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RS Feva Grand Prix Series Round 4 at Draycote Water Sailing Club

by Andrew Green 29 Mar 2023 06:00 BST 25-26 March 2023
RS Feva Grand Prix Round 4 at Draycote Water © Andrew Green

The weekend of 25th & 26th March saw 82 young sailors make the journey to Draycote Water for the first RS Feva Grand Prix of 2023, and the 4th in a 6 race year long Grand Prix series.

The weekend dawned with warm sunshine, but 38knt gusts howling straight along the rather exposed Draycote shoreline. At the time the boats were arriving for registration there were more white horses visible than actual water, which lead to some rather nervous younger sailors, and some very excited older ones!

Given the forecast was due to drop later in the day, the race committee wisely postponed launching whilst the worst of the wind abated. However, after about 2 hours, and significant quantities of sweets, the D flag was raised and the fleet launched.

Watching from the committee boat was an impressive sight, as the entire fleet launched together and then set off on a lightening quick broad reach out to the race area. The wind was still a sustained 20knts, and gusts into the low 30's, so the sailors all arrived on the start line either exhilarated or intimidated depending on how gung ho they were feeling!

Race 1 got off to a fairly frantic start with a number of boats being a bit too keen to get racing underway, and a number of boats being upside down in the start area! However, once racing was under way it was quickly apparent that the conditions were going to lead to massive splits in the fleet. This was definitely a day for the more experienced Feva sailors, with Jac Bailey and Ben Sinfield taking the win from Ffion Bailey and Megan Gowers, then in 3rd Imogen Green and Bob Byne. The leading group of sailors all clearly revelling in screaming downwind, mostly looking in control, but a few significant wipe outs were seen from the shore.

Races 2 and 3 were run in slightly less wind, but with a pattern emerging, with Ben Greenhalgh and Tim Sinfield taking the win in both, and a group of 6 boats behind them that were having a pretty tight battle. This group were starting to move clear of another very large group of about 20 boats who were having tight race long battles, which lead to some really exciting leeward gate roundings where at times boats were 4 abreast at both sides of the gate.

Day 2 dawned colder, greyer, damper and with not a lot less wind, although impressively the energy levels in the fleet didn't seem to have been affected. The wind had swung around nearly 180 degrees, meaning the full force of a cold north easterly was blowing straight onto the club house, which lead to most parents sheltering inside and leaving their kids to do the hard work outside!

When it came to the racing, largely the same pattern continued, with no one having an answer to the sheer speed of Ben and Tom, who finished in the top 3 in all of Sunday's races, which included a further 2 race wins, this gave them a comfortable overall win. Jac and Ben also had another great day, and finished a clear 2nd overall.

Behind these 2 it got very close with 4 boats separated by a single point, but Rebecca Knock and Tom Webb put in an impressive run of results on day 2 including a win in race 6, which eventually pulled them into 3rd spot.

The rest of the prize winners were Ffion and Megan in 4th, Ed Stubbs and Bruno Greenfield in 5th, and Imogen and Bob in 6th.

The Feva fleet also make a point of recognising other boats that are developing through the class, and so Oscar Radford and Max Evans-Alder won the Endeavour award, Flora Evans and Darcy Morgan-Harris won the Feva Fun award, and Ollie Hateley and Mona Nygard won the Fevaship award. The first school boat was George Curtis and Benjamin Bryden from Tonbridge.

Once again we would like to thank the sailors for participating, with the help from parents, guardians, coaches, family and friends bringing you along. To all the volunteers for their support to bring this event together, volunteers help before, during and after the event, we really do appreciate your time, thank you. Thanks also goes to Draycote Water Sailing Club for hosting this event and being accommodating as always. Lastly our Grand Prix sponsor Rooster and to RS Sailing for your continued support.

Overall Results:

PosSail NoHelmCrewHelm ClubCrew ClubR1R2R3R4R5R6R7Pts
1st8600Ben GreenhalghTom SinfieldPDSCPDSC‑41121319
2nd7615Jac BaileyBen SinfieldPort Dinorwic Sailing ClubPort Dinorwic Sailing Club143122‑613
3rd8501Rebecca KnockTom WebbPort Dinorwic SCPort Dinorwic SC(OCS)312331729
4th6264Ffion BaileyMegan GowersPort Dinorwic Sailing ClubPort Dinorwic Sailing Club22‑8647829
5th490Ed StubbsBruno GreenfieldLyme Regis/CCSCLyme Regis/CCSC6‑99454230
6th7190Imogen GreenRobert ByneDraycote water Sailing ClubDraycote Water SC37‑10575330
7th89Max RawlinsonEdie JohnsonRoa Island Boat ClubRoa Island Boat Club88276‑9435
8th6246Theo SmithWill CowleyDraycote Water SCDraycote Water SC(RET)51799131063
9th8377Jack HodgkinsIsabella BarnesSouth Staffs & DraycoteSouth Staffs & Draycote5‑201913128966
10th7052Ella JonesKate GambleHISCHISC(OCS)6739106573
11th8034Oliver HateleyMona NygardSouth StaffsDraycote water SC712(DNC)1416101978
12th7530Freddie CallaghanThomas RoyHISCHISC‑27162088161381
13th5763Louis HiscocksNicola RichardsWPNSAWPNSA121352120‑271687
14th6351Flur PierceKeira LukePDSCPDSC11‑25111224112089
15th7605Emilia RipleyAnna ElmsHISCHISC101141014(RET)DNC91
16th6291George CurtisBenjamin BrydenTonbridge SchoolTonbridge School9102415‑27191895
17th502Charlotte CooperHarriet WoodElton SC / WLYCElton SC / WLYC141415‑2319171796
18th7292Anna MorrisFreya PhillipsHISCHISC(NSC)23132613121198
19th4311Jacob KnockPhoebe GreenhalghPort Dinorwic Sailing ClubPort Dinorwic Sailing Club(NSC)15251811151599
20th4056Scarlett MacLennanBetsy LuddingtionDabchicks/Corinthian OttersDabchicks/Corinthian Otters151916‑30212312106
21st4347Mya FanceSeren GreenUllswater Yacht ClubUllswater Yacht Club21‑342617171414109
22nd6765Harriet TempleMia HateleySouth Staffs sailing ClubSouth Staffs sailing Club(OCS)211416281822119
23rd5561Daniel LarsonGeorge AldridgeMCSMCS161823192222‑25120
24th2376Alex StandleyTom Evans‑AllderDocklands Sailing and Watersports CentreDocklands Sailing and Watersports Centre17246252526(DNC)123
25th1103Ruby CallaghanLauren BarberHISCHISC18‑281827152521124
26th4194Alex BreeseSienna MordauntRoyal Lymington YCRoyal Lymington YC(OCS)272122292424147
27th7606Syvie CarterJessica Patterson  2329‑3528232126150
28th8187Tom BohannonMiliie GreenhalghPDSCPDSC2217301130(DNC)DNC152
29th7076Hugo RuddJameson HaywardNBYCNBYC(DNC)2228241820DNC154
30th6277Anton ChernyshovBenjamin SheppardTonbridge SchoolTonbridge School1326312026(DNC)DNC158
31st6112Florence OsborneJessica RainbowRoyal Hospital School/ Thorpe bay YachtRoyal Hospital School/ Thorpe bay Yacht Club203029‑32313028168
32nd5563Bennett HornerLev BalabinTonbridge SchoolTonbridge School28(RET)3236332823180
33rd3788 stickerLila ChungYana JaiswalDocklands Sailing and Watersports CentreDocklands Sailing and Watersports Centre2533223732(RET)DNC191
34thAPEOscar RadfordMax Evans‑AlderDocklands Sailing and Watersports CentreDocklands Sailing and Watersports Centre24(RET)3735343229191
35th6289William SmithWilliam BrownsdonTonbridge SchoolTonbridge School19322731(DNC)DNCDNC193
36th4425Sofia DewsburyDaisy CharlesworthHamble River SailingStokes Bay SC(RET)DNS3329353127197
37th6292Jacob AyalaOliver PattisonTonbridge SchoolTonbridge School26313438(DNC)29DNC200
38th5562Nicholas CoxonJoshua HarrisonTonbridge SchoolTonbridge School(DNC)35363436DNCDNC225
39th5172Alex VollmerRory McGillOxford Sailing Club/ Trearddur Bay SailiOxford Sailing Club/ Trearddur Bay Sailing Club(RET)DNCNSC3337RETDNC238
40th1002Flora EvansDarcy Morgan‑HarrisRoyal Southern Yacht Club/HISCRoyal Southern Yacht Club/HISC(DNC)DNCDNCDNCDNCDNC30240
41st7056Trinny FryAlexa FryQMSC / Royal Thames Yacht ClubQMSC / Royal Thames Yacht Club(DNC)DNCDNCDNSDNCDNCDNC252

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