South Coast ILCA Open at Seafarers Sailing Club

South Coast ILCA Open at Seafarers Sailing Club © Grace O'Neill

Located in Hill Head with fantastic access to the Solent, Seafarers Sailing Club was delighted to host its first an Open meeting for many years.

The race committee and a wide range of other volunteers were determined to put on a great event and many hours were spent planning it. The weather gods were kind with sunshine all day and winds of 15-20 knots. Entry numbers were pretty good with a late surge of support from Stokes Bay SC.

South Coast ILCA Open at Seafarers Sailing Club - photo © Grace O'Neill

Phil Warwick our race officer for the day, had his work cut out with a shifting wind and 26 boats to keep happy. The marks team, Nathan, Moss, Rob and Roger, initially set up a trapezoid course with the wind from the South East. The first of the three fleet class starts got away in 15 knots of wind and a choppy Solent. With an outer loop for the 4's and 7's and an inner for the 6's providing a 40 min race for each class. It was noticeable as the race progressed that the wind was starting to shift right as predicted. The entire course was reset 50 degrees and the second race got away in less than half an hour. Continuing with separate starts for each class, an aspect that was welcomed by competitors, the second and third races enjoyed a more stable south westerly breeze, that steadily increased throughout the afternoon. The forecast of 30 knots arrived on time, but happily due to some nifty race management, the prize-giving was well under way by then!

South Coast ILCA Open at Seafarers Sailing Club - photo © Grace O'Neill

The ILCA 4's was closely contested by Seafarers own Tony Nicholls and Lymington's Robbie Hudson, whose father was going well in the 7's but not the only family competing, Keith McQuillin in his 6 also had Jasmine competing in the 4's. The 4's were eventually won by Tony, coming down to a tight final race. The 6's had the pleasure of welcoming the Elvin's who had sailed to the race area from Stokes Bay bringing with them a strong contingent consisting of Nick Harrison, Luke Anstey, Bob Draper, Mac Coutts and Adrian Lyneham. The 6's saw Ben and Chloe Elvin take first and second respectively in all three races. Vittorio, Seafarers fiery Italian took a hard earned third as part of his warm up for next weekend's Masters Nationals at Hayling Island. The 7's made up the largest fleet, with 10 boats, and in some fantastic conditions for them and was hotly contested between Luke and Nick, with Luke eventually taking the win on countback.

South Coast ILCA Open at Seafarers Sailing Club - photo © Grace O'Neill

Prizegiving included a great tea (a big thanks to the cake ladies for the much needed and very tasty sustenance) and for those needing something a little stronger, the bar was a welcome sight. With the buzz of a successful Open meeting, competitors and volunteers alike reflected on a brilliant day's racing. A massive thanks to all the volunteers without whom we could not have made it happen. Seafarers is pleased to be back in the calendar for running regattas and looks forward to seeing new and familiar faces again next year.

Overall Results: