Gill Optimist Late Summer Championship at Brightlingsea Sailing Club

by Sandy Ramus 2 Sep 2022 10:44 BST 27-28 August 2022

It was time to pack up the boats again, load the trailers and head to the beautiful East coast. Brightlingsea greeted us with its broad estuaries filled with it traditional working boats and dramatic skies.

Day 1

The RO, PJ, having studied the forecast and with his local knowledge promised us good sea breezes, but only if we were patient. An AP over 1 was flown but the on board Race Committee barely had time to finish their swim before PJ was proved right and a 8-10 knot shadow of pressure could be seen rolling in from the South East.

Wisely the RO went straight in with a U flag start and both the Main and the Regatta fleet were off with only 4 boats in the former falling foul of the race team's beady eyes.

Gill Optimist Late Summer Championship at Brightlingsea - photo © Ana Lau

Lymington's Jonny Rogers took an early lead and ultimately line honours, proving once more that he is a chip off the old block and will be one to keep an eye on going into the future. Regatta fleet saw up and coming rookie Sean Di Salle take the bullet in what was to become a weekend reign of terror.

Race 2 was less smooth with the RO proving he was not going to be messed around taking down 8 in the main and 5 in the regatta fleet on the U start. Despite picking up a 42 penalty at the last gate, veteran Will Mears scoped the 1st when it transpired that Rogers was on the bench with a UFD. Oscar Smith sailed a blinder stealing one off of Di Salle.

The next 2 races saw the breeze increasing and some big shifts as the gradient started to dominate. Isla Edwards took race 3 and Will Webster 4 in the main while Di Salle smashed the last regatta race of the day. Bosham SC's Pippa Shephard got impressively busy with the shifts and logged a worthy 3rd place.

Gill Optimist Late Summer Championship at Brightlingsea - photo © Ana Lau

Day 2

After a fabulous sailing club BBQ the night before day 2 looked to be a real stonker.

Gill Optimist Late Summer Championship at Brightlingsea - photo © Ana Lau

Race 5 started clean with both fleets punching up wind into a 10-12 knot North Easterly concluding in unstoppable Lila taking the main and you guessed it Sean Di Salle taking regatta, proving that his boat name "Pole Position" was spot on.

With the tide getting stronger the fleet struggled to line up well with more false starts and ultimately the RO have to reach for the black. He spotted 2 in race 6 and 8 in race 7 Di Salle took races 5 and 6 in regatta giving him a floorless score sheet after discard. Parkstone's Eliana Edward delighted in sneaking one off her sister in the 7th but couldn't stop her in the 8th leaving the unstoppably dominate sisters finishing 1, 2 overall.

Gill Optimist Late Summer Championship at Brightlingsea - photo © Ana Lau

IOCA and the competitors would like to say a huge thanks to Brightlingsea SC for hosting an amazing sailing and social event proving that you don't need to be a big club to host a successful, 90 boat strong, oppi fleet. Special thanks go to Alex Davey for all his hard work organising the event. Lastly massive thanks as ever to our class sponsors Gill Marine.

Overall Results:

Regatta Fleet

Pos	Sail No	Helm	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	Pts
1st	6508	Sean Di Salle	1	‑2	1	1	1	1	5
2nd	5483	Oscar Smith	‑9	1	6	5	5	2	19
3rd	6453	Alice Atkin	2	3	5	‑8	4	7	21
4th	5618	Finn Byrne	7	4	4	4	‑10	3	22
5th	6522	Ruby Coster	3	(UFD)	3	3	9	5	23
6th	5957	Charlie Holland	8	5	2	7	2	‑10	24
7th	6502	Troy Buttimer	4	7	(BFD)	2	11	4	28
8th	6557	Natasha Adkins	5	6	(BFD)	12	6	6	35
9th	6203	Bertie Parrett	10	10	(BFD)	10	3	11	44
10th	4717	Bonnie Marshall	‑12	9	7	6	12	12	46
11th	6354	Hugo Thomas	11	(UFD)	8	15	7	8	49
12th	6347	Reg Mallett	13	8	9	11	13	‑14	54
13th	6277	Roisin Epstein	6	(UFD)	BFD	9	8	9	57
14th	6587	Josie Rist‑Heppell	16	11	10	17	14	‑19	68
15th	5961	Zoe Green	14	12	11	‑21	19	16	72
16th	4443	Amelie Renard	18	(UFD)	14	13	15	18	78
17th	6489	Archie Hutcheon	19	14	15	18	‑22	17	83
18th	6561	Finn Neal	‑22	15	12	19	18	20	84
19th	5235	James Herbert	15	(RET)	DNC	14	17	13	84
20th	5988	Camilla Garlick	21	13	(BFD)	20	16	15	85
21st	6092	Lucy Eeles	20	(DNS)	13	22	20	21	96
22nd	4705	Grace Marshall	17	(UFD)	DNC	16	21	RET	104
23rd	5501	Freddie Bennie	23	16	(DNC)	DNC	DNC	DNC	114
24th	5215	William Pipe	(DNC)	DNC	DNC	DNC	DNC	DNC	125

Main Fleet

Pos	Sail No	Name	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8	Pts
1st	6620	Lila Edwards	2	2	1	‑4	1	‑4	1	4	11
2nd	6583	Eliana Edwards	4	3	3	‑13	8	1	(BFD)	1	20
3rd	6609	William Webster	5	4	‑22	1	‑7	3	6	3	22
4th	6618	William Moss	6	8	‑13	2	2	12	2	‑14	32
5th	6518	Will Mears	3	1	5	11	5	‑14	(BFD)	13	38
6th	6612	Dirk Rogers	7	10	2	10	4	11	(BFD)	‑22	44
7th	6600	Laragh Epstein	‑23	5	11	‑21	14	6	4	8	48
8th	6608	Joe Wimpory	(UFD)	(UFD)	34	6	3	2	3	7	55
9th	6624	Andrew Perratt	8	6	‑21	16	15	‑19	5	5	55
10th	6619	Zac Shepherd	‑15	(UFD)	10	14	11	8	11	2	56
11th	6553	Finn Ramus	12	15	‑25	5	‑48	5	9	11	57
12th	6464	Ralph Surguy	14	11	9	‑28	6	(BFD)	13	9	62
13th	6611	Jonny Rogers	1	(UFD)	18	9	17	‑24	7	16	68
14th	6292	Hugo Fletcher	10	7	8	15	‑27	17	‑22	12	69
15th	6572	Toby Waggett	(UFD)	9	6	8	18	‑36	14	17	72
16th	6328	Harry Draper	16	13	‑48	‑23	16	9	10	10	74
17th	6444	Pippa Shepherd	9	‑38	12	3	25	10	24	‑39	83
18th	6467	Alex Saunders	13	18	14	24	9	(BFD)	(BFD)	6	84
19th	6253	Adam Craig	17	17	16	17	‑21	‑22	12	15	94
20th	6519	Freya Hutchinson	‑20	(UFD)	20	18	20	7	17	19	101
21st	6578	Joe Armstrong Rowland	(UFD)	19	4	7	13	39	(BFD)	25	107
22nd	6574	William McEwen	(UFD)	‑50	7	19	30	25	18	23	122
23rd	6316	Patrick Di Salle	21	14	‑40	31	‑37	15	20	28	129
24th	6582	Ben McEwen	27	12	‑37	27	34	‑48	15	20	135
25th	6289	Isla Hutchinson	11	‑43	38	42	10	‑51	21	18	140
26th	6439	Daisy Fuller	‑33	24	15	22	22	‑38	33	24	140
27th	6623	Ollie Atkin	‑34	22	31	30	24	13	31	‑32	151
28th	6434	Jessica Welch	26	21	‑44	33	‑36	16	25	31	152
29th	6454	Freddie Pank	29	‑35	28	12	28	34	29	‑43	160
30th	6516	Callum Marshall	24	20	26	37	‑38	23	(BFD)	30	160
31st	6598	Sam Armstrong Rowland	22	16	‑46	32	26	20	(BFD)	46	162
32nd	6349	Felix Garlick	25	28	39	‑43	12	31	28	‑45	163
33rd	6449	Harry Whelan	‑41	26	17	38	23	‑47	30	34	168
34th	5837	Dominic Bowden	35	29	27	25	‑46	32	26	‑49	174
35th	6549	Hector Davies	19	(UFD)	(BFD)	20	UFD	18	23	37	176
36th	6575	Theo Smith	‑49	30	‑43	36	32	37	16	27	178
37th	6313	Alanna Starkie	30	25	‑45	35	19	‑41	34	38	181
38th	6393	Kit Lester	18	37	36	‑56	29	‑49	43	21	184
39th	3281	Noah Mathers	31	36	23	34	‑51	33	‑42	29	186
40th	6450	Rory Armstrong	‑50	32	29	26	‑52	29	36	35	187
41st	6527	Logan Brown	40	31	‑49	41	‑45	21	19	36	188
42nd	6500	Henry Blades	‑36	34	24	29	33	35	‑40	33	188
43rd	6360	Emily Leary	37	41	19	40	‑43	40	(BFD)	26	203
44th	6610	Nia Byrne	‑53	42	‑54	48	39	26	8	42	205
45th	5844	Lizzie Hudson	38	40	35	‑47	‑42	28	27	40	208
46th	6558	Niamh Epstein	‑52	33	32	39	40	42	35	‑52	221
47th	6472	William Shaw	32	(UFD)	41	44	50	27	41	‑56	235
48th	6515	Rupert Garlick	28	39	42	‑54	44	45	37	‑54	235
49th	6242	Jacob Jull	42	23	‑56	‑57	41	53	39	53	251
50th	5870	William Fuller	44	48	‑51	50	47	30	38	‑51	257
51st	5251	Polly Armstrong	45	47	‑50	‑53	31	44	45	47	259
52nd	6275	Ryan Surguy	39	46	33	46	49	‑52	48	‑50	261
53rd	615	Stella Davey	46	45	‑52	45	35	46	46	‑48	263
54th	6418	Tristan Shaw	48	(UFD)	47	49	‑55	50	32	41	267
55th	6395	Meg Thomas	43	27	30	52	(DNC)	(DNC)	DNC	DNC	270
56th	6378	George Hutcheon	47	44	‑53	‑55	53	43	47	44	278
57th	6374	Nicholas Jones	51	49	‑55	51	54	54	44	‑55	303
58th	5402	James Pipe	(DNC)	(DNC)	DNC	DNC	DNC	DNC	DNC	DNC	354