IOCA UK Optimist Team Racing Championship 2025 at Oxford Sailing Club
by Jane Hudson 20 May 2025 20:01 BST
17-18 May 2025
Dustbusters v Team East - IOCA UK Optimist Team Racing Championship at Oxford © Kirstie Hawkes
'Team Gust Busters' won the Ramus Trophy after claiming victory at the IOCA (UK) Team Racing Championships at Oxford Sailing Club on 17th-18th May 2025.
Twenty four young sailors arrived at the club on Saturday hoping for blue sky and some wind, and were rewarded with both as the race committee, expertly lead by David Baddeley, set a box course close to the club and ran a series of round robins for the six teams.
A total of 40 races were completed on Saturday, with 'Team Danger Bear', consisting of sailors chosen to represent GBR at the Optimist World Championships and the Venice Optimist Team Racing regatta, demonstrating their class at the top of the table with twelve wins. They were followed by Gust Busters with eleven wins and Silver Swordfish with nine. Chief Umpire Chris Atkins provided an entertaining and informative de-brief following racing on Saturday.
In the evening a number of teams retired to the nearby campsite where an impromptu game of "East versus South" football burnt off excess energy, and parents enjoyed pizza and a beer.
At the morning briefing on Sunday a number of prizes, kindly donated by Gill, were awarded as follows:
- The Mr Dizzy prize to Jacques Kent from Gust Busters for a race where he was required to spin six times up the first beat, yet still remained in front of the boat he had infringed.
- The Quest for Knowledge prize to Callum Marshall from Gust Busters for respectfully but persistently asking for umpire clarification throughout the day.
- The Resilience and Enthusiasm prize to Isaac Thomas from Team East for overall cheerfulness and wearing a bobble hat at all times.
- The Defend the Indefensible prize to Thomas Child from Team East for valiantly attacking three of the four sailors in the Worlds team up the final beat to try and get his team through, ultimately in vain but a great effort.
- The Team of the Day prize to 'The Eeees' for improving beyond recognition throughout Saturday. (On Sunday they went on to win a four races, including one against the eventual champions!)
Following the briefing, racing continued in the light and shifty conditions which plagued the race committee for most of the weekend, with 72 races completed in total. The top four teams and therefore the semi-finalists were Team Danger Bear with 22 wins out of 24, Gust Busters with 18 wins, Silver Swordfish with fifteen wins and Warsash Warriors with eight wins.
Both Team Danger Bear and Gust Busters dispatched their opponents quickly, winning their semis 2-0, with Silver Swordfish beating Warsash Warriors in the petit final. That meant that Danger Bear met rivals Gust Busters in the final. The two teams enjoyed very close racing, with Gust Busters winning the first race with a first, third, fifth and seventh.
In the second race Gust Busters Isla Hutchinson and Fraser Hakes held first and second and waited near the finish line shouting encouragement to team mate Jacques Kent who was held out on the starboard side of the last beat but managed to escape to finish fifth, which meant they won with a first, second, fifth and eighth.
So Gust Busters are the IOCA (UK) Team Racing Champions 2025. Many thanks to the race organisers who had to manage the challenging wind conditions, team of international umpires who refereed the event and provided on the water de-briefs, and Oxford Sailing Club for their assistance and support throughout.
All teams made huge improvements throughout the weekend, and the racing was close and exciting. The event demonstrated that sailors with all levels of experience can enjoy and be competitive in team racing. Good luck to all who will be representing GBR in forthcoming events!
Winners: Gust Busters
Callum Marshall (captain)
Fraser Hakes
Isla Hutchinson
Jacques Kent
Runners Up: Team Danger Bear
Jonny Rogers (captain)
Patrick Di Salle
Charlie Holland
Finn Ramus
3rd: Silver Swordfish
Freddie Jones (captain)
Rupert Garlick
Lizzie Hudson
Sean Di Salle
4th: Warsash Warriors
Jack Ward (captain)
Max Ellis-Asquith
Merryn Wealthy
Sam Wealthy
5th: Team East
Isaac Thomas (captain)
Thomas Child
Rory Luddington
Arthur Rogers
6th: The Eees
Theo Fox (captain)
Josie Clark
Zoe Green
Arthur Pattison