Zhik Cadet Class 2nd World Qualifier at Brightlingsea Sailing Club
by Neil Collingridge 6 May 2015 09:21 BST
2-3 May 2015
Brightlingsea Cadet open prize winners © Peter Collyer
47 International Cadet Class dinghies gathered in Essex to compete for the Alf Simmonds Memorial Trophy over the first May Bank Holiday weekend.
For some of the 94 sailors the challenge was about mastering the elements which the North Sea served up over a blustery weekend where at times the temperature belied the fact that we are now into May. For others the chance was there to stake a claim for a coveted place in the 7 strong British Team for the World Championships in Riva Del Garda in August. Whichever it was the challenge was great and there were many adults marvelling at the considerable efforts and courage being shown, not to say the standard of racing which surely augers well for the Summer.
On Saturday the fleet set out off Brightlingsea Creek into a force 4 easterly to sail above the Mersea Flats where the Race Committee sought some tidal shelter. Race 1 got under way with Jamie and Bettine Harris leading from Jamie and Lily Tointon with Lucy Corby and Oliver Payne in pursuit. Ed Harris and Anna Wootten were quick to pull through though and opened a lead to the finish followed by Tointon and Corby. The 7 strong Bronze fleet sailing one less lap coped admirably and Charlotte Videlo and Katie Yelland won from Lia Fletcher and Frannie Mann.
After a bit of a wait whilst the course was reset and with the tide now firmly on the ebb, Race 2 got under way with the Tointons again showing well chased this time by Daisy and Hamish Collingridge and Tom Collyer and Cara Bland. By the end of the second beat Collyer and Bland had pulled well ahead of the fleet with the Collingridges in second and Tointons again holding third to the finish. In the bronze fleet the other Videlo, Rebecca came out on top crewed by Oscar Ferenczy with Phoebe Bradshaw and Geoge Colquitt in second.
By the time the third race got underway there were some tired sailors but they coped well with events as the race had to be abandoned after one lap as boats ran aground at the leeward mark as the tide had gone out too far. For the record, Ryan Wilkinson and Hamish Taylor had port tacked the entire fleet and Scarlett Anderson and Amy Shepard were leading from Hattie Collingridge and Daisy Nunn at the point of abandonment, hopefully not affecting the qualification places for the Worlds team. With a race committee unable to retrieve the pin end from the now extremely shallow Mersea Flats sailing was abandoned for the day with an ambitious plan to try to sail 4 races on Sunday.
Sunday indeed dawned grey and windy and with the wind having shifted south and threatening to go further to the right as the anticipated front came through. Race 3 got under way with Anderson and Shepard heading right to start as they had finished the abandoned race with a big lead. This time Aliya and Aqil Jannaty were showing well with Collyer and Bland also in pursuit. These three finished in that order to start to shuffle the pack from the positions at the end of Day 1. Rebecca Videlo and Oscar Ferenczy again took the win in Bronze ahead of Freddie Pitcher and Nick Matthews.
By now the wind was starting to build to a good force 4 gusting 5 and there was quite a wait as the breeze continued to move right and the tide began to ease ahead of the ebb. After a general recall the Black Flag made an appearance and caught a number of sailors out on a heavily committee boat biased line. The Tointons lead at the top but were overhauled by Collyer and Bland who extended to a big lead as the breeze continued to strengthed. Third, and starting a good string of second day-results, were Archie Penn and Hazel Whittle. Bronze saw Rebecca Videlo and Ferenczy win their third in a row ahead of Ellie and Jessica Watling.
After another delay, and with the tide ebbing hard, Race 5 got under way and Penn and Whittle establishing a good lead by playing left of the middle as most of the fleet headed right. Lainey and Cally Terkelsen chased hard in second with Anderson and Shepard third but Penn and Whittle pulled out a huge lead to take the win. Collyer and Bland past Anderson and Shepard on the last run to take third at the finish and looked well placed to take the meeting. In bronze Lia Fletcher and Frannie Mann established a monster lead, so much so that a course change allowed the chasers to unfairly overtake. It was good to see a request for redress being made to reinstate Fletcher and Mann for the win alongside Bradshaw and Colquitt.
So after over 5 hours afloat and with a breeze strengthening again to a solid force 5, Race 6 got underway in boisterous wind over tide conditions which claimed many a casualty. Collyer and Bland showed utter mastery of the conditions to take a big third win. The final run in maybe 30 knots of breeze saw them launch the kite only to bag it again. The next three boats thought better of it with Penn and Whittle taking second ahead of Harris and Wootten but then carnage ensued as the chasing pack started hoisting with many, though not all, taking a swim. Special mention to the three finishers in Bronze - Rebecca Videlo and Ferenczy winning again ahead of Bradshaw and Colquitt and the Watlings in third. All the young sailors had much to be proud of as they headed home to the relative calm of Brightlingsea Creek.
Prizegiving followed with very generous prizes from Zhik. Tom Collyer and Cara Bland had won by a good margin from Archie Penn and Hazel Whittle with Scarlet Anderson and Amy Shepard in third. First in Silver fleet were Katie Spark and Connor Line in 20th overall. Bronze fleet was won convincingly by Rebecca Videlo and Ferenczy from the Watlings. The loudest cheer of the day though was reserved for Michael McNamara who retired at the end of this winter as UK National Cadet Class Coach after 20 years of tremendous service. He had spent the day watching with considerable pride the racing from a rib and was presented with a special trophy in recognition of the huge debt the class and all its young sailors old and new owe him. The Cadet Class enjoyed its first visit to Brightlingsea SC and gave a big thankyou to the Club and its many members who made the event a big success. I'm sure we will be back.
Next up is the final qualifier in Weymouth at the end of May where places for the Worlds team will be settled - as we've seen from the past; it's never over till it's over and some more tight competitive racing is assured at the 2012 Olympic venue.
Full results can be found here.