Osprey Open and Panmorra Cup at Mount's Bay Sailing Club

Osprey Open & Panmorra Cup at Mount's Bay © Dan Vincent

Osprey Open & Panmorra Cup at Mount's Bay © Dan Vincent

The Osprey Open and Panmorra Cup was held at Mount's Bay Sailing Club on 3rd & 4th May 2025 as a joint meeting with the Contender class. Eight Ospreys made the journey to Marizion together with 11 Contenders.

It has been over 12 years since I've taken part in and written a report about an Osprey Open Meeting. This weekend at Mount's Bay has been a wonderful new beginning for me, sailing a fabulous new Mark VI (1386), with Mike Priddle.

Mike Priddle, as many of you know, sailed for years (about 35) with Mike Pickering (now a narrowboat captain, with a captain's hat!) in various classes and has had a similar break from the Osprey class as I have.

We are both so pleased to be back in the class, and we're delighted with the new boat, which has been meticulously built by the fantastic team at Hartley Boats. Richard and Mark have put so much into the Osprey class, as well as many other classes, over the last 20 years and we feel very lucky to be sailing one of their boats again.

A lot has happened to us all over the last 12 years and the common denominator is we're all a bit older and in some cases, wiser. I am happy to see that the enthusiasm for the class lives on unimpeded by age, thanks to the strong will, hard work and determination of the committee and those involved over the long term with the Osprey Class.

What is also completely clear from seeing everyone at Mount's Bay this weekend, is the friendships built around a common interest are what keep us all going - long may that continue and thank you all for the warm welcome as we come back in from the cold.

If you ever read any of the reports I wrote before, you will know the key themes were often more focused on the sailors and their antics off the water rather than the sailing, which I've always found more entertaining - this hasn't changed.

Mount's Bay is probably the best place in the UK to race dinghies with strong westerly winds and rolling waves to surf down. It is also the best place to find a Cornishman or two to focus an article about which are vaguely related to sailing.

Osprey Open & Panmorra Cup at Mount's Bay - photo © Dan Vincent

In the 12 years I've been away some surprising things have happened at the tip of Cornwall. I was fully expecting to see Mikey Greig in the boat park getting ready to jump into the front of Thomas Two. However, it seems that now he is so incredibly grand and one of the main residents of St Michaels Mount, he has hired someone else to sail his boat for him like the owner of a racehorse or a formula one team. He also has a driver to drive him over the causeway in a massive 4x4 and to cap it all, he has become a first class public speaker as demonstrated at the prize-giving - impressive stuff Mikey, get yourself to Westminster quick sharp. It was lovely to see he has also become a proud dad of two - it's great to see the future of the Osprey fleet in Cornwall is in such big and capable hands.

The jockeys chosen for Thomas Two were a sight to behold - Colin Stephens on the helm, is clearly on some sort of wonder drug, because he didn't look a day older than he did 12 years ago, a perfect tan, all his own teeth and his powers at the back of the boat still in tip top condition.

On first inspection from across the car park, the crew looked like he had been on a different program but as he hobbled his way towards us, I recognized him as the Goliath of sailors, Mr. Stevie George, who I have written about many times.

When we last met up 12 years ago, Stevie was suffering from the odd minor sailing and work related injury, which he was able to alleviate with some performance enhancing gel applied to his small twinge. After a warm embrace, I asked how his old twinge was, to which he replied, he was now applying the ointment to most areas of his body using a special massage glove, because unlike me, he did a proper job!

Osprey Open & Panmorra Cup at Mount's Bay - photo © Dan Vincent

On the water, Saturday was extremely windy, but the fleet still headed out to the start line. Stupidly, two weeks earlier I managed to snap the ligament in my thumb, which is being operated on this week. It was obvious 25 knots was well beyond me so we came back to the beach. There were a couple of others who had some boat issues, who also headed back in, but the rest hit the line unfazed by the gusty conditions.

In Race 1 Colin & Stevie locked in and headed for the horizon showing they still had what it takes. Race 2, Oscar Chess & David Downs demonstrated that some get wiser with age and kept their mast pointing skyward, weathered round the gybe mark, kept the kite in the shoot, and used the scraggiest old main and jib you've ever seen. Impressive survival from all.

In the meantime, Mike and I were having a cream tea watching the Town's wonderful reopening of the newly restored and refurbished Maypole Gardens as an outdoor stage and performance area for the town overlooking the amazing view of the Mount. There was a brilliant local male choir, dancing and other entertainment. Marazion was at its best, amazing weather, great community spirit and views that I would never get tired of.

Osprey Open & Panmorra Cup at Mount's Bay - photo © Dan Vincent

Sunday was lighter and we all got to the start. Due to my hand issue, I had to hold my tiller extension with both hands for extra grip, but I managed to get round the course without doing any more damage.

The first two races were just about perfect conditions, with close racing across the fleet. Race 3, the wind dropped and swung 90 degrees left, causing some snakes and ladders racing. Alex and Nick Willis took the first race and Terry Curtis & Kevin Francis the second and third.

Terry and Kevin came out on top for the weekend, Alex and Nick were 2nd with Oscar and David in close 3rd.

All in all, a fabulous weekend of sailing in my favourite sailing venue in the UK. The club is one of the friendliest you will find anywhere, run by the nicest people you'll ever meet and to cap it all they have a groovy looking member called Gregory Peck, who I met at the bar - cool fella!

Overall Results: