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BUCS British University Fleet Racing Championships 2024 at Royal Torbay Yacht Club

by Isobel Stewart 19 Nov 11:17 GMT 16-17 November 2024
BUCS British University Fleet Racing Championships at Torbay © Moiz Shah

Light winds were forecast for Torquay during the BUCS Fleets weekend, hosted by Exeter University Sailing Club, but the race team pulled off an incredible event - managing to complete the six-race series in especially tricky conditions.

The event saw 95 boats and 182 sailors competing across two courses: the Firefly fleet and the handicap fleet, each racing on windward-leeward courses. Despite wind speeds barely climbing above 8mph all weekend, the race committee expertly identified the few windows of opportunity for racing, earning the admiration of all competitors.

Saturday's Racing

The day started early with a 9:30 briefing (a tough ask for university students!), followed by launching and Race 1. The morning saw a steady breeze, but by the final lap, Torbay was becoming glassy, and the Firefly fleet had a close yet slow-motion finish.

Race 2 looked unlikely with low-speed drifting dominating the scene, but the race committee persevered. The wind filled in up the first beat, saving the race after a challenging start.

Race 3 followed, starting just in time to finish the fleet before the wind completely disappeared, leaving competitors to sail home.

By the end of Day 1, the competition was fierce at the front of the fleet, with Will Pank and Dan Malickis (UEA) leading, followed closely by Jamie Tylecote and Jamie Elder (Exeter), and Ben Tylecote and Lucy Cox (Loughborough).

Saturday Evening

The Saturday night dinner was a highlight, with special mention to Natascia Lillywhite for her amazing decorations and to Freya Lillywhite and Toby Hebblethwaite for organising a highly entertaining evening of dinner and dancing, followed by a night out in Exeter.

Sunday's Racing

Sunday began slowly, with competitors launching late (no prizes for guessing why). Initially, zero wind made getting to the racecourse look unpromising. However, the race committee once again nailed their timing, with the wind filling in across Torbay, allowing three more races to take place.

The patchy breeze meant finding gusts was key, and the Tylecote teams demonstrated exceptional skill (perhaps honed from their shifty reservoir experience), securing all the day's race wins between them.

Final Results:

  • Slow Handicap Fleet: Ollie Meadowcroft and Harvey Godel (Exeter) dominated, counting only first places in their National 12, a fantastic boat for young sailors.
  • Fast Handicap Fleet: Hazel McDonnell, crewed by Laura Hantrais (Exeter), sailed an RS200 superbly in the light winds, counting all firsts and one-second place.
  • ILCA Handicap Fleet: Luke Anstey (Surrey) won in an ILCA 7, fending off strong competition from James Curtis (Southampton) and Paris Olympian Charlotte Webster.
  • Firefly Fleet: Jamie Tylecote and Jamie Elder (Exeter) put together an impressive series of only top-three results in a fleet of 66 boats.

Acknowledgements

The event wouldn't have been possible without the dedication of Exeter University Sailing Club volunteers, who invested significant time into planning, organising, and arranging Fireflys borrowed from Sevenoaks School and RGS Guildford. Special thanks go to Robin Alexander (Event Director) and Matt Shaw (Exeter Commodore), the key organisers, and Louise Sanders for managing media.

A massive shout out also goes to the 42 Royal Torbay Yacht Club members who gave up their weekend to ensure the event's success, assisting with trolleys and managing the organised chaos of hundreds of university students. Particular thanks to PROs Bob Penfold and Mike Johnson for their tireless efforts, enabling the completion of a full series.

Open Team Results:

1st: Southampton
2nd: Exeter
3rd: Warwick

Women's Team Results:

1st: Exeter
2nd: UEA
3rd: Bristol

BUCS Points:

1st Exeter 70
2nd Southampton 32
3rd UEA 28
4th Bristol 18
5th Portsmouth 14
6th Surrey 12
7th Warwick 10
8th Cambridge 8
9th Solent 8
10th Bath 6
11th Loughborough 6
12th Cardiff 5
13th Falmouth and Exeter 5
14th Imperial College London 4
15th Swansea 4
16th Plymouth 3

Firefly Fleet Results:

PosSail NoHelmCrewUniversityR1R2R3R4R5R6Pts
1st3764Jamie TylecoteJamie ElderExeter1‑321318
2nd999Will PankDan MalickisUEA311(DNF)2411
3rd3037Benjamin TylecoteLucy CoxLoughborough‑42421211
4th4445Terry HackerLuke KnezevicSouthampton25344‑818
5th3871Alice LucyHazel JonesExeter‑54555524
6th4443Ben Hutton‑PenmanEva BriggsSouthampton6‑7766631
7th4094Becky CaigerJulia BarnesEdinburgh1269‑1310744
8th4095Ota DvorakRory GiffordEdinburgh1117‑21311345
9th2300Freddie FisherIsobel StewartExeter7‑2481281045
10thE5Samuel ZolnaiThomas Harland‑SmithWarwick‑15151079950
11thE2Rachael BetschartAmelia LewisExeter8813‑16121152
12th4439Luis SampedroGonzalo AltamiranoSouthampton13131297‑1754
13th3914Henry KoeLola AndrewsWarwick1011622‑292271
14th395Ben OsborneJohn RuddPortsmouth91814‑19171371
15thK1Ralph NevileQuinn CassidyCardiff1891121‑281675
16th4441William HillMaximus FlambardSouthampton‑36141626301298
17th3951Curtis MckayGeorge RossPortsmouth212026‑381521103
18thK2Barty GrayAlicia CondieCardiff17‑4843141615105
19th3953Louise DaviesGrace CapersPortsmouth232122‑282019105
20th3797Ethan DaveyCharles BlagburnPlymouth25161915‑3231106
21stE1Florence NichollsManuela RodríguezExeter1634‑3581834110
22nd22Maryn WilkesPim SirilarUCL32‑3331171914113
23rd23Cara BlandAlec Orr ProsperUCL1432‑36102733116
24th3795William De JaegerOscar MasonPlymouth261934‑351327119
25th3798Max CullyRyan DaviesPlymouth24252027‑4024120
26th4444Finlay CampbellRhys EvansUEA282227‑292618121
27thE4Cameron YatesToby HebblethwaiteExeter2029232525‑35122
28thE3Finbar WormwellFreya LillywhiteExeter272728‑302420126
29th3950Alfie CoggerAndi HoxhaPortsmouth22‑4333232228128
30th24Issy LeetchMia WilsonUCL2939‑42111436129
31st3915Shaan MutrejaClaire Van HeelWarwick3437181823‑39130
32nd3799Madeline BilbroughOlivia McMorrisPlymouth35233020‑3625133
33rdK3Tilly PhelpsTom LeeCardiff1910‑44403926134
34th4353Phoebe petersCiara charlwoodBristol‑391217393137136
35th3796Oliver BaddeleyThomas HumphreyPlymouth‑502625372132141
36th4378Sasha TydemanAlice BradfordUEA‑492840243323148
37th3820Chloe HardingLouise WoodleyUEA31‑4232363441174
38th4379Rosie MadinRosemarie HowesUEA37(DNF)38334130179
39th4442Toby Peter MooreThomas Christopher NelsonSouthampton4130155247‑53185
40th4355Joshua LyttleAurelia MeadwayBristol4454243444‑59200
41st4354Eliza SouthFreya HudsonBristol42(DNC)41434529200
42nd4351Emma RammEllie ColeBristol3836‑49444342203
43rd3955Zoe SmithRachel PalmerPortsmouth474437‑494238208
44th2516Cian EpsteinRosalie TrillingImperial College London‑523845424940214
45th3913Brett TudorAndrew ScottWarwick4840‑59324649215
46thF31Todd WatkinsAdam NewnsUWE40495331‑5550223
47th3800Fay Murray SmithHayley OldenPlymouth333129(DNC)DNCDNC227
48th4440Madeleine SlaterLauren HuSouthampton‑583552503855230
49th20Lucy Aird‑BrownLibby ChamberlainOxford Brookes46‑5958483746235
50th80085Josh WilliamsSummer BrooksImperial College London‑544747455444237
51st4352Thomas BaulkwillRichard MillettBristol55‑5746415348243
52nd4356Jack RobinsonElsie JacksonBristol43‑5654515145244
53rd1446Oscar Morgan‑HarrisJack OwensSolent304539(DNC)DNCDNC248
54thT2Olivia JacksonRosaleen Cunningham‑DayExeter‑635155535043252
55thR5Maximillian Harry EnglandOscar SullivanFalmouth and Exeter(OCS)52UFD473554255
56thE6Daisy NicholsDominic SwitzerNewcastle455350‑585657261
57th2297Archie MartinCharles ArnoldSolent57414856(DNF)60262
58th19Alexander DentskevichToby MooreOxford Brookes535851‑605847267
59th21Max SmithSpike CombesOxford Brookes6262‑63465251273
60thR4Isabella HardakerJoe SimpsonFalmouth and Exeter6161‑62544852276
61stR1Fergal WallbankDylan HaddonFalmouth and Exeter6063(UFD)555756291
62ndT1Aidan WongLiam ReillyExeter564656(DNC)DNCDNC292
63rd3954Amber BrakerBeth SharpPortsmouth‑646057595958293
64th3778Ryan HarrisWill WardSurrey515561(DNC)DNCDNC301
65thR2Chloe MansiHettie RankinFalmouth and Exeter‑656460576061302
66thT3Lana HalaweTilly WelshExeter5950(UFD)DNCDNCDNC310

