Firefly Itchenor Sailing Club Burgee

Firefly Itchenor Sailing Club Burgee © Paul Kameen

The briefing was notable because the Race Officer Charles Duchesne was under the impression that Fireflys average 4 knots! We braced for long courses. Alex Ogilvie took the opportunity to school the RO on the distinction between the letter "B" and the Greek letter Beta. We all mentally filed that factoid under NFU. 17 boats set off to the SE corner of Chichester harbour in a firm 12-15 knots for three races.

It was an interesting course, beating south west into a spring flood tide. The start was on the left of the channel and the windward mark on the right, but which way to go up the beat? Play the left, to look good early on and hope it lasted? Or cross the channel early and appear from the right with a late charge? Those who simply attempted to conquer the tide in the channel died the "death of 1000 tacks".

Roger Morris and Izzy Bretherton correctly gambled their chips on the left shore, also using their team race skills to win the pin and ensure they were further left than Karl Marx. Nigel Wakefield and Emily Saunderson were next up from the pin also going very left, (Jeremy Corbin would approve). (This paragraph describes both race 1 and race 2).

Nigel/Emily won the day with three wins. Roger/Izzy were strong with two 2nds and a 6th. The windward mark was the graveyard of dreams for many. The tide making it seemingly impossible to approach on starboard. Most of the fleet had performed 360s or 720s or bail out gybes at the top mark during the day.

Sunday's wind was a gentle 8-10knots. By now the fleet had worked out that the beats were one-sided and left was the only way to go. The difference on Sunday was that the start line was starboard biased forcing the fleet to balance the benefit of line bias against the desire to get into the shallow water on the left. Stuart Hudson and daughter Lizzie were fast out of the blocks (from the pin) taking Sunday's first race by a mile. Was Stu Hudson going to do a "Hudson" and appear from nowhere to win the event? Stuart/Lizzie again won the pin in the second race only for the committee boat end starters to prevail.

Honourable mentions must go to the boats that were so relieved to reach the windward mark that they moored to it. Ben Nicoll and Vicky Sisk selflessly stopped there and kindly towed it downwind, allowing all the boats behind to overtake them. Lucy Boreham and Rachel Crebbin decided that the beats were far too long and tried to tow the windward mark back towards Itchenor. In the battle of wills, the anchor prevailed, despite Lucy remonstrating with an inflatable buoy. Nigel and Emily proudly unrolled a brand new mainsail for Sunday only to find it had no numbers. They were seen rolling it up and putting it away again sheepishly.

Firefly Itchenor Sailing Club Burgee prize winners - photo © Josephine Mason

Nigel/Emily did enough to take the 2025 event and Itchenor Burgee Trophy. Roger/Izzy recovered from their OCS to get two more counters and finish second overall. After sailing that boat for 20 years, Roger has just moved his mast foot 40mm!?! Roger/Izzy were the only non-ex-national champions in the top 5. Veteran pairing of Guy Davison and Sally Wakefield took the third podium spot, despite gybing out at one of the top marks and coming in early for tea/cake (and allegedly a nap). The Hudsons were 4th. Paul and son Finn Kameen 5th. This event has been fantastic for many years, massive thanks to Itchenor SC and we hope to return next year.

Overall Results:

Nigel Wakefield and Emily Saunderson win the Firefly Itchenor Sailing Club Burgee - photo © Isobel Bretherton

Roger Morris and Izzy Bretherton finish 2nd in the Firefly Itchenor Sailing Club Burgee - photo © Isobel Bretherton

Guy Davison and Sally Wakefield finish 3rd in the Firefly Itchenor Sailing Club Burgee - photo © Isobel Bretherton

Stuart and Elizabeth Hudson finish 4th in the Firefly Itchenor Sailing Club Burgee - photo © Isobel Bretherton