P&B Phantom Inland Championship set for Northampton Sailing Club on 5th/6th June 2021
by Mike Webster 15 May 2021 14:40 BST
5-6 June 2021
The P&B Phantom Inlands 2021 is set for Northampton Sailing Club on 5th & 6th June © Mike Webster
The long wait is finally over and the Phantom Class is emerging from its hibernation of competitive events and championship regattas.
In a few week time the P&B Phantom Inland Championships will take place which is being hosted by Northampton Sailing Club, online pre entries are now open! The event is again being kindly sponsored by Pinnell & Bax, the midlands based one stop shop for boats, chandlery, repairs and clothing.
The class is expecting a bumper entry, following its self-imposed delay to regional and national events until after the governments Covid-19 roadmap changes on the 17th May. The Inland Championship marks the first of these national events, and forms part of a National Regatta Series. Five events in total, with the other regatta events in the series taking place at Weymouth on 3rd & 4th July, Filey 31st July & 1st August, Lee on Solent on 4th & 5th September and finally the National Championship, hosted by Stone SC between the 17th & 19th September.
With such a long time since the regional fleet have joined together and the disappointment of having to cancel the 2020 Phantom Nationals, planned to take place at Rock, Cornwall in September, it will be interesting to see who will be emerging from the long winter. Will the event be dominated by many of the old masters of the class, previous inland and national champions or will we be seeing new talent emerging? The class has certainly seen a huge surge in popularity with many new boats being ordered and the second hand market going crazy. Who would have thought 'Phantom gazumping' would become the new buzz phrase for 2021!
Northampton Sailing Club are looking forward to welcoming the Phantom fleet and we're sure they will be talking to the wind gods to make the racing weekend enjoyable. The class has also arranged a training day on Friday 4th June to precede the event, open to all sailors and free to Phantom Association members, which should popular for those who want to start the weekend early and gain some valuable tuning and coaching.
The event is online pre-entry only and may be restricted with a closing date of the 29th May, so don't delay.