Firefly South Western Championship 2024 at Restronguet Sailing Club

by Alex Baxter 30 May 05:39 BST 25-27 May 2024

Yet another changing of the guard

Despite the unexpected 'liquid sunshine' that Cornwall greeted us with, our 38 Fireflys showed remarkable resilience. The showers came thick and fast, but this only added to the thrill of the three days of racing.

The wind, ranging from 8mph-17mph, and the challenging direction provided a snakes-and-ladders course, with huge shifts and even bigger pressure lulls. These conditions kept everyone entertained and in need of a hard-earned tribute at the end of the day.

This also marked the second 'championship' out of three (Nationals, Inlands and South Westerns) to have been won by someone born in the wrong 21st century within the last calendar year. If you'd asked someone a year ago which Pank or Hudson would be winning Firefly events, I'm sure they'd have given you a very different response (sorry, Roger, I think Finn may have been the exception here!). Such is the depth of the up-and-coming talent that one nine-time national championship winner was heard saying on Monday evening after a dark stormy that his days of winning are behind him. Indeed, it is remarkable that 31% of helms were under 30 and 60% of crews. The Nationals line-up is looking even younger, and it goes to show that Fireflys are a cheap and accessible boat that provides young people the opportunity to race their mates at a manageable cost, racing against teams of all ages, many of whom fell in love with these small, remarkable boat, team racing in a previous generation.

Saturday

Saturday began with a very kind 13:00 start for many. Unfortunately, this proved rather challenging for one contingent coming from Oxfordshire, with Ben and James Nicholl only arriving once many boats had already launched. Ben made it to the start line very impressively. After the first pasty of many, the fleet set out on a relatively sunny and windy day.

Race 1:

The fleet was greeted on the race course by beautiful conditions with a strong breeze and somehow not too many Restronguet mega shifts. Off the start, the boats at the pin end took an early lead. Many of the fleets had given 'land on the left, go left' some thought, with convergence at the top quarter of the beat coming into play.

In 'Horror', Finn Morris and Robbie Hudson led at the windward mark and were closely followed by Ben Lumby and Liz Evans in 'Kong'. The two leaders extended down the reach, leaving a trail of carnage behind. There was some particularly epic incompetence on show from the fleet after many boats had been tucked away all winter. Alex Baxter and Ella Vincent complained of a soft shackle coming undone with 1 minute to go, and Steve Greaves and Jane Hudson had the ignominy of a toe-strap failure, coupled with nearly capsizing when sailing around on their own half a leg behind the rest of the fleet at the gybe mark.

After some brutal hiking, Finn/Robbie just held on to take the win from Ben/Liz. Stuart and Lizzie Hudson in 'Fursty Ferret' emerged from the pack to third.

Race 2:

After a much-needed break between races, race 2 was started. Up the first beat, the fleet raced towards the left-hand side, and at the windward mark, Finn and Robbie held a slight lead from Dom and Sophia Johnston in 'Gemini Too' and Jono and Freddie Pank in 'Pogie'.

Finn and Robbie sailed off, having a relatively relaxed race. However, behind them was a nip-and-tuck affair between Jono/Freddie, Dom/Sophia, Nigel and Emily Saunderson in 'Tip Top Too' and Alex and Ella Vincent in 'Scruffy'. The second beat proved taxing. Alex/Ella, having sat out the first race, had fresh legs and went from 5th to third, rounding just behind Dom/Sophia. However, Jono/Freddie and Nigel/Emily sailed back past them downwind on the run. The final beat was a similarly challenging affair. Nigel/Emily ran the left-hand-bell and, unfortunately, fell flat. Jono/Freddie and Alex/Ella challenged Dom/Sophia, but they played the shifts by going up the middle while protecting the dangerous left-hand side. Alex/Ella got stuck out right and faded relatively. Meanwhile, Jono/Freddie consolidated third and was comfortably ahead of 4th and 5th. Down the reach, the only place to change was Nigel/Emily, once again storming past Alex/Ella.

Therefore, Finn and Robbie won their first and second championship races with a perfect picket fence of a day. Mum Amy and dad Roger had, with incredible for-sight, organised Finn an 18th birthday celebration that evening before the traditional Saturday night Restronguet Curry was kindly put on by the club's volunteers. Ben Lumby kindly presented Finn with a Restronguet club tie for the evening to mark his remarkable sailing and new-found legal certification for getting a tattoo, voting rights and buying pints. I know which one will slow him down in the future!

