Air Ambulance Pursuit Race at Bough Beech Sailing Club

For the first time in some years, we think the last one was in 2018, Bough Beech SC hosted a pursuit race to benefit the Kent Air Ambulance.

The club has supported Kent Air Ambulance for many years, but the traditional bank holiday pursuit race had fallen off the calendar recently for reasons familiar to most volunteer clubs: people's free time, or rather the lack thereof. With BBSC very much on the up these days, the race has been reinstated to the club calendar.

Air Ambulance Pursuit Race at Bough Beech Sailing Club - photo © Sarah Seddon

Twenty-three boats grasped the proffered opportunity to get out of usual bank holiday activities, much to the relief of our stand-in race officer, not least because there are twenty-three rows on the standard BBSC lap recording sheet, so page-turning energy could be conserved for activities that he'd seen actual proper race officers do. Squinting to windward with a pensive look on his face? Tick. Searching for a specific code flag at the last minute in a mad panic? Tick, tick! Calling the safety boat alongside to discuss progress with the mark layers' revolution (Liberté! Egalité! Ground tacklé!)? Tick, tick, tick!

The long hot summer has seen the water level at Bough Beech drop which, combined with a Westerly wind direction, meant that we ended up with an unusual banana-shaped course, with two short beats, an even shorter sort-of-run, and two really long reaches conveniently and coincidentally (honest) set well within range of the rear commodore's all-seeing camera lens.

Air Ambulance Pursuit Race at Bough Beech Sailing Club - photo © Sarah Seddon

A pair of Toppers were our pathfinders and Amelia set the pace in the first part of the race. More than half the race, in fact, as we were fifty minutes in before she was finally caught by the first of the ILCAs. The RO's peering-to-windward-with-mild-concern practice from earlier came in handy a few minutes later as a huge dark cloud arrived over the reservoir, bringing with it quite a lot more breeze and, briefly, the rare phenomenon of small bits of water falling from the sky. The increased wind speed was a real boon to the duelling RS600s of Richard Bone and George Smith, taking a momentary breather from overtaking each other to pass the 2000s of Edie & Jeremy Carter and Rory Moppett & Emily in spectacular fashion before setting about reeling in the leader.

Air Ambulance Pursuit Race at Bough Beech Sailing Club - photo © Sarah Seddon

They might have done it too, if the breeze hadn't dropped off again with five minutes to go. George and Rich were on the same leg as Duncan Lawson's ILCA7 and gaining fast, just not fast enough. When the race finished at 1300 after ninety minutes of racing, George was two boat lengths back. That's nine metres or, to use the standard British distance comparison unit, approximately one double decker bus. Or half a cricket pitch. Or ten labradors swimming nose to tail. Or...

What were we talking about?

Air Ambulance Pursuit Race at Bough Beech Sailing Club - photo © Sarah Seddon

Ahead of the prize-giving, former Commodore Simon Winn spoke to competitors about the air ambulance's first call-out to BBSC, which thankfully had a positive outcome and reinforced the club's support of the charity. Mike Barnes from Kent Air Ambulance had very kindly given up his bank holiday to visit Bough Beech, outlining the charity's activities and the importance of fundraising, and he also presented the prizes. Spot prizes were awarded to Topper sailors Amelia and Tom, who had both sailed really well in varied and occasionally challenging conditions. Duncan won in his ILCA7, with George and Rich making up the podium in their RS600s. Pre-entries and donations on the day raised a total of £350.

Overall Results: