Merlin Rocket Felucca Trophy at Hollingworth Lake Sailing Club

Alex Jackson and Pippa Kilsby finish second in the Merlin Rocket Felucca Trophy at Hollingworth Lake © Steve Richardson

Matt Biggs and Beka Jones win the Merlin Rocket Felucca Trophy at Hollingworth Lake © Steve Richardson

The annual Felucca Trophy has just taken place at Hollingworth Lake Sailing Club on Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th October, with 16 Merlin Rockets going north to take part.

There was a chill in the air and a strong breeze forecast, and so the decision was made to bring one race forward to Saturday with just three knots forecast for Sunday. This was part of the Craftinsure Silver Tiller and the Northern Circuit.

Race 1 got under way promptly and the boats headed off around the cans. I can't claim to fully understand the wind conditions at Hollingworth but going left definitely paid, as those coming in on port to the first mark got a nice lift. Alex Jackson and Pippa Kilsby took an early lead, enjoying a close race with Matt Biggs and Beka Jones as patchy breeze left lots of opportunities to gain and lose places.

Behind 1st and 2nd place there was an up and down battle for 3rd through to 6th place, which was decided on the last beat, with James Wells and Anna Aylward coming in 3rd followed closely by Mark Stockbridge and Charlie Cotter, then local Nick Hegginbotham and Justine Davenport.

Some bigger gusts were starting to come in and a slightly different course was set for race 2, introducing mark C to the course. Off the start line Stuart Bates and Lydia Bourne went into the lead, finding some breeze on the right. On one of the short kite legs James and Anna took the lead, although disaster struck on the next kite hoist as the puller popped out leading to a comedy of errors culminating in a spinnaker pole smashing into Anna's face.

Now here, I (your report author) must note that the pole incident wasn't James' fault at all but you must forgive me because my memory of the rest of this race is rather hazy. I know there was a lot of excitement around mark C and some exciting kite legs, resulting in a race win for Matt and Beka, 2nd place for Alex and Pippa and an excellent 3rd place for Colin and Sean Anderson.

We took a break for lunch, accompanied by an ice pack, before we regrouped for two more races. Lots of breeze was starting to arrive, as well as a lot of rain expected so two shorter races went under way.

I actually can't remember a lot of race 3, it was the same course as race 2, and Alex and Pippa took another race win, followed again by Matt and Beka then James and Anna.

Race 4 was a slightly different course, leading a few boats to get confused over the first mark they were heading to. Les Bithell and Emma Turner went round the first mark first, closely followed by several boats. Lots of breeze meant for some exciting legs with a few boats taking a little swim.

About halfway through the race, Matt and Beka went sailing off into the distance, with James and Anna and Alex and Pippa having a good battle. James and Anna managed to get their own personal gust on the last reach, going flying towards the leaders but the race was shortened and Matt and Beka took their second win of the day, followed by James and Anna then Alex and Pippa.

Sailing was done for the day and just in time as it started hailing when we got back to the clubhouse. The famous Hollingworth hospitality was in full swing, with a delicious dinner and lots of cheap drinks, as well as a few trips through the porthole for newcomers to the club.

Sunday morning arrived and we looked out over a glassy lake, watching little puffs of wind barely washing across the lake. There was some classic boat park chit chat about whether we'd be sailing or not before sailing was eventually cancelled for the day.

Congratulations to Matt and Beka winning the event, Alex and Pippa coming in 2nd place and James and Anna coming in 3rd place. Well done to Mark and Charlie winning the gold fleet, Stephen Graham and Dom Lloyd winning the silver fleet and Les Bithell and Emma Turner winning the bronze fleet.

Thanks so much to Hollingworth for their incredible hospitality and all the team that ran the event! The next event on the calendar on the Craftinsure Silver Tiller is the event at Stone Sailing Club on 26th October. Please pre-book your dinner tickets here.

Overall Results: