I14 Forts Nab Tower Race at Itchenor Sailing Club
by Charles Duchesne 18 Aug 2005 07:44 BST
13 August 2005
There is a tradition of long distance epics in the 14 fleet... Uffa Fox sailed to Le Havre for a regatta in 1928, 14s joined the Round the Island fleet in the 80s, Charles Stanley sailed round Anglesey in the 90s, so it seemed like a good idea to schedule one in this year's calendar.
The course was from the Itchenor to the Nab Tower and back via Horse Sand Fort off Portsmouth, 30 miles in all. 8 boats started in a solid 20 knot breeze with more and rain predicted. Half the fleet including Mike Lennon and Martin Jones (with suspected rack damage) retired early in the bumpy conditions of Hayling Bay.
Four boats made it to the Fort led by Ian Pinnell, Charlie Duchesne and Katie Nurton sailing Andrew Penman's boat. As the weather was becoming livelier the support team decided to restart there and race straight back to Hayling. Penman with his POW crew Archie Massey accelerated spectacularly off the line under kite but disappeared into the first wave leaving Charlie Duchesne and Ian Pinnell to fight it out over the 7 miles to the Chichester Harbour entrance.
As the gusts nudged 28 knots and the boats got into the more difficult waves in Hayling Bay Duchesne capsized allowing Pinnell to sail to victory. There was then a close fight between Penman and Duchesne for second until Duchesne again capsized. Last finisher, under jib, in 4th was Charlie Tavner.
The new trophy for the event, a model of the Nab Tower, was not awarded due to the shortened course but should be next year if the weather is a little kinder.