shortened after 2 laps. First Dave and Richard, second Matt and Gwen, third Anthony and Deborah.

Gwen: "It was really jerky waiting on the Committee Boat after racing and I only managed one of the two chocolate digestives the Race Officer gave me because I felt a little queasy. It must be hard to spend hours on there".

Johnny: "When I got aboard Zoomy Daddy said not to worry about the result because if we did worse it was just because he was getting very tired. Then he gave us a bad start which made the race hard". Dave and Richard dominated the favoured pin end and led to the windward mark again from Anthony and Deborah, then James and Jenny. Johnny: "At the first mark we were fourth. We caught up on them. I hiked very hard on the beat. When we tacked onto starboard James and Jenny had to tack too. Daddy asked me to hike harder than I had ever hiked before". Matt and Johnny slipped into third at the second windward mark and positions remained unchanged on the run with the Patricks consistent again in fifth.

Gwen: "The people in the kitchen worked hard to produce good stuff. We enjoyed the view". Johnny: "Our family enjoyed the food". The fleet were well refreshed Saturday evening with a tasty curry and some excellent Kentish beer.

Gwen: "Sunday was windier than Saturday and soooo wavy. It was nice for Mummy to race in her first open meeting since the Nationals". Sunday could only be described as grim: heavy drizzle, a leftover swell from the East across the wind and broken up into lumps by reflection off the sea wall under the cliffs, and beats lengthened by a rushing tide. Only 3 boats fancied a race including the Sargents enabled by another crew swap with Mummy Clare taking over from a very tired (but willing) Gwen. Once afloat conditions were challenging but fun: surfing in towards the cliff on port tack upwind was not to be missed. Judging laylines proved critical and kept the race close with first Dave and Richard and then Matt and Clare over or under standing. As shortened course flew and Dave and Richard took a wide rounding the Sargents sensed an opportunity and hung on with a late drop. Dave stumbled on his tack for the line and the Sargents hiked hard to gain a controlling position on his hip, tacking to take the win with a few seconds lead.

Anthony and Deborah retired shortly after the start of the last race leaving a two horse race. Dave and Richard led in to the weaker tide inshore and to the leeward mark. However on the beat to the start finish gate Matt and Clare found an extra gear and got in front, holding the lead to the finish despite an adhoc attempt to fish with the spinnaker on the second run.

A terrific start to the Crewsaver 2000 Millenium Series with a wonderful welcome from Broadstairs SC.

Overall Results: