Merlin Rocket De May and Thames Series at Hampton Sailing Club

Merlin Rocket De May and Thames Series at Hampton © Derek May

De May Vintage Series — sponsored by Craftinsure
Thames Series — sponsored by Rowsell Sails

Over the weekend of 19th and 20th September, Hampton Sailing Club hosted two days of Merlin Rocket racing, with the De May Vintage Series on Saturday followed by the Thames Series on Sunday.

Merlin Rocket De May and Thames Series at Hampton - photo © Nicky Pacge

Saturday — De May Vintage Series

Saturday's forecast was for a light to moderate W to WSW breeze, with gusts of 20-25 mph. The wind direction was ideal, providing a course that ran almost directly up and down the river. At times, however, the stronger gusts made for some challenging and entertaining sailing — much to the enjoyment of the spectators.

On arrival, competitors and the duty team were greeted with welcome bacon rolls, tea and coffee. Five Hampton boats were joined by two visiting boats from Chew Valley Lake Sailing Club and Thames Sailing Club.

Following a briefing from Principal Race Officer Derek May, the start of Race 1 was delayed until noon to allow the visitors, who had been held up on the M4, time to arrive and rig.

The conditions provided an upriver beat followed by a long run downriver. Stuart Jenkins and Nicola Scaddan in Flinkidink 1097 (Passing Cloud design) made the early running, with John Heath and Richard Parslow in Quiver 774 (Martine design) in close pursuit, followed by the rest of the fleet.

Stuart and Nicola led to the windward mark and down the run but were overtaken just before the bottom mark. John and Richard then began to pull away from Stuart and Nicola, with Richard Page and James Warren in Restless IV 1222 (Proctor Mark IX design) and the chasing pack in pursuit.

Sadly for Richard and James, their race took an unexpected turn while rounding the top mark on the second lap. Finding themselves together on the same side of the boat in a patch of no wind, they capsized. This allowed Stuart and Nicola to resume their pursuit of John and Richard.

For the next hour, the two leading boats remained closely matched. However, at the final mark, John and Richard picked up weed, allowing Stuart and Nicola to sail past on the final beat and take the win.

Race 1 results:

1. Stuart Jenkins & Nicola Scaddan — Flinkidink 1097
2. John Heath & Richard Parslow — Quiver 774
3. Ollie & Emily Houseman — Luka 3560
4. Hywel & Arthur Bowen-Perkins — Elusive 3347

Ollie Housemanm and 11 year old Emily Houseman sailed Luka 3560 (Passing Cloud 2000 design) to an excellent third place, while 11 year old Arthur Bowen-Perkins and Hywel finished fourth in Elusive 3347 (NSM2 design).

During lunch, Stuart reminded competitors that whoever finished third overall would be responsible for writing the event report. Little did he know that this announcement would come back to haunt him!

Merlin Rocket De May and Thames Series at Hampton - photo © Nicky Pacge

After an excellent lunch, Race 2 got under way. There were several position changes on the first beat and run, but after the opening lap the fleet settled into their positions, with John and Richard leading for much of the race.

Race 2 results:

1. John Heath & Richard Parslow — Quiver 774
2. Ollie & Emily Houseman — Luka 3560
3. Richard Page & James Warren — Restless IV 1222
4. Stuart Jenkins & Nicola Scaddan — Flinkidink 1097

With the top three overall places still very much up for grabs, Race 3 followed after a short break for liquid refreshments.

Ollie and Emily got off to an excellent start and were chased by John and Richard, with Stuart and Nicola close behind. The Housemans soon established a commanding lead, leaving the crews of Quiver and Flinkidink to battle for second and third.

On the final beat, Stuart and Nicola closed rapidly on John and Richard. However, Quiver held on and crossed the finishing line just ahead of Flinkidink.

The final race results left Ollie and Emily as worthy winners of the De May Vintage Series, with John and Richard second, Stuart and Nicola third, and Richard and James fourth overall.

De May Vintage Series — Overall Results:

1. Ollie & Emily Houseman — Luka 3560
2. John Heath & Richard Parslow — Quiver 774
3. Stuart Jenkins & Nicola Scaddan — Flinkidink 1097
4. Richard Page & James Warren — Restless IV 1222

The day concluded with tea, homemade cakes and prize-giving, hosted by Hampton Sailing Club Commodore Sarah Rolfe and Merlin Class Captain Andrew Mills. Later that evening, competitors and friends enjoyed an excellent curry supper at the club.

Merlin Rocket De May and Thames Series at Hampton - photo © Nicky Pacge

Sunday — Thames Series

Sunday brought a very different set of conditions. The forecast was for a W to NW breeze of around 8 mph, gradually becoming lighter during the afternoon.

Once again, competitors and the duty team were welcomed with bacon rolls, tea and coffee. Six Hampton boats were joined by visitors from Chew Valley Lake Sailing Club and Thames Sailing Club.

Following a briefing from Principal Race Officer George Bell, Race 1 got under way shortly after 11am.

The course featured a beat and occasional fetch upriver, followed by running and broad-reaching legs downriver. Stuart Jenkins, crewed by Simon Given in Flinkidink 1097, made the most of the shifty conditions and pulled clear of the fleet to round the windward mark first.

Stuart and Simon continued to extend their lead for much of the race. Behind them, the chasing pack was led by Hywel Bowen-Perkins and Lucy Penwarden in Elusive 3347, with Ollie and Emily Houseman in Luka 3560 also in contention.

On the final lap, a new breeze allowed Ollie and Emily to pull away from Hywel and Lucy and begin closing the gap on Stuart and Simon, whose wind disappeared as they approached the penultimate mark.

Flinkidink managed to hold the lead around the final mark, but Luka had greater boat speed and crossed the finish line first.

Race 1 results:

1. Ollie & Emily Houseman — Luka 3560
2. Stuart Jenkins & Simon Given — Flinkidink 1097
3. Hywel Bowen-Perkins & Lucy Penwarden — Elusive 3347

Merlin Rocket De May and Thames Series at Hampton - photo © Nicky Pacge

Race 2 followed immediately, with the wind conditions remaining much the same. The fleet enjoyed another clean start, with Ollie and Emily taking the lead from the outset, followed by Hywel and Lucy, Stuart and Simon, and the rest of the fleet.

The top three positions remained unchanged throughout the race.

Race 2 results:

1. Ollie & Emily Houseman — Luka 3560
2. Hywel Bowen-Perkins & Lucy Penwarden — Elusive 3347
3. Stuart Jenkins & Simon Given — Flinkidink 1097

After another excellent lunch, the final race of the day got under way.

Having already secured the overall series win and facing a long journey home, Ollie and Emily did not compete in Race 3. This left a close battle between Hywel and Lucy and Stuart and Simon for second and third overall.

There was also the added pressure of knowing that whoever finished third overall would have to write this report!

Hywel and Lucy made a strong start and opened up a lead, with John Heath and Sophie Penwarden in Quiver 774 chasing them, followed by Stuart and Simon in Flinkidink.

Elusive and Quiver pulled away from the main group and enjoyed some close racing as the wind continued to ebb and flow. Towards the end of the race, Phil Dalby and John Hollands in Grace 1765 (Adur 7 design) overtook Flinkidink.

The top three positions remained unchanged to the finish.

Race 3 results:

1. Hywel Bowen-Perkins & Lucy Penwarden — Elusive 3347
2. John Heath & Sophie Penwarden — Quiver 774
3. Phil Dalby & John Hollands — Grace 1765

Thames Series — Overall Results:

1. Ollie & Emily Houseman — Luka 3560
2. Hywel Bowen-Perkins & Lucy Penwarden — Elusive 3347
3. Stuart Jenkins & Simon Given — Flinkidink 1097
4. Phil Dalby & John Hollands — Grace 1765

Merlin Rocket De May and Thames Series at Hampton - photo © Derek May

The weekend concluded with more tea and homemade cakes, followed by prize-giving hosted by Hampton Sailing Club Commodore Sarah Rolfe and Merlin Class Captain Andrew Mills.

A huge thank you goes to the entire duty team for providing a fantastic weekend of racing and an excellent social evening.

Special thanks go to Andrew Mills for organising the event; Derek May and George Bell for their expert race management; Nicky Page and Anna Jenkins for organising the curry supper; and the catering team of Stuart, Nicola, Jane, Chris and Fabrizia.

Finally, thank you to all the helpers and volunteers at Hampton Sailing Club who contributed to making the weekend such a success.

Merlin Rocket De May and Thames Series at Hampton - photo © Derek May

Vintage De May results:

Sunday open meeting results:

Merlin Rocket De May and Thames Series at Hampton - photo © Nicky Pacge