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Cadet Open at Frensham Pond Sailing Club

by David Little 22 Mar 08:43 GMT 19 March 2023
Frensham Pond Cadet Open © Corinne Whitehouse / UKCCA

Fighting fickle winds

64 sailors arrived at Frensham Pond Sailing Club on Sunday 19 March for the annual Frensham Cadet Open meeting. Seven boats had travelled from Waldringfield SC and six from South Cerney SC, and the car park was soon full of home and away sailors. Bacon sandwiches were the order of the day, whilst boats were rigged and friends met again.

Four races were planned, and with a dying breeze forecast Race Officer Martin Goult (himself a former Cadet Class Measurer) briefed a format of three races before lunch and one after. Extra layers and extra snacks were acquired and boats headed to the water.

A northerly 8-10 knots greeted the fleet - a tricky direction at Frensham with high trees on the northerly bank of the pond. The 18-boat main fleet got away cleanly on Race 1, with some traditional and inevitable bunching at the Committee Boat end - come on folks, hasn't the winter training broken that habit yet? One boat with a great start was 9964, Sophia Sfaxi and Evie Boddy, with them and their boat recently returned from its trip to the Cadet World Championships in Australia. They picked their way through the shifts and lulls to have a decent lead by the first mark which they never surrendered. 8533 sailed by George Little and Hugh Voysey had a good start but found the light patches on the beat, with a fightback required to recover to second place. 9985 sailed by Gwen Thorogood and Primrose Denny-Pickess held off the pack with good spinnaker work throughout to take fourth place.

In the 14-boat regatta fleet (a great turnout of new helms) the start was more cautiously contested, with some of the more canny helms able to see how the main fleet had fared five minutes ahead of them. 8537 sailed by Mimi Windibank and Rose Little (with gradually improving spinnaker work) found themselves working their way to the front of the fleet to take a first, followed by 10002 with Ava Stoddart and Isabelle Davies and then 10006, Mave Parry-Shields and Sophie Baer.

The wind kept the same direction for Race 2, although a slight softening of the breeze began to furrow brows on the committee boat. In the main fleet, 10032 Hettie Thorogood and Nicole Richardson had a cracking first beat and led at the top mark, with a tight pack hunting them down on the two subsequent reaches. By the second top mark, with another fickle beat, the order had changed, with Sophia and Evie pulling ahead to take first, with George and Hugh second. Hettie and Nicole held off the rest to take third. In regatta fleet, 8529 sailed by Mia Stanislaus and Isobel Stamp took first place followed by Ava and Isabelle in second and 8447 sailed by Benjy Bullock and Oscar Ward in third.

The breeze had eased to 5 knots by the third race, although some movement of marks away from the windward shoreline kept the course fair. The third start got away cleanly despite some bunching at the committee boat end, with those at the pin end having plenty of freedom of manoeuvre. 9994 with Aussie participant Tom Shepherd and European Champion Joe Mycroft on board took an early lead throughout the first beat and the downwind legs, with a pack close behind them. At the start of the second lap, George and Hugh tacked off early and managed to jump from ninth to first on the beat - a useful combination of luck and judgement. They held that position to the end, with Tom and Joe second and 9028 Sam Nee and Audrey Giumali third. In regatta fleet Benjy and Oscar put their light air lesson they'd learnt from the Grafham residential training to good effect to scoop first, with great kitework throughout. Ava and Isabelle maintained their consistency with a second, and Mia and Isobel came third.

Time for a high-carb lunch. With a discard only kicking in at four races, there were mixed emotions as sailors looked at a decidedly flat pond, but as the fleet relaunched the wind built and shifted to the west, giving a much longer first beat. With all to play for, the start saw an individual recall - two boats went back, but the X flag stayed flying. The fleet split on the beat, trying to stay in patches of stronger wind - those who looked further upwind and worked the pressure came out better. Alas for Sophia and Evie, they were pinged by the Race Officer at the top mark for being OCS. In front, Tom and Joe were extending an already impressive lead on a broach reach, with the next dozen boats doing a superb impression of a banana as they fought for clear air - many ending up gybing to make the mark. At the finish Tom and Joe took the gun with George and Hugh second and Sam and Audrey third again. In regatta Mave and Sophie fought all the way round with 9080 Teya and Kyla Brezan, eventually pipping them on the line. Mimi and Rose came in third.

Whilst the sailors were on the water for the last race, Mums were treated to a well-earnt slice of cake and a glass or two of pink fizz - the least they deserve for all they do to support sailors throughout the year.

And so the Frensham Open winners were confirmed: in Main Fleet, George and Hugh first, Tom and Joe second, and Sophia and Evie third. And in regatta fleet, Ava and Isabelle first, Mimi and Rose second and Mia and Isobel third.

Many thanks to all the volunteers who made such a great day possible, from competitors and parents to galley team, safety boat crews and committee boat team. And whilst everyone agreed this was another classic Frensham Open, some questions remain: who will come through the Spring Series (first stop Weymouth on 1/2 April) to get a World Team place? Why do Al's burgers taste 15% better than anyone else's? And does a day spent on a safety boat really count as a date for a husband-and-wife team?

For some of these mysteries, only time will tell.

Overall Results:

PosSail NoHelm NameCrew NameClubR1R2R3R4Pts
Main Fleet
1st8533George LittleHugh VoyseyFrensham Pond SC / Frensham Pond SC‑22125
2nd9994Tom ShepherdJoe MycroftFrensham Pond SC / Frensham Pond SC4‑6217
3rd9964Sophia sfaxiEvie BoddyFrensham Pond SC / Frensham Pond SC117(OCS)9
4th9028Sam NeeAudrey GiumaliFrensham Pond SC / Frensham Pond SC5‑123311
5th10092Alex McEwanAmber GiumaliFrensham Pond SC / Frensham Pond SC7‑144415
6th9985Gwen ThorogoodPrimrose Denny‑PickessWaldringfield SC / Waldringfield SC385‑1016
7th10032Hettie ThorogoodNicole RichardsonWaldringfield SC / Waldringfield SC63‑9817
8th7231Monty HamptonWilf KingsnorthSouth Cerney SC / South Cerney SC8‑116519
9th10012Alex EnkelJude BaldockWaldringfield SC / Waldringfield SC9410‑1123
10th8556Ava RobertsWill HancockSouth Cerney SC / South Cerney SC‑19511723
11th9673Zachary WindibankAlice BoddyFrensham Pond SC / Frensham Pond SC‑1678924
12th10001Kemmel ThorogoodGeorgina LoaderWaldringfield SC / Waldringfield SC101012‑1332
13th10094George Cox‑OlliffGeorge LettsWaldringfield/Brightlingsea / Waldringfi129‑141233
14th9401Thomas PontetNoah SauvenSouth Cerney SC / South Cerney SC17‑1817640
15th10003Oscar BushEmily KrailingWaldringfield SC / Waldringfield SC‑1513131440
16th8845Monty SlumpFrankie SherwoodFrensham Pond SC / Frensham Pond SC13‑16151644
17th7274Joshua DavidsonRosie HancockSouth Cerney SC / South Cerney SC14‑17161545
18th10076Amelie whitehouseMaddy SherwoodFrensham Pond SC / Frensham Pond SC1115(DNS)DNS46
19th9984Tom KrailingElla EdwardsWaldringfield SC / Waldringfield SC1819(RET)1754
Regatta / New Helm Fleet
1st10002Ava StoddartIsabelle DaviesFrensham Pond SC / Frensham Pond SC222‑46
2nd8537Mimi WindibankRose LittleFrensham Pond SC / Frensham Pond SC1‑5438
3rd8529Mia StanislausIsobel StampFrensham Pond SC / Frensham Pond SC413‑88
4th10006Mave Parry‑ShieldSophie BaerFrensham Pond SC / Frensham Pond SC3‑13519
5th8447Benjy BullockBruce WardSouth Cerney SC / South Cerney SC‑73159
6th9080Teya BrezanKyla BrezanSouth Cerney SC / South Cerney SC‑847213
7th9378Immy SherwoodAnnabel ShepherdFrensham Pond SC / Frensham Pond SC‑968721
8th9232Harriet DaviesLivia Cesari‑WrigleySouth Cerney SC / South Cerney SC118‑14625
9th7679Elsie BakerElizabeth ffrench‑LynchFrensham Pond SC / Frensham Pond SC‑13106925
10th9510Gregory BoddyMaxwell StanislausFrensham Pond SC / Frensham Pond SC5912(DNS)26
11th8378Olivia StampSophia StampFrensham Pond SC / Frensham Pond SC‑127111028
12th8403Tom StoddartAmelia StampFrensham Pond SC / Frensham Pond SC611‑131229
13th9634Holly JonesFinn SullamFrensham Pond SC / Frensham Pond SC10‑1291130
14th8427Charlotte Noren‑TophamMiles HardyFrensham Pond SC / Frensham Pond SC141410(DNS)38

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