Please select your home edition
Edition
Sailingfast 2018 728x90

Sailingfast ILCA Thames Valley Grand Prix at Welsh Harp Sailing Club

by Neil Crosby 26 Jul 2024 19:11 BST 20 July 2024

The latest event on the Sailingfast sponsored Thames Valley ILCA Grand Prix circuit was held at Welsh Harp Sailing Club on Saturday July 20th. In a shifty south-westerly ranging from very light to marginal planing, twenty ILCA 7s and three ILCA 6s lined up together for the four races.

In Race 1, John Curran led from virtually start to finish followed by Neil Crosby and Julian Bradley with those positions not changing to the finish. Julian didn't help his cause by hooking the committee boat with his mainsheet when trying to attack Neil on the last downwind leg. Christopher Kilshaw was first ILCA 6.

The second race quickly turned into a very tight two-boat contest between Julian and Neil. Julian squeezed in front at the first leeward mark and the next two laps consisted of some very close quick tacking covering by Julian on Neil on the beats and defending on the downwinds. Julian kept the lead to the finish with Alan Holloway leading the chasing pack home in 3rd with Christopher again leading the ILCA 6s fleet.

The third race was a carbon copy of the second with Julian leading and close covering Neil in second after the two of them got clear at the start. This dual enabled third placed Richard Lymposs to close in on the two of them late in the race, but this order remained until the finish. This ensured Julian would win the ILCA 7s overall with 5 points ahead of Neil in second with 6 points, regardless of what happened in the final race. Christopher again was first ILCA 6 ensuring his overall victory.

Despite the top two ILCA 7 positions being decided already, Race 4 turned out to be the best race of the day with 6 boats fighting it out with multiple lead and position changes. This time Julian and Neil lost out to the other four who were fighting it out for third place overall. Gareth Jones won it with Richard Lymposs in second, Micha Meyers from the home club in third and John Curran in fourth. This gave Gareth third place overall, one point in front of John in fourth who pushed Richard down to fifth on countback.

Thanks go the race and shore teams for the excellent running of the event in some testing conditions for the race officer.

ILCA 7 Results:

PosSail NoHelmClubR1R2R3R4Pts
1st13 0596Julian BradleyBLYM311‑65
2nd224552Neil CrosbyBowmoor222‑56
3rd196557GarethWembley4‑11419
4th202533John CurranWembley1‑65410
5th222771Richard LympossBowmoor‑553210
6th8Yossi ShaharWHSC‑1246818
7th184015Muffin GreenWHSC87‑10722
8th69Nick HeenanWHSC797‑1323
9th219377Gareth WilsonWHSC6‑1211926
10th205168Maurice FutermanWHSC989‑1626
11thWHSC2Nat SpurlingWHSC11‑1381029
12th144622Micha MeyersWHSC15‑1614332
13th191676James ScottBLYM10‑14131235
14th209487Alan HollowayWembley133(DNF)DNS37
15th218255Linda SheardWHSC1410‑151438
16th192857Nick CookWHSC(DNS)15121138
17th185422Johannes MenzelWHSC16‑18171548
18thWHSC7Timothy MarkwickBLYM‑1717161750
19thWHSC1Ben SheardWHSC18‑19181854
20thWHSC5Daniel AlbuBLYM192019(DNS)58

ILCA 6 Results:

PosSail NoHelmClubR1R2R3R4Pts
1st218940Christopher KilshawWHSC‑11113
2nd174662Cathy HowardWHSC‑22226
3rd19321Sarah LohanWHSC(DNS)33DNS10

Related Articles

4 Canadians set for ILCA Olympic Format Test Event
A new competition format will be tested in Vilamoura, Portugal A total of four Canadian sailors will take part in an ILCA Olympic Format Test Event ahead of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games that will be held October 8-11 (reserve day: October 12) in Vilamoura, Portugal. Posted on 6 Oct
Endeavour Trophy 2025 Event Video
Action from on the water, interviews with the sailors! The Endeavour Trophy is one of the most coveted in UK sailing, gathering National Champions for each dinghy class to battle it out at the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club at Burnham-on-Crouch over an October weekend. Posted on 6 Oct
505 champs win Endeavour Trophy 2025
UK's Champion of Champions event sees gusts over 30 knots at Burnham-on-Crouch Big winds reaching over 30kts tested the 30 dinghy champions to the limit on Sunday and, with just four races to count with no discard, it was always going to be an interesting outcome. Posted on 6 Oct
Big winds stop play at Endeavour Trophy
Champion of champions' big event blasted by 50kt + winds It was supposed to be the opening day of racing for the Endeavour Trophy today, but with relentless strong winds reaching over 50kts in the gusts, Edwin Buckley and his team had no option other than postpone the racing until tomorrow. Posted on 4 Oct
64th Endeavour Trophy Welcomes New Melges 15
New chapter for dinghy champion of champions event at Burnham-on-Crouch Despite the threat of Storm Amy disrupting proceedings at the 64th Endeavour Trophy (3-5 October), a total of 30 national champions gathered at the Royal Corinthian YC, Burnham-on-Crouch this morning for the opening day's training session. Posted on 3 Oct
ILCA 6 and 7 sailors in action in Kingston
For Sail Canada 2025 Senior Championships this weekend The ILCA 6 and ILCA 7 sailors will be in action in Kingston, October 3-5, during the Sail Canada 2025 ILCA 6 and 7 Senior Championships. Posted on 1 Oct
Crossroads Moment for Olympic Sailing
Many changes to scoring over the last 20 years - it looks like it's all going to change again Perceived lack of attention span, confusing scoring systems, the need for TV to have an understandable format and grandstand' moment has led Olympic sailing to experiment with various formats over the past 20 years, and it is now looking to change again. Posted on 29 Sep
2025 ILCA Master Worlds at Formia, Italy
Aa week of challenging conditions and fierce international competition The 2025 ILCA Master World Championships came to a close on Sunday in Formia, wrapping up a week of challenging conditions, fierce international competition, and unforgettable moments both on and off the water. Posted on 29 Sep
Bulwarks and Bulldust – Show 1 Season 3
Shane Guanaria from Doyle Sails and Zen Racing talks Admiral's Cup, Hobart, Hammo and a heap more... Episode One - Straight from the Admiral's Cup and Hamilton Island Race Week, Shane Guanaria from Doyle Sails and Zen Racing talks about those events, the impending 80th Hobart, and pathways into sailing. Lots to learn, so strap in for a terrific time. Posted on 27 Sep
ILCA Grand Prix at Bowmoor
Another reminder to read the instructions carefully, and note the buoys carefully Twenty-one ILCAs turned out at Bowmoor Sailing Club on Saturday September 20th for their ILCA Grand Prix meeting. It counts towards both the Wessex Grand Prix series and for the Thames Valley series. Posted on 23 Sep