Phantom Super Series and Eastern Series Round 2 at Stone Sailing Club
by Nick Thorp 10 Apr 2025 13:21 BST
5-6 April 2025
Eighteen sailors descended on Stone Sailing Club for Round 2 of the Eastern Series, part of the hotly contested Phantom Super Series. With the River Blackwater offering up a feisty breeze and plenty of chop, competitors were served a full helping of classic Stone conditions—windswept, wavy, and wonderful.
Saturday: Three-Race Showdown
With a steady and strong wind blowing down the estuary, Race Officer Fulcher wasted no time getting the fleet on the water for three back-to-back windward-leeward races.
Race 1 saw Duncan Adams make a bold move left up the beat, paying off handsomely as he rounded the windward mark in front. Meanwhile, Rob Cook, Richard Nurse, and Terry Crook took a more central line and found themselves in hot pursuit. The downwind legs turned tactical as sailors weighed the risks—work the gybes or sail deep and surf? Adams showed his mastery of the breeze, using his Burton Reservoir skills to great effect and claiming the win. Behind him, Cook,Crook and Nurse duked it out, finishing in that order while Nick Thorp powered past Warren Martin upwind to grab fifth in a close duel from within the chasing pack.
Race 2 kicked off promptly as conditions held firm. Crook, learning fast from Race 1, brought the heat and was in the mix from the gun. A proper four-way tussle emerged between Crook, Cook, Adams, and Nurse, with places trading more frequently than a pub round on Saturday night. In the end, it was Crook who nailed it, with Cook again second, Adams slipping to third and Warren Martin winning his own race-within-a-race against Thorp in the mid-fleet mayhem to take fith.
Race 3 started with slightly softer breeze but no less intensity. This time, Cook had a blinder off the start and held his nerve through a tricky upwind first leg beat.
The locals' advice to head right didn't pay off for Crook, as the chop proved unkind with the breeze also heading Crook slipped behind us. Adams and Nurse went left, but Cook's middle route and smart tide management gave him the edge. Crook clawed back ground after his early setback, and a now-familiar front pack finished with Cook on top, followed by Adams, Nurse, and Crook. Meanwhile, Martin and Thorp renewed their rivalry, with Thorp again staying cool under fire and pipping Martin in a dramatic final tack to the line.
Getting ashore proved almost as challenging as the racing, with surf crashing on the foreshore—but all sailors returned smiling (if slightly soggy).
Saturday Night: Tales, Ales, and Double Dinners
Stone SC knows how to host, and Saturday evening didn't disappoint. Warm meals, including a "Double Dinner" option for one weary sailor were devoured with gusto by hungry racers. Beers flowed, laughter echoed, and the onshore spectators (led by Billy "The Ring") shared their "unique" interpretations of the day's events. With Phantom spirits high and bodies sore, the social side was every bit as competitive as the sailing.
Sunday: Blown Out but Not Beaten
Sunday morning delivered glorious sunshine... and even more wind. Despite hopeful faces, the mean wind speed topped Saturday's blow, and after careful consideration and an hour's postponement, the RO Neil Fulcher wisely called off any further racing. Saturday's results would stand. With three race winners from three races it was Rob Cook taking the overall win with Duncan Adams second and Terry Crook third.
One of the hottest contested places within the fleet is fith, this gives the honour of being the "event pen" which was won by Nick Thorp.
The Super series moves on to another regional event giving everyone the opportunity to sail against quality sailors from around the country and the Eastern Series heads to Creaksea in May.
Overall Results: (top six and finishers of all races)
1. Rob Cook - Mr. Consistency with two second-place finishes and a win
2. Duncan Adams - Strong opener and solid follow-up races
3. Terry Crook - Tactical evolution and blistering Race 2 performance
4. Richard Nurse - Always in the mix, keeping pressure on
5. Nick Thorp - Held his ground in close battles
6. Warren Martin - Gave it everything, especially when trading tacks with Thorp
A huge thanks goes to the Stone SC race team, safety crews, camera man and shore volunteers for a cracking event.