Cadets at the Waldringfield Easter Egg

Cadets at the Waldringfield Easter Egg © Alexis Smith

With forecasts of 23oC and a moderate breeze, the annual Easter Egg regatta had all the makings of a fantastic event. Large chocolate prizes was a considerable motivation amongst the fleet and pushed everyone to sail their best.

On Friday morning, a figure of eight round the island race put the sailors through their paces. A promising start and controlled first beat from Ethan Davey and Alex Enkel led them to a comfortable win. Not far behind, Daisy Nunn and Oscar Bush managed to gain several places on the last reach, taking a high lane to avoid being covered by the Squibs, RS200s, Wayfarers and the Lasers. Finishing in 3rd was Toby Bush and Em Mayhew; the most fashionable boat in the fleet, sporting matching neon pink cat eye sunglasses.

Race 2 proceeded similarly, once again with Ethan and Alex dominating the fleet from the start, tacking out of the tide and coming into the windward mark on a huge lift, resulting in another win. Daisy and Oscar struggled to catch Ethan and finished with another second, closely followed by Hamish Collingridge and Robbie Stewart, after a tactical performance on the last run to the leeward mark where they gained several places.

The afternoon course was a different story for Race 3. A downwind club line start presented many misjudgements in tide strength and timing, but eventually kites were hoisted and the Cadets made their way to Kirton Creek. Staying in the channel, Ethan and Alex extended an enormous lead ahead of the fleet, looking like another race win was inevitable. However, the wind began drop, and the intense tide hauled everyone to a stop after the leeward mark. A promising gust saw Amelia Mayhew and Lulu Mayhew, and Toby Bush and Em Mayhew, lift inside the fleet, sneakily catching up with Ethan and Alex. Like sheep, the rest of the fleet cranked on their barberhauler and sailed a high mode to try and reach the hopeful gust. Everyone, that was - apart from Tristan Whittle and Dominik McCardle. Deciding that staying out of the tide was a higher priority than getting the gusts, the hugged the left shore and bounced into the lead. Quickly noticing Tristan's speed, Cally Terkelson and Pippa Smith followed. Sweeping round the corner at Galleons Hard, it was a tight reach to the finish. With outstanding performances, Cally and Pippa stole the win, with Tristan and Dominik in second. An intense luffing battle began for third place between Hamish and Ethan, but with Robbie Stewart trimming the kite expertly and hiking like a badger, they took a well-earned third place.

Cadets at the Waldringfield Easter Egg - photo © Alexis Smith

Day two began with a long postponement as the race officer wrestled with the constantly shifting wind. With a very short first beat, a good start was going to be essential. Showing the fleet how it's done again - Ethan and Alex rounded the windward mark in first. Unfortunately for the Cadets, the RS200s had had a general recall and started three minutes later, meaning that the majority of the reach was spent being covered and rolled, whilst spinnakers collapsed and helms despaired. The frequent shifts up the next beat saw distance easily gained, but just as easily lost. A tactical beat for Cally and Pippa led them to take second place, with Daisy and Oscar in third.

After a quick lunch break, we got back out for race 5, with another figure of eight course around the island. A prominent comittee boat-biased line saw the Cadets battle for a lane; as the start claxon sounded, the individual recall flag was raised. Daisy and Oscar made a quick turn-around, dipping back behind the line, and setting out on port. However, the flag was not dropped. With no-one going back, the fleet made their way around the course; Charlotte Leigh and Tom Krailing were battling for the top spot with Ethan and Alex. As the tide began to turn, the Cadets weaved their way between the moorings and headed for the windward mark, positioned in the shadow of a cluster of trees making the rounding very chaotic. Like déjà vu, Ethan and Alex took another race win, with Charlotte and Tom in second, and Cally and Pippa third. Unfortunately, Cally then found she had been OCS, bumping Daisy and Oscar up into the third spot.

The final race was quickly under way with the breeze strengthening and the tide ripping out towards Felixstowe. A spectacular start from Hamish and Robbie put them out ahead as the rest of the fleet tried to recover from the disasterous bundle at the committee boat. With a comfortable lead all the way round, Hamish and Robbie went out with a bang, ending the event with a well-deserved win. Charlotte and Tom (wishing they had raced on Friday), showed another successful performance finishing second, with Ethan and Alex in third.

So, Ethan and Alex took a commendable overall win, after dominating the event. Daisy and Oscar's consistency, despite not having any race wins, saw them finish in second, with Hamish and Robbie in third after a brilliant performance in the last race. Cally and Pippa's OCS sadly cost them third place, but they finished in a respectable fourth, luckily still receiving a large chocolate prize! All Cadet competitors left with a smile on their face, as the left-over eggs were handed out to bring a wonderful event to a close.

Overall Results: