RS400 Emergence of Seasons Championship at Queen Mary Sailing Club

RS Emergence of Seasons Championship at Queen Mary Sailing Club © Paul Stainsby

There are two things that can make the day feel punchier than the evidence at hand – rain and cold. For the Emergence of Season event at Queen Mary SC we had none of the first and plenty of the second. In fact, so much so that this particular weekend regatta felt like no other and delivered a final results sheet that had more letters than numbers in the matrix.

For those of us not blessed with the skills to run with the big dogs at the front of the fleet, taking a belligerent approach in what became a game of last-man-standing could see you rocket up the rankings and into 'Team Hardcore' as effectively as winning a gamble on banging a corner.

The evidence for a challenging weekend of weather had been there from the start with a brisk and biting Easterly featured in all of the forecasts. But, as the 24 boat fleet rigged in the dinghy park, wall to wall sunshine and an offshore breeze that masked the true pressure in the gusts, acted as a convenient camouflage for the real conditions.

Even as the fleet sailed out to the start area on the far side of the reservoir things didn't feel that bad. But it didn't last long.

When the gusts did come, they were frequently well into the twenties and with an air temperature of just 5 degrees at best and the water barely any warmer, when the wind and waves struck it was frequently a breath taking experience.

In the first of three races Jon Gorringe and Emma McEwen (1469) took the first bullet of the day with James Downer and Jon Price (1385) taking second, while local QM rock stars Francesco and Teresa Lobato (1215) came third.

Race two saw the trio simply shuffle the order in which they finished with Downer and Price taking the win. But the real action was happening behind as the weather started to take its toll.

As the breeze built throughout the afternoon it did so in chunks with gusts that arrived as if someone had unexpectedly opened a door at the top of the course. There were plenty who tripped up in the process, including a number of hot shots and found themselves swimming. All of which made the next upwind leg feel more like an arctic expedition than a race, forcing plenty of retirements.

RS Emergence of Seasons Championship at Queen Mary Sailing Club - photo © Paul Stainsby

Race three saw the fleet halved in size, but the casualties at the corners of the course remained. With the breeze now at its strongest and crews flagging, simply completing the course was now the goal.

Once again, Downer and Price took the win, but this time it was Jon Hessig and Nicky Griffin (1454) who took second with Sean Cleary and Annalise Nixon (1377) in third.

With just six boats finishing the final race of the day, the weather had won another round.

But there's nothing quite like an evening in the bar to re-set your naivety/bravery despite sailing kit that's unlikely to dry overnight and a weather forecast for Sunday that looked exactly like Saturday's. Nevertheless, the most popular reasons for remaining upbeat, aside from the evening's Dutch courage and warm, dry clothing, was that Sunday's race would consist of a single pursuit race in bright sunshine and flat(ish) water. Both of which turned out to be true.

But what many hadn't factored in were the face freezing, two sail reaches around the perimeter of the reservoir. The first available opportunity to tack onto starboard and change hands, irrespective of the wind direction, seemed popular in one corner of the course.

As it turned out the wind wasn't quite so strong, but only by a knot or two in the gusts. Midway through the two hour race the weather had once again taken a few scalps and a few more letters appeared on the scoreboard.

But among those plugging on and having found their mojo in the final race on Saturday, Heissig and Griffin went on to win the double points race on Sunday. Behind them Cleary and Nixon took third with the Lobatos finishing fifth, results that delivered the final podium places for the event.

Despite the cold, some of the downwind legs were electric in a weekend of well organised racing that gets better in hindsight each time you describe how brave you really were.

Overall Results: