Spinlock Phantom Grand Prix at Creeksea Sailing Club

Spinlock Phantom Grand Prix at Creeksea © Alan Shrimplin

Spinlock Phantom Grand Prix at Creeksea © Alan Shrimplin

This year the ever popular Creeksea Sailing Club Phantom Open meeting was elevated to the status of a Grand Prix event and as a consequence attracted a good entry of 21 boats from a wide range of clubs both in the East and the Midlands.

The fact that several competitors were celebrating birthdays over the weekend meant that the usual corral of motor homes and tents was well established by Friday evening and the ensuing BBQ and revelling resulted in one or two sore heads the next day.

Edwin Buckley and his race team were as ever on hand to run the racing and a prompt start was planned for Saturday with three races schedules on what looked like being the best day of the weekend.

Starting promptly on time almost bang on High Water the fleet were sent upriver to explore the myriad racing marks that are available in this part of the River Crouch. Will Gulliver, despite initial reservations about lacking local knowledge, was out of the start like a proverbial hare and seemed to have the course sorted by short tacking up the south bank to lead the fleet around the course.

Holding his lead to the end Gulliver was followed home by fellow club mate Ian Sullivan, whilst Matt House took third seemingly operating on auto after a heavy night celebrating his birthday.

After an impressive buffet lunch in the "pop up club" the sailors were faced with an ebbing tide and a similar up river course. By now the breeze had started to swing a little and whilst a port tack fetch looked like an easy starting option it was inevitable that the class's maverick starter Ian Sullivan would make a point by starting on starboard to cause maximum consternation at the outer distance mark. Thankfully the carnage many feared didn't materialise and the fleet got away in relatively good order. The revised course caught out a few but John Wayling mastered both the navigation and boat speed to take the gun ahead of Gulliver and House.

Further down the fleet Sullivan held fourth and close racing saw former champion Paul Church finding pace in a modern epoxy boat and class chairman Ian "Windy" Miller maintaining his increasing consistency.

The third race was held back-to-back after a slight tweak of the start line to accommodate both the swinging breeze and the diminished water. Now that the course was becoming familiar the fleet was more compressed going in to the first mark and the racing remained tight throughout the fleet. Places could however be gained at times with Sullivan rescuing a poor start by opting for a middle of the river course benefiting from a clear breeze to pull through to contest the lead and pull through to a memorable win. Followed home by team mates Wayling and Gulliver the results were looking close for a battle on Sunday with a further three races planned.

Once again the class opted for a BBQ that evening and the famous "Creeksea Arms" opened its doors with the offer of free beer. Naturally this didn't last too long and after a surfeit of both Rum and incinerated meat the fleet hunkered down for a windy night.

Unfortunately the forecast for both wing strength and direction were spot on and the morning saw a gusty southerly blowing directly across the river with the attendant problem for the Race Officer of setting a course that gave a beat at any point without taking the fleet too far out of sight up river. The fleet were canvassed and the decision was made that the racing for the day would be abandoned. This seemed sensible as savage gusts built through the day and built white horses even within the short reach that the width of the river afforded.

This left all races to count and Gulliver thus took the meeting with a point to spare ahead of Sullivan and Wayling. House took fourth with a consistent set of results ahead of Paul Church who found the long trip from Harlow Blackwater worthwhile.

As ever the skills of club commodore Alan Shrimplin extended from safety boat to class photographer and his photographs capture perfectly the close nature of the racing and the picturesque setting that Creeksea enjoys.

The next event on the Spinlock Grand Prix Series is at Filey on 27 and 28 June. The event attracts two Travellers' Points to put towards qualifying for the Grand Prix Spinlock Wing PFD.

Overall Results: