Firefly Open at Papercourt Sailing Club

Fireflys at Papercourt © Rachel Crebbin

Dom & Sophia Johnson win the Papercourt Firefly Open © Rachel Crebbin

Twelve Fireflys gathered at Papercourt Sailing Club on 11th October 2020 for the annual Open Meeting, to be met with sunshine and a gentle but gradually increasing breeze, as well as tea and pastries.

Race Officer Andrew Boyce, assisted by his wife Penny, managed to start the first race promptly despite the unreliable direction of the wind, which wanted to blow down the lake from the north/north-east, but kept reverting to the prevailing north-northwest.

In the first race the seasoned team of Nigel Wakefield and Emily Saunderson in F3007 'TipTopToo' showed no sign of any post-lockdown rustiness as they shot out into a commanding lead and never looked back.

The next places were hotly contested though, with second taken by Dom Johnson and daughter Sophia in F4234 'Vadar', closely followed by Steve and Arthur Greaves in F1867 'Cumulus' and Alex and Stella Davey in F2649 'Mustard'.

The strong family character of the Firefly class is clearly a strength as we navigate the pandemic!

Race two saw a similar group at the front but in a different order. After much place changing, Dom and Sophia took line honours, with Nigel/Emily and Alex/Stella just behind. In fourth were Jenny Smallwood and Philip Aldhous in F3625 'Squabbling Phoenix'.

The fleet then repaired ashore for a socially-distanced picnic lunch before rejoining battle in race three.

This time Nigel and Emily got the win, with locals Jamie and Angus McEwen wriggling through to second, followed by Jonny Bickford in F3616 'Top Dolly' who was putting his river-sailing skills to good effect.

This left Nigel and Emily with a 1,2,1 scoreline, which could only be bettered by Dom and Sophia if they won the last race. This they duly did, taking the trophy home by the narrowest of tie breaks. Steve and Arthur's second place in the last race was enough to secure third overall, with Alex and Stella in fourth.

The competitors expressed their thanks to Papercourt Sailing Club for a warm (safe!) welcome and a great day's sailing, and in particular to all the helpers on the day.

Overall Results: