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Magic Marine Optimist open meeting at Hayling Island Sailing Club

by Sandy Ramus 14 Jun 2024 17:07 BST

With 156 entries signed up, this event promised to be one of the highlights of the Optimist racing calendar. The boats were divided into three, ability based, fleets.

A coached regatta fleet for those just starting out on their racing journey was a new experimental fleet this year and ended up being oversubscribed with more than 25 children on a waiting list.

Main Fleet: An Exciting Regatta at Bracklesham Bay

The main fleet boasted nearly 80 boats, setting the stage for a thrilling weekend of racing. As the event approached, it was clear that the wind and weather were going to deliver perfect conditions for competition.

Day One

Scheduled for four races in Bracklesham Bay, the fleet received their briefing and set sail. The first race showcased exceptional sailing in 10-15 knots of wind, with local rising star Charlie Holland catching up to claim the bullet. The second race went smoothly with a steady breeze, seeing Lymington's Hector Davies cross the finish line first.

Races three and four kept the race committee on their toes due to significant wind shifts. They managed to complete the third race, but had to abandon the fourth at the top mark when the breeze dropped and the increasing tide caused the fleet to park up.

Back ashore, Hayling Island Sailing Club (HISC) hosted a fantastic BBQ, and 10-year-old Jack Ward got the party started on the decks.

Day Two

With clear blue skies and a steady 10-15 knot breeze from the southwest, Jonny Rogers dominated the day, winning the first two races and finishing second behind Holland in the third. As time ticked on, the committee decided to go for a fourth race, which ended up being the best of the weekend as the breeze built from the northwest. Rogers, unfortunately, pulled the trigger a second too early on the black flag start, leaving the door open for Holland, who seized the opportunity and won the race, securing the regatta victory. This is an incredible achievement for the 11-year-old, proving he is definitely one to watch in the future.

Overall, it was a weekend filled with competitive racing and memorable moments, highlighting the talent and determination of young sailors like Charlie Holland.

Regatta Racing: Chichester Harbour

Nearly forty competitors took part in the Regatta Racing Fleet at The Magic Marine HISC Optimist Open Meeting, showcasing the skills of those not quite ready for main fleet sailing but close, competitive racing nether the less.

Day One

With a NW wind settling in the harbour the fleet set off bang on time and started the event in fantastic style. The wind and tide didn't quite play ball in a challenging first race but the pace was set by Theo Fox of Emsworth, Henry Finch of Royal Lymington and home HISC sailor, Felix Palmer-Ward.

Following a short delay due to a large wind shift to the West and a swift course move, races 2 & 3 got away. The top five were extremely close with Cara Lynch (HISC) and Charlotte Davis (Parkstone) each taking a second place against a strengthening tide mixing in with the front runners. Starts and upwind tactics were key!

Race 4 required another course move as the wind returned to the NW and the tide changed resulting in a bullet for Adam Gillow (CSC) who read the conditions perfectly.

Once the fleet had sailed back there was a chance to swim, chill and play at the club before the return of the Main Fleet before the In It To Win It Competition on the beach. A huge thank you to all the sponsors who provided a plethora of prizes.

Day Two

Following a short postponement ashore to allow more water to flood over Pilsey Sands the fleet set sail for four more races. A much more settled NW breeze with anything from 6-15 kts saw four great races take place.

The front five sailors of Theo Fox, Charlotte Davis, Felix Palmer-Ward, Henry Finch and Emily Tyrrell were all exchanging places, with Cameron Ritchie also posting two top three positions over the two days.

The final results had three U11 sailors leading the overall results - Theo, Charlotte & Felix. Probably more impressive was the fact that of the top fifteen, six were female and eight were U11, showing this is truly a level playing field and fleet for all.

A swift joint prize-giving with the Coached Regatta Fleet bought the event to its conclusion, with once again plenty of stash provided as prizes courtesy of our generous sponsors.

Coached Regatta fleet: Chichester Harbour

The welcome briefing to all coached regatta sailors and parents was from Lead Coach Melvyn Cooper on both mornings. Sailors were split into prepared groups with coaches Kuba Staite, Milly Boyle, Marcus Lynch and Will Fletcher.

They spent the morning ashore covering subjects such as starting procedure, flags and times, strategy to the windward mark, boat set up, windward and leeward mark rounding and essential basic rules.

Afloat, the morning exercises included slow boat speed control & stopping, broad reach to close-hauled on the whistle, upwind tacking and downwind gybing and daggerboard positions.

In the afternoon all coached regatta sailors took part in a weekend race series on West Mud over high water. Race Officer John Mckenna and ARO provided slick and no delay racing throughout the racing weekend. The coaching team supported the less experienced sailors around the race course.

Spotlight: Peter Tyrell from Hayling Island SC sailed a stunning series of consistent results. Peter remained alert taking full advantage of significant wind shifts upwind winning four races with his patient focus. Often sailing in the top 6 positions Peter found himself leading towards the end of races with his calm approach.

Lead Coach Melvyn Cooper said "It was a hugely enjoyable weekend of training and racing. The Coached Regatta programme provided a balance of learning new techniques together with some very competitive racing producing with lots of fun and new friendships. The coach team Kuba Staite, Milly Boyle, Marcus Lynch and Will Fletcher were on top form training the children both on and off the water. It's all about having fun and keeping our young sailors wanting more. I think we succeeded with the brief"

Parent Sarah Renard wrote "Thank you so very much to Melvyn Cooper and the team for all your amazing coaching. Clemmie had such a wonderful weekend. This weekend has made me realise how imperative it is to get children taking part in coached regatta to build their confidence before they start racing fully. It has been so beneficial to Clemmie."

Coach Milly Boyle added "I was so impressed with the children's progress and determination. The care and dedication from the coach team for the children and their sailing, really shows, it's what produces great sessions like these. The children had a really great time"

It is events like this that prove that the Optimist fleet has recovered well after Covid and is the best way to get your kids racing at whatever level they might be. The Optimist provides an incredible sailing journey for children from their first "boat on a rope" experience right through to the extensive international circuit that many of our top sailors enjoy. Always at the heart of it is having fun and making new friends, either at your club or from far away countries.

Hayling has become an epicentre for Optimist learning, racing, and training with over 60 boats regularly on the water backed by a dedicated and caring committee of keen parents.

We would like to say a huge thank you to our title Sponsor and club partner Magic Marine UK who gave a huge amount of support to the event, alongside other sponsors Xtremity, North Sails, Barracuda Bay, Sandy Point Chandlery, Savills and AR Design Studio.

Main Fleet Results:

PosSail NoHelmClubR1R2R3R4R5R6R7Pts
1st66Charlie HollandHISC16‑19621117
2nd6611Jonny RogersRLym2315112(BFD)24
3rd6657Callum MarshallBSC592394‑1132
4th6655finn ramusHISC84‑9448533
5thGBR 6621Hector DaviesRLymYC31‑285818237
6th6316Patrick Di SalleGSC1051212‑44737
7th6636Isla HutchinsonRLymYC137775(BFD)443
8th6593Fraser HakesPYC‑431148361244
9thGBR6447Arthur BakerRLYC14213117(BFD)350
10th6311Sean Di SalleGSC618617‑2031060
11th6515Rupert Garlick 410‑27141071560
12th6644Tom KeeganPYC9168‑201191770
13th665Laszlo DrummondRLYMYC11831106(BFD)672
14th6446Sam MachellHISC26(BFD)31823101696
15th6374Freddie JonesCYC7(BFD)11242524899
16th6349Felix Garlick 17122112(UFD)1721100
17th6546Wilbur palmer wardHisc1915261517(BFD)9101
18th6410Amelia KentHISC2214‑299152720107
19th6595Lizzie HudsonRlyc27‑441213321129124
20th6651Merryn WealthyWSC151917‑33272126125
21st6386Rachel ElmsHISC2122‑4027162519130
22nd6578Ruby CosterRLymYC2530‑3316141630131
23rd6547Jacques KentPYC321753121‑3327133
24th6505Guy KentPYC16211637‑391335138
25th6449Harry WhelanWWSC24‑323019221924138
26th6190Felix GladmanBSC3123222131(BFD)22150
27th6617Finley BrowneHISC23312432‑471233155
28th6512Darcy ODonnellRLMYC1220‑5125284636167
29th6606Noah MathersBSC412438‑50181532168
30thGBR6107Rory LuddingtonRCYC472710233429‑49170
31st6620Chloe DavisPYC442642281914(BFD)173
32nd6381Carwyn ParryPYC30(BFD)1436412825174
33rd6432Oscar CoatesTSC‑35353529302331183
34th6480Natalie AylingRLym4213206429(BFD)18186
35th6608Rufus de la HayeHISC383650(DNC)264114205
36th6524Leon GrundyHISC‑49333735333739214
37th6494Zoe GreenNSCRLy3941‑5622492243216
38th6646Max Ellis‑AsquithWSC4634184246‑4741227
39th6424Beth LlewellynHISC33294444‑575134235
40th6439Jack WardHISC‑52253649503444238
41st6618Wilbur de la HayeHISC36(BFD)BFD6638513239
42nd6484Isabella DeasPYC4537553453(BFD)28252
43rdGBR6615Meri GreenawayRSrnYC5043‑5947403837255
44th6551Elvi CoatesTSC5145234852(BFD)42261
45th6600Roisin EpsteinCBYC‑60474341434245261
46th6394Josie ClarkPYC54523446‑633047263
47th6282Finlay RitchieASYC2028495754(BFD)56264
48th6476Joshua AylingRLym40‑655445482653266
49thGBR 6572Oscar Hoyle (DNC)DNCDNC38242023267
50th5844Robby MayoRLymYC583925‑67444358267
51st6105Sam WealthyWSC18504851‑605355275
52nd6552Amelia BrowneHISC57484653‑654046290
53rd6415Edward JudsonHisc485439‑59554550291
54thGBR6331Iain CowardHISC6449474013(BFD)BFD294
55th6330Thomas ChildDabchi2946575559(BFD)62308
56th6249Stefano MarangioBSC6560653042(BFD)48310
57th6229Kit BentallNBYC6940625236(BFD)54313
58th6404Edward TaylorIBRSC6256526035(BFD)51316
59th6324Madeleine WhiteHISC565832‑68675064327
60th5908Buddy HuntDrayco535758‑65643661329
61st6643Finnian KeeganPYC595353‑63624957333
62nd6342Amelie RenardHOL55556754(UFD)4860339
63rd6514Kate CharlesworthHISC(DNC)DNCDNC62513540350
64th5731Finn KameenBSC686363‑70663265357
65th6569Charlie KnightsBSC373841(DNC)DNCDNCDNC359
66thGBR 6576Arthur PattisonISC(DNC)DNCDNC4337BFD38361
67th5664Sam TaylorIBRSC‑66626661565466365
68th6523Will FullerHISC(DNC)DNCDNC2645BFD52366
69th6658Oscar StephensBSC676461‑71683967366
70th6579Felix DobrijevicHisc6359606961(BFD)59371
71st6416Emily FranklinPYC(DNC)DNCDNC58583163372
72nd5500Alex WelfareLLSC345145(DNC)DNCDNCDNC373
73rd6640Pippa KnightsBSC284264(DNC)DNCDNCDNC377
74th5556Finn NealHSC/DA616168‑72695268379
75th6721  (DNC)DNCDNC39DNCDNCDNC444
76th6630  (DNC)DNCDNC56DNCDNCDNC461
77th6656Harry DraperPYC(DNC)DNCDNCDNCDNCDNCDNC486
77thGBR 6639Rory ArmstrongRSrnYC(DNC)DNCDNCDNCDNCDNCDNC486
77thGBR 6659Hugo FletcherRSrnYC(DNC)DNCDNCDNCDNCDNCDNC486
77th6507Sam BourkeCBYC(DNC)DNCDNCDNCDNCDNCDNC486

Racing Regatta Results:

PosSail NoHelmClubR1R2R3R4R5R6R7R8Pts
1st6275Theo FoxESC1313124‑615
2nd6350Charlotte DavisPYC472‑8312221
3rd6444Felix Palmer wardHisc3162‑1045122
4th657Henry FinchRLymYC2‑555231422
5th5732Emily TyrrellHISC56911611‑16351
6th6565Kit McCarthyPYC11946‑2376851
7th6393Cameron RitchieASYC1212313‑14631261
8th5947Finn SimmonsLTSC74‑177111081461
9th6237Robbie JudsonHisc611154‑191391068
10th6532Luke MooreHISC1087157815‑2570
11th6309Adam GillowCSC17101011812‑19573
12th6363Cara LynchHisc9212184‑20131674
13th6519Hettie HutchinsonRLymYC‑22181195217778
14th6520Elsie HutchinsonRLymYC13‑231610129121385
15th641Annabelle KentHisc‑1813814818141186
16th6289Rory BubbRLymYC815141716520‑2295
17thGBR6048William FosterWSC15191820131410‑21109
18th6212Maxim LucasRSrnYC1628(DNS)219152524138
19th508Camilla Garlick 262122‑3022161718142
20th6183Evan HannabyTSC24162619‑31231817143
21st5938Digby Werrey‑EasterbrookRLYMYC192521‑2625172123151
22nd5940Eliza GardnerBSC‑3322192220272819157
23rd6512Sophia TilleyHISC2024232826‑322415160
24th6631 14141312(DNC)DNCDNCDNC173
25th6315Eva BrindleyHisc283131‑3424192220175
26th5926Zoey BradshawESC211724253230‑3331180
27th6346Felicity KnibbHISC(DNC)DNCDNCDNC1526119181
28th5957Ella KaneHisc32202032292527(DNS)185
29th5960Henry KingBSC23‑29252327292929185
30thGBR6376Lumia GreenawayRSrnYC302627‑3330242628191
31st6497Florence EvansBSC27‑32302721313027193
32nd651Billy BuxtonBSC2527282928‑333130198
33rd6063Eve DudleyPSC29‑33321633283232202
34th6202Elsa KelseyHISC(DNC)DNCDNCDNC17222326208
35th5369Kaya CarringtonRLYC3130293134(DNC)DNCDNC235
36th6568Higo NoonanHISC(DNS)DNFDNS24DNCDNCDNCDNC264
37th4822Sam LamontPSC(DNS)34DNSDNSDNCDNCDNCDNC274
38th5661Orlando GarrettBSC(DNC)DNCDNCDNCDNCDNCDNCDNC280
38th6514Zoe GodbertHISC(DNC)DNCDNCDNCDNCDNCDNCDNC280

Coached Regatta Results:

PosSail NoHelmClubR1R2R3R4R5R6R7Pts
1st5266Peter TyrrellHISC121121(DNC)8
2nd5981Jaydene CooperHISC3526‑74222
3rd6345Archie DowlingRLYC2‑145715626
4th5164Jack WoodHISC436511‑12433
5th4904Riva AlvaradoHISC71103‑147836
6th6356Benji FosterHISC513122‑166139
7th4998Evelyn RogersonHISC‑11839910948
8th5817Maxwell McCaffertyLTSC94714‑248749
9th5423Barnaby KempASC19713‑21621562
10th4443Clemency RenardHOL17994322(DNC)64
11th6423Harry LimbreyHISC12‑214201215568
12th6579Dexter WylesESC1368‑291991368
13th5808Billy BubbRLymYC822(DNC)101731070
14th6051Isabella EdgecombeHISC102019‑25816376
15th4713Cara McKennaHISC151620818‑211693
16th4923Tobias AddisonEsc‑2310141322171793
17th6081Skye LynchHisc1415151821‑241295
18th4944Olivia MarkhamESC(DNC)DNC11115132398
19th3189Molly PlavenieksHISC16112222‑291825114
20thGBR 5985Ingaela LeaskHISC‑24191819231920118
21st5167George WhiteHISC6(DNC)1628202524119
22nd5903Sophie RussellHISC(DNC)DNCDNC12152311131
23rd6312Tom McKennaHISC2218(DNC)27133028138
24th4903Blaise KempASC(DNC)DNCDNC16261118141
25th5369 (DNC)DNCDNCDNC42014143
26th5178Olivia KnibbHISC(DNC)DNCDNC15281422149
27th6259Theo WardHISC181217(DNC)DNCDNCDNC152
28th6568Hugo NoonanHISC(DNC)DNCDNC23102727157
29th2183Zachary FoxESC(DNC)DNCDNC24252619164
30th4718George HandslipHISC251721(DNC)DNCDNCDNC168
31st4822Sam LamontPSC(DNC)DNCDNC26272921173
32nd6179Raffaella SartiHISC21(DNC)DNCDNCDNC2826180
33rd5202Ben HannabyTSC(DNC)DNCDNC17DNCDNCDNC192
34th6538Leo Ellis‑AsquithWSC20(DNC)DNCDNCDNCDNCDNC195

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