Itchenor Sailing Club Schools Championships – RS Feva Regatta Day 1
by Rebecca Oldfield 27 Jun 2017 11:44 BST
25-30 June 2017
Henry and Rupert Jameson win races 1 & 2 in the RS Fevas at the Itchenor Schools Championships © Jessica Marsh
Racing was due to start at 1100 in Chichester Harbour on Monday 26 June. The race team set up a course down harbour near East Head. The wind at the time was fickle so race officer Andy Penman delayed the start to allow the wind to settle.
When it did it came in from the South and produced perfect sailing conditions for the 103 RS Fevas entered in the event. After an initial general recall – the fleet was really keyed up – the first race got started under a black flag. First to show was the Hayling College boat sailed by Henry and Rupert Jameson who quickly established a significant lead, which they held until the finish. In second place were last year's overall winners Louis Johnson and Henry Chandler from Portsmouth Grammar School followed by Sevenoaks's Will Caiger and Tom Baulkwill.
The Jameson brothers took the second race with Johnson and Chandler a closer second. The Norwich School crew of William Pank and Finlay Campbell took the third slot.
Whilst the leading boats had started at the committee boat end of the start line in the first two races, a slight wind shift favoured boats at the pin end for the third race. At the first windward mark it was close order sailing with Fin Dickinson and Tom Gorringe from Ditcham Park School just ahead of Ben Hutton-Penman and Josh Sibthorpe from New Hall School and the Jameson boys. At the second windward rounding the Jameson crew had edged ahead of the other two teams. However as the boats crossed the finish line Dickinson and Gorringe had snatched back the lead from the Jamesons with the New Hall team taking third.
Follow @Itchenor1 for live updates throughout the Schools Week Championships or visit www.itchenorsc.co.uk for the full results.