ILCA Fleet Results:

PosClassHelmUniversityRatingR1R2R3R4R5R6Pts
1stILCA 7Luke AnsteySurrey1102‑3113117
2ndILCA 7James CurtisSouthampton1102‑2221229
3rdILCA 6Thommie GritUEA11541332‑4312
4thILCA 6Charlotte WebsterFalmouth and Exeter115444443‑519
5thILCA 6Caroline HohenederBristol1154‑55555424
6thILCA 7Edward wildmanSouthampton1102‑86677632
7thILCA 6Robin AlexanderExeter115468(DNC)66RET36
8thILCA 6Emelia TinchPlymouth115477788(DNF)37
9thILCA 6Will JacksonFalmouth and Exeter1154(DNC)DNCDNCDNCDNCDNC50

Fast Handicap Fleet Results:

PosClassSail NoHelmCrewUniversityRatingR1R2R3R4R5R6Pts
1stRS2001616Hazel McDonnellLaura HantraisExeter104611‑51216
2ndRS2001747Matt TaylorEddie LathamSolent10462‑4121410
3rdRS2001654Imogen WadeFred LanghorneBath1046623‑95218
4thRS200655Oliver Mitchelmore‑HawkinsArchie Mitchelmore‑HawkinsSwansea104635‑653319
5thRS2001666Amy BoyleAlice CarterBristol10464‑7244620
6thRS2001540Max SydenhamEd SaundersBristol10469373‑10729
7thRS2001543Natalie AnnelsDarcy LynallSouthampton104658867‑934
8thRS2001577Daniel CorbettSam WaltonSouthampton1046‑1064791036
9thRS2001659Esme BarracloughBen DeardenLoughborough10468‑101086537
10thRS2001536Ben SimmondsWilliam HellewellSouthampton1046799‑1111844
11th29er2122Millie DeaconThomas ArmstrongExeter895111111108(RET)51
12thRS8001014Derrin ScottElla NicholsNewcastle799(DNF)DNF12DNCDNCDNC64

Slow Handicap Fleet Results:

PosClassSail NoHelmCrewUniversityRatingR1R2R3R4R5R6Pts
1stNational 123543Oliver MeadowcroftHarvey GodelExeter1070‑3111115
2ndRS Aero 72439Tim Hire Cambridge106112323‑411
3rdRS Aero 73018William Caiger Bristol10612‑5234314
4thSolo4643Henry Heathcote Imperial College London1142‑63552217
5thRS Aero 72438Kate Wharmby Cambridge1061444‑66523
6th42056339Heather QuinnThomas ClaytonExeter11005‑6645626
7thSolo4434Cameron Griffith Norris Loughborough1142‑77777735
8thLaser 30003224Josh DonleyTheo CliftonSwansea1085(DNF)88DNS8DNF42

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