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The Chase Sailing Club celebrates its Platinum Anniversary in Style

by Chris Anderson 2 Jul 08:27 BST 28-29 June 2025
Steve McCarthy's Scorpion during The Chase Sailing Club 70th Anniversary Platinum Pursuit © Chris Anderson

2025 marks a momentous year for The Chase Sailing Club as we celebrate our Platinum (70th) Anniversary, and what a year it's been so far! Over the weekend of June 28th and 29th, the club hosted an incredible two-day celebration of sailing, food, and live entertainment.

Our goal was to bring the entire Chase SC community together on the water, and we succeeded with over 70 boats, SUPs, windsurfers, and even model boats taking to the lake throughout the weekend. It was a fantastic sight to see all crafts enjoying the water together.

The Robline Platinum Pursuit - Saturday

Saturday greeted us with glorious sunshine, temperatures reaching 27 degreesC, and a steady breeze of 15 -28 knots, perfect conditions for what promised to be an epic race.

Race Officers Graham Flynn and Paul Lester arrived early to set a challenging course using the club's race marks. A total of 38 boats, 36 club entries and 2 visiting sailors were briefed, and racing kicked off promptly at 13:00. Participants ranged from seasoned pros to first-time racers.

Vice Commodore Steve McCarthy set the tone early in his Scorpion with a graceful capsize at the gybe mark, soon followed by others, including Matt Parkinson, who seemingly scheduled a cooling dip every 30 minutes. Despite only sailing for a year, Matt impressively battled round the course in a Phantom, finishing a well-earned 16th.

As the 120-minute race approached its climax, the battle for the lead came down to Sam McKay and James Vyse in a Kestrel, with Sam Coxon closing in fast in his Phantom. In a dramatic finish, Coxon just managed to pip them to the win. Well sailed, all!

Behind them, Elsa Minton in her ILCA 6, Richard Instone (Hagar) in his Solo, and Finn Watson in a D-Zero all had standout performances. The tough conditions were evident, out of 38 starters, only 16 boats managed to finish the demanding race.

Back ashore, the BBQ was sizzling thanks to Trish Blackham and her catering team. With delicious food, cold drinks, and the sun still shining, the lakeside was buzzing with post-race stories and laughter.

Commodore Chris Anderson gave a short speech and presented the prizes:

  • 1st Place: Sam Coxon - Phantom
  • 2nd Place: Sam McKay & James Vyse - Kestrel
  • 3rd Place: Elsa Minton - ILCA 6
  • Special Recognition: Matt Parkinson - for grit, determination, and a commendable 16th place finish

The Party - Saturday Night

As night fell, the Lichfield Room buzzed with excitement, filling up with over 100 guests eager for an evening of live entertainment. At 8 PM sharp, The Rattle Snakes hit the stage, and from the first chord, they had the crowd on their feet. With a setlist spanning everything from 60s classics to modern hits, they absolutely rocked the house. There were no bums on seats, everyone was up dancing, singing along, and soaking in the electric atmosphere. Forget Glastonbury, The Chase SC was the place to be! The energy didn't let up as the band played well into the night, capping off a truly unforgettable evening.

The Stag Cup - Sunday

Sunday arrived all too quickly, bringing more glorious sunshine but with it, much lighter winds. With the Stag Cup set for a noon start, Race Officer Chris Anderson laid out a simple figure-eight course. A brief postponement followed due to a glassy calm on the lake, but soon enough, a gentle breeze filled in and 25 boats lined up for the 90-minute pursuit race.

All boats had a clean start except Mark Blackham in his Blaze, who jumped the gun and, unfortunately, failed to return, ruling him out of contention.

The race was a true test of patience, skill, and the ability to read the wind shifts. Huw and Delyth Hopkins sailed their RS200 to near perfection, securing a well-deserved victory. Hot on their heels was Paul Lester in his Finn and Finn Watson in his D-Zero, claiming second and third place respectively.

A special shout out goes to George Brook, who sailed his Topper in his first major event. With determination and grit, he made it all the way around the course and secured a solid 20th place finish. A fantastic effort and one to be proud of, well done, George!

A Fitting Finale

The final prize-giving was led by Commodore Chris Anderson, who thanked all sailors, volunteers, and supporters. The weekend wrapped up with smiles all around, marking a truly unforgettable celebration for The Chase Sailing Club's 70th year.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who helped make the Platinum Anniversary Weekend such a success, here's to many more wonderful memories.

A huge thank you to our event sponsor, Robline UK, for their generous support of the Platinum Anniversary weekend. Their backing helped us deliver a top-tier event, both on and off the water.

Robline Platinum Pursuit 70th Anniversary Race Results:

PosFleetClassSail NoHelmCrewClubGL H'cap
1FastPHANTOM1450Sam Coxon Chase SC998
2FastKESTREL1628Sam McKayJames VyseChase SC1038
3SlowLASER RADIAL/ ILCA 62E+05Elsa Minton Chase SC1147
4SlowSOLO6076Rich Instone Chase SC1142
5FastBLAZE774Mark Blackham Chase SC1030
6FastDEVOTI D‑ZERO77Finn Watson Chase SC1029
7SlowGP1413751Rob StringerTBAChase SC1130
8SlowGP1414032Neil DavisMichelle EvansChase SC1130
9SlowGRADUATE2879Isabel Tate Chase SC1100
10SlowENTERPRISE22901Paul YoungTBAMidland SC1122
11FastBLAZE837Gaz Hyland Chase SC1030
12FastICON11Russell LutwycheTBAChase SC976
13FastPHANTOM1298Mike Rudd Chase SC998
14FastZENITH7Steve Turner Chase SC1106
15SlowLIGHTNING 368407Brian Westley Chase SC1162
16FastPHANTOM1403Matt Parkinson Chase SC998
DSQSlowSOLO4389Paul Gibara Chase SC1142
DNSFastPHANTOM1449Adam Froggatt Chase SC998
DSQFast20002762Paul SmithTBAChase SC1121
DNSSlowSOLO4955Trish Blackham Chase SC1142
DSQSlowSOLO5140Alan Williams Chase SC1142
DNSSlowSOLO5837Linda Instone Chase SC1142
RETFastSCORPION1984Steve McCarthyTBAChase SC1042
RETSlowLASER/ ILCA 72E+05Mark Cheshire Chase SC1100
DSQSlowLASER/ ILCA 72E+05Pete Rudd Chase SC1100
DSQFastPHANTOM1359Dave Blackburn Chase SC998
DSQSlowLASER/ ILCA 71E+05Brendan Geoghegan Chase SC1100
RETFastRS 4001249Chris ClementsTBAChase SC942
DNSFastK114Alan Birch Bartley SC1064
DNSFastZENITH13Justin Jones Chase SC / SouthStaffs SC1106
DSQSlowLASER/ ILCA 71E+05Alex Whitehouse Chase SC1100
DSQSlowENTERPRISE21810Ant MorrisTBAChase SC1122
DNSSlowSOLO5210Neil Wilkinson Shustoke SC1142
DNSSlowLIGHTNING 368145Nathanael Elsey Chase SC1162
RETFastRS 200927Huw HopkinsHoly AlfsChase SC1046
DSQSlowLIGHTNING 368298Georgie Parker Chase SC1162
RETSlowLIGHTNING 368257Clayton Parker Chase SC1162
DSQSlowSOLO3025Dave Pickering Chase SC1142

Stag Cup Results:

PosFleetClassSail NoHelmCrewGL H'cap
1FastRS 200927H HopkinsD Hopkins1046
2FastFINN999P Lester 1049
3SlowDEVOTI D‑ZERO77F Watson 1029
4FastICON11R LutwycheJ Harris976
5SlowGRADUATE2879E MintonI Tate1100
6SlowSOLO5463D Pickering 1142
7SlowENTERPRISE21810A MorrisM Cameron1122
8SlowLIGHTNING 368448A Hopkins 1162
9SlowGP1414239S TurnerA Berry1130
10SlowSOLO4955T Blackham 1142
11SlowLASER/ ILCA 71E+05A Whitehouse 1100
12FastALBACORE5814C ParkerTBA1040
13SlowLIGHTNING 368334Anwen Hopkins 1162
14SlowLIGHTNING 368294S Hopkins 1162
15SlowGP1414777A HopkinsR Slack1130
16SlowLASER RADIAL/ ILCA 61E Brook 1147
17SlowLIGHTNING 368188O Kolontari 1162
18SlowQuba2W Brook  
19SlowSOLO5140M Green 1142
20SlowTOPPER3320G Brook 1365
21SlowSOLO4389P Gibara 1142
22SlowBYTE CI3740Y Brook  
DNFSlowLIGHTNING 368234B Evans 1162
DSQFastBLAZE774M Blackham 1030
RETSlowLASER/ ILCA 72E+05M Cheshire 1100

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