Merlin Rocket DeMay Series & Thames Series, sponsored by Craftinsure, at Upper Thames Sailing Club

by Nicola Scaddan 15 Sep 2022 10:07 BST 10-11 September 2022

The Merlin Rockets were at Upper Thames Sailing Club for the weekend of 10 and 11 September, with the De May Vintage event taking place on the Saturday, and the Thames Series racing on Sunday. There was a good turn-out on both days, with 12 boats sailing on Saturday and 15 on Sunday.

The wind on the Saturday was light and variable, which led the Race Officer to set laps consisting of a longer leg followed by a shorter one, to give the race box flexibility to shorten course as needed.

Following Race 1 there was a break for lunch and a one-minute silence held in memory of the Queen, the start and end of which were signalled by the firing of the Club's cannons.

Despite the challenging conditions, the racing was closely fought, and the event was won by Chris and Pippa Kilsby, sailing 1493 Katy Lou. The last race of the day was also for the Spade Oak Bowl, again won by Chris and Pippa.

Saturday night saw a well-attended Caribbean-themed social evening.

Sunday dawned with winds even lighter than on the Saturday, and a similar course to that of the Saturday.

In the first race, Charlie Morgan and Amanda Batten in Andromeda stretched out a good lead, only to be overtaken by Stuart Jenkins and Nicola Scaddan, sailing 1097 Flinkidink, on the final lap.

The second and third races, and therefore the day, were won by Rob Cage and John Reay in Hullabaloo, 1692.

The weekend was rounded off by prize-giving. Spot prizes, kindly provided by Craftinsure, were awarded, including one to the youngest crew, Emily Housman in 3560 Luka.

The next Vintage event is at Banbury Sailing Club on 24th September and the next Thames Series at Hampton Sailing Club on 9th October.

Overall Results:

Pos	Boat	Sail No	Helm	Crew	Club	R1	R2	R3
De May Vintage Series (Saturday)
1st	Katy Lou	1493	Chris Kilsby	Pippa Kilsby	Thames SC	(3)	1	1
2nd	Hullabalou	1692	Rob Cage	John Reay	Thames SC	1	(3)	2
3rd	Luka	3560	Ollie Houseman	Emily Housman	Chew Valley Lake SC	(5)	2	4
4th	Keto	799	John Meadowcroft	Katie Meadowcroft	Upper Thames SC	(4)	4	3
5th	Flinkidink	1097	John Bell	Nicola Scaddan	Hampton SC	2	(5)	5
6th	Tiersel	901	Pat Blake	Jilly Blake	Cookham Reach SC	6	6	(DNF)
7th	Chindit	578	Alex Pausey	Richard Pausey	Upper Thames SC	(8)	7	6
8th	Rapport	3247	Alistair Patterson			9	(10)	7
9th	Bottle Rocket	1951	Guy Jacobs	Lila Jacobs	Upper Thames SC	(10)	8	8
10th	Exequisite	2266	Chris Rathbone	Sonia Rathbone	Upper Thames SC	7	9	(DNS)
11th	Lady Luck	1477	Sellena Yates	Bob Yates	Upper Thames SC	11	(DNF)	DNF
12th	Satisfaction	2604	Jeremy Stein	Sarah Percival	Upper Thames SC	(DNF)	DNF	DNS
Thames Series (Sunday)
1st	Hullabalou	1692	Rob Cage	John Reay	Thames SC	(6)	1	1
2nd	Luka	3560	Ollie Houseman	Emily Housman	Chew Valley Lake SC	(4)	2	2
3rd	Flinkidink	1097	Stuart Jenkins	Nicola Scaddan	Hampton SC	1	(5)	4
4th	Salmon en Croute	3702	Duncan Salmon	Ruth Hanstater	Wembley SC	3	3	(6)
5th	Andromeda	3259	Charlie Morgan	Amanda Batten	Tamesis SC	2	(6)	5
6th	Fragile	3727	Mark Stockbridge	Jake Gould		5	(8)	3
7th	Chindit	578	Andrew Harris	Matty Key	Tamesis SC	(DNS)	4	7
8th	Smartypants	3506	Graham Webb	Mary Webb		(11)	7	8
9th	Bottle Rocket	1951	Guy Jacobs	Lila Jacobs	Upper Thames SC	8	(12)	9
10th	Rapport	3247	Alistair Patterson			10	9	(DNS)
11th	Skip	3771	Alex Pausey	Sophie Rouse‑Jennings	Upper Thames SC	9	10	(DNS)
12th	Deep Thought	3451	Martin Whitworth	Sue Mackensie	Upper Thames SC	(12)	11	10
13th	If	3686	Kevin Rose	Emily Charles	Upper Thames SC	7	(DNF)	DNS
14th	Lady Luck	1477	Sellena Yates	Bob Yates	Upper Thames SC	13	(DNF)	11
15th	Katy Lou	1493	Chris Kilsby	Pippa Kilsby	Thames SC	(DNF)	DNS	DNS