Sunday

With a few sore heads after the curry, not least for overnight leader Finn Morris and class legend Jim Bramley, who was last seen entering an overnight lock-in in Castaways, the fleet was rearing for another day of beautiful Restronguet sailing.

The wind had swung around, now providing a challenging shift on-shore South Westerly for the fleet to get to grips with.

Race 3:

Sunday morning's race was the lightest and sunniest. The fleet was started off St Just with a beat back towards the club. The wind was in a "left phase" at the start. Nigel/Emily started well and got their tack in, as did Angus Cooke and Dom Bowden in 'Officer Dibble'. These two made good progress back to the middle before the wind swung back to the right. By the end of the race, Nigel/Emily had extended to a healthy lead, proving that the 'oldies' still have some life left in them. Despite Angus/Dom's valiant endeavours, they were passed by the omnipresent Stuart and Lizzie Hudson, Alex, and Stella Davey in 'Mustard'. (Both crews are reaping the benefits of copious amounts of Oppie squad training).

Race 4:

The second race of Sunday began with some classic Restronguet, on-shore-wind shifts, leading to the fleet being very keen for the first two races. After two misfires, the race finally got under way with a black flag.

Most of the fleet had opted to continue trying to get away at the pin end of the line. However, those who fared best started at the Committee boat and tacked off into increased pressure and a hefty righty. At the top end of the beat, it was Alex/Ella closely followed by Guy Davison and Sally Wakefield in 'Lynestra' with Ben/Liz, Jono/Freddie and Lucy and Rachel in 'Willow' in hot pursuit. Alex comically hit the windward mark when leading, but thankfully, after a year of team racing terribly, is well practised in spinning quickly and went from first to third—this left Guy/Sally in the lead.

Two long reaches continued, with the second being where places changed. Over the top went Jono/Freddie, Nigel/Emily and Alex/Ella, leaving Guy/Sally and Ben/Liz buried underneath. Guy/Sally just managed to hold on, but Ben/Liz were the big losers. At the bottom were Guy/Sally, Jono/Freddie and Alex/Ella, with Nigel/Emily close behind. Up-wind, it became clear that Alex/Ella, with some 30-year younger legs, had the best upwind speed and managed to power through to the lead by some distance by the next windward. Nigel/Emily were in second, with Ben/Liz and Jono/Freddie in hot pursuit. A long and now quite windy run followed, with Nigel/Emily Jono/Freddie catching Alex/Ella.

Fortunately, Alex/Ella managed to cling on, covering his opponents, who got dragged out left just as a vast, 20-degree right shift came in. This allowed many of the 'next row' boats, Guy/Sally, Ben/Liz and a newly appearing Jamie and Ben McEwen in 'Skirmish', to shoot forward. At the finish line, Alex and Ella won their first-ever championship race, followed by Ben and Liz, Guy and Sally. Nigel/Emily and Jono/Freddie had been big losers on the final beat, only to find out once ashore that they had both fallen victim to the black flag.

Monday

Race 5:

Race 5 began bright and early. This caused some confusion on the shore, with many crews forgetting that the start time was earlier. Angus had spent too long showing off his abs during his morning swim and not enough time rigging his boat or putting on sailing clothes, as poor Dom was left standing waiting. An old Carley Simon song from 1972 comes to mind.

Most of the fleet made it out eventually and were ready for the start. All of the rushing had rubbed off on the fleet's starting skills, and after many general recalls, the fleet got away under a black flag. The leaders came out of a tight bunch at the pin. The race course was littered with snakes and ladders, causing havoc as the fleet went upwind. A huge left shift at the top of the beat allowed the boats on the left to crack off and plane into the mark to take the lead. Finn and Robbie, clearly in better nick due to the lack of birthday parties, led from Jono/Freddie, with Stuart and new crew Huw Beverley-Jones (Lizzie deserted her dad for Oppie Camp), fighting through the pack into third. The wind died through the race, causing many stressful moments, but Finn and Robbie held on, closely followed by Jono and Freddie. Stuart and Huw finished in third.

Race 6:

The final race started in similar conditions at the second attempt under a U Flag. The fleet was well spread, and an early left shift saw most of the fleet heading up the course on port. With the windward mark set just off Mylor, the beat transitioned into a fairly shifty game of snakes and ladders; Stuart/Huw were looking very strong, leading the right-hand side of the course. Finn/Robbie looked the strongest on the left, with the wind oscillating and some big pressure changes towards the top of the beat. The boats from the middle were well positioned to play the very shifty final part of the beat, and pressure from the left saw the right siders struggling to find a decent lane back to the mark; the left-handers overstood, popping out first at the top of the beat was Jono/Freddie followed closely by Dom/Sophia and Angus/ Dom finished the top three.

Angus/Dom got inside Dom/Sophia after the reach, coming into second; then Ben/Liz motored through on the second reach to take second. Next top mark Finn/Robbie played the shifts well to take 3rd, downwind Jono/Freddie clear ahead saw a big bunch behind battling it out in high mode; Angus had a slight moment but managed to stay upright. By the bottom, things were very tight, with the 'bunch' proving nip-and-tuck, with Jamie/Ben having zoomed downwind to get into the mix, along with Alex/Ella.

Jono/Freddie consolidated his lead upwind, playing the shifts masterfully to extend into a very comfortable lead. Finn/Robbie and Angus/Dom managed to squeeze ahead further. At one point, it looked like Alex/Ella might have caught up from the 'pack' behind, having gone left, but a big righty led to Ben/Liz, Jamie/Ben and Angus/Dom getting away, with Dom/Sophia and Alex/Ella falling behind.

On the final downwind, Ben/Liz pushed Finn/Robbie hard, whilst Angus/Dom managed to hold on in front of the down-wind machine of Jamie/Ben. Slightly further behind, a resurgent Cornish Pirate-pairing of Dave and Betty Sincock in 'Spiderling' had managed to surf straight past Dom/Sophia and Alex/Ella, only for the three to be re-jumbled entirely on the final beat, with Dom/Sophia finishing off the top six.

Well done to Jono/Freddie for ensuring that at least 50% of the races were won by helms born before 2000. However, it was nowhere near enough to stop Finn and Robbie from claiming a well-deserved championship win, finishing eight points ahead of Ben and Stuart, who were tied on points. Indeed, this was a running theme with only 7 points separating 2-6th.

The fleet went ashore to hastily pack up the now increasing number of dynastic double-stackers, with parents and children alike loading their Freddies up for the long drive home. After a fantastic prize-giving, with a hearty local roar for Ben and Liz and an even bigger one for first-time winners Finn and Robbie, the fleet divulged in the amazing Restronguet cream tea. Many thanks must be given to team Restronguet for what, for many, the best three days of sailing the year has to offer.

Many headed home, but those who stayed on Monday evening enjoyed celebrating Nigel Wakefield's 50th birthday party. Massive congratulations to Nigel for getting this far! Some say rum was being consumed well into the wee hours of the morning, and one member of the fleet was reported lost by his wife at 4 am only to be found passed out on the sofa.

The fleet will return to Restronguet for the National Championship from the 27th July until the 2nd of August. We already have an incredible entry of 63 boats, and after discussions this weekend, it will be capped at 80. Therefore, if you don't want to miss out on actual Cornish sunshine, competitive racing, and the chance to be spanked by some teenagers, get your entry in ASAP.

Overall Results:

Pos	Sail No	Boat Name	Helm	Crew	Club	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	Pts
1	F 3119	Horror	Finian Morris	Robbie Hudson	RLYC and HISC	1	1	7	(9)	1	2	12
2	F 2659	Kong	Ben Lumby	Liz Evans	RSC	2	8	5	2	(9)	3	20
3	F 3850	Fursty Ferret	Stuart Hudson	Lizzie Hudson	RLymYC	3	7	2	5	3	(11)	20
4	F 1954	Pogie	Jono Pank	Freddie Pank	Imperial Poona YC	8	3	9	(BFD)	2	1	23
5	F 3615	Skirmish	Jamie McEwen	Ben McEwen	Royal Lymington YC	6	(13)	6	4	4	5	25
6	F 3007	Tip Top Too	Nigel Wakefield	Emily Saunderson	Netley Sailing Club	5	4	1	(BFD)	8	9	27
7	F 3695	Officer Dibble	Angus Cook	Dominic Bowden	Castaways/RHYC	12	6	4	6	(17)	4	32
8	F 2246	Scruffy	Alex Baxter	Ella Vincent	OCSS	(DNS)	5	10	1	16	7	39
9	F 3154	Gemini Too	Dom Johnson	Sophia Johnson	Downs SC	7	2	(28)	17	12	6	44
10	F 3318	Lynestra	Guy Davison	Guy Davison	Llangorse SC	10	16	8	3	(20)	14	51
11	F 973	Spiderling	David sincock	Betty Sincock	Restronguet sailing club	13	9	14	10	(15)	8	54
12	F 3023	Fourwood Thinking	Barney Smith	Katherine Wolfe‑Barry	Hamble River Sailing Club	4	14	13	7	(27)	19	57
13	F 2649	Mustard	Alex Davey	Stella Davey	Royal Harwich YC	11	18	3	20	13	(RET)	65
14	F 1867	Cumulus	Steven Greaves	Jane Hudson	Royal Lymington SC	(34)	12	20	19	5	10	66
15	F 1384	Pooh	Amy Morris	Gilly Phillips	RLYC and HISC	19	(24)	16	18	6	21	80
16	F 3556	Hush	Sarah Jarman	Ella Ashworth	Netley SC & Lymington Town SC	15	21	(25)	11	10	24	81
17	F 2065	Bonkers	Jason Aldous	Josephine Mason	Papercourt Sailing Club	24	11	(26)	13	23	12	83
18	F 3874	Tarantella	Angus McEwen	Eriskay Maclellan	Royal Lymington YC	23	19	11	16	(30)	17	86
19	F 3133	Thermopylae	Roger Morris	Georgie Sutcliffe	Royal Lymington YC	16	23	21	14	14	(25)	88
20	F 2502	Cyclone	Sophia Hulbert	Alan Hulbert	Restronguet	9	25	(RET)	12	22	22	90
21	F 4125	Threshdar	James Nicoll	Freya Halsall	WOSC	(DNS)	10	17	15	25	23	90
22	F 2294	Nerapi	Milo Gill‑Taylor	Hugh Tomkins	OCSS	14	26	12	(BFD)	28	13	93
23	F 4000	Walrus	Will Mason	Amy Bowden	Hayling Island SC	17	20	24	(28)	18	16	95
24	F 3690	Mutsy	Thomas Davey	Cameron Bowden	Royal Harwich YC/Royal Hospital Sch	20	17	(29)	24	21	15	97
25	F 3741	Ma Hon	Arthur Greaves	William McEwen	Royal Lymington SC	29	15	(31)	26	7	28	105
26	F 498	Dido	Mark Tait	Beatrice Tait	Dell Quay	25	(DNC)	15	BFD	11	18	108
27	F 3739	Willow	Lucy Boreham	Rachel Crebbin	Chichester Yatch Club	22	28	23	8	(32)	29	110
28	F 4234	Vader	Izzy Johnson	Freya Phillips	Downs SC	27	(29)	18	27	26	20	118
29	F 4400	Swaggle	Erin Pank	Matthew Mason	Castle Cove SC	21	27	(32)	21	24	27	120
30	F 3550	Water Spider	Jo McEwen	Jonquil Hackenberg	Royal Lymington YC	26	30	27	22	19	(32)	124
31	F 3009	Ross's Boat	Ben Nicoll	Nuala Sellwood	West Oxfordshire SC/RLYC/LLSC/RSC	18	31	19	25	34	(RET)	127
32	F 3554	Striga	James Ball	Esme Hemmingway	West Oxfordshire Sailing Club	28	22	(30)	23	29	26	128
33	F 2925	Dignity	Sebastian Schmidt	Elea Hackenberg	Penzance Sailing Club	30	32	22	31	(RET)	RET	154
34	F 2525	Hookey	Gideon Sherwood	Arthur Sherwood		32	33	34	29	(37)	33	161
35	F 8	Fate	Guy English	Becca Scouse	RSC	31	34	33	30	(36)	35	163
36	F 3288	Tinkerbell	Maddie Greaves	Polly Mason	Royal Lymington YC	33	(35)	35	32	33	31	164
37	F 3095	Mensonge	Christian Guy	Iona Sherwood		(DNC)	DNC	DNC	DNC	31	30	178
38	F 2380		James Oborne	Bella Oborne	Spinnaker Sailing Club	(RET)	DNC	RET	DNC	35	34	186
Series notes: none