Osprey Inland Championship at Carsington Sailing Club

Osprey Inlands at Carsington © David Currier

What all sailors need is wind, and hosts Carsington SC were generous to a fault. Plenty of breeze on the first day, and just a little bit more to make the second day even more interesting.

Competitors at the Osprey Inlands enjoyed a fantastic weekend, with full size triangle sausage Championship courses laid on both days, with good size beats and perfect downwind angles to allow exciting spinnaker reaches.

Race 1 went to one of the class's leading lady helms, Alexandra Willis, crewed by Nick Willis, from Hayling Island. But local heroes Alastair Raynard and Rob Burdekin stayed close in second place, pushed onwards by another young lady helm, Emma Stevenson, crewed by Tim Bowden, both from Weymouth SC. But Reynard and Burdekin managed one better to win both of the remaining races on the Saturday, amid rising winds which caused gear damage to one or two boats. The Willis's took second place in Race 2, with Alec Mamwell/ Ian Little from Kielder in third. In the third race Emma Stevenson took second, with the generously proportioned Mamwell/ Little team enjoying the brisk conditions to add another third place. Overnight, Raynard led, with the leading ladies separated by a whisker in the other podium places.

Carsington's generosity extended that evening to bounteous quantities of lovely hors d'oeuvres, as the sailors awaited an excellent meal in the clubhouse. And the meals were served as rapidly as the races were turned around!

Sunday brought forecasts of 19 mph, gusting 38, but the sailors were not deterred. They explored the outer limits of rig settings- how far could you rake your mast, how much can you bend it without it going ping and can you fit a flattener? But after they had duly stressed their rigs, they enjoyed a second day of excellent racing, with two races in the morning.

Osprey Inlands at Carsington - photo © David Currier

In the first race, Raynard and Burdekin, who were going very well most of the time in their Mark V Osprey, made a rare mistake, and took a dip on a crash tack under pressure from Stevenson. Gazing above the lake, competitors enjoyed a flyby by the Red Arrows. But there were no aerobatics by Stevenson and Bowden, who turned on the afterburners to win, from newcomers to the class Steve Leaney and John Roberts, from Blithfield. The Willis's took third to remain well in the mix.

After their barrel roll left them needing a good result in the final race, Raynard and Burdekin clinched the Inlands title with their third win of the weekend. They thus added the Inlands title to the End of Season title last year. Stevenson took third in that race to take second overall, with the Willis's in third overall.

Alastair Raynard & Rob Burdekin win the Osprey Inlands at Carsington - photo © Alan Henderson

Carsington supplied prizes as generous as their supply of breeze, and these included many items from sponsor Hartley Boats, builders of the Mark V Osprey.

Overall Results: