Gray and Edwards' Osprey lands a big fish
by Osprey Class Association 13 Mar 2023 09:40 PDT
Ospreys on the Start Line at the Oxford Blue © Tim Olin /
www.olinphoto.co.uk
The 2022-2023 Selden Sailjuice Winter Series has given the perfect start to the Osprey class's 70th Anniversary Year. Sailing the Osprey Class Association's demo boat, Peter Gray & Geoff Edwards won the series overall, the first time the series has been won by an Osprey.
They displayed their, and the Osprey's, all round mastery of the varied wind conditions, which ranged all the way from light through to strong winds. Early events in the Series had lighter winds, and it was Gray and Edwards, one of seven Ospreys in the series, who forged an early Series lead.
Halfway through, Roger and Iain Blake in another Osprey took over the Series lead for a spell. However the final event, the Oxford Blue, was the breeziest, and Gray and Edwards had to clinch a top five result to overtake the then series leader, ILCA Olympic campaigner Ben Flower.
Gray and Edwards kept their heads while many other boats succumbed to the gusts, and with a finish of fifth, the Osprey sailors achieved their object to clinch the series.
One observer suggested that Gray and Edwards seemed to cruise around without a care in the world, but Geoff Edwards replied, "If the photographer had been on the bottom reach in the 3rd race, I can assure you we had a lot of cares! Particularly with our speed towards the dam wall!"
This was a second SailJuice title for Gray, who won the Series in a Scorpion 11 years ago. Gray had been looking for a suitable trapeze class to sail with Geoff Edwards. "We gave the Osprey a go last year, and the class association were kind enough to lend us the class boat for this Series." The Staunton Harold pair clearly picked the right class. "Now we have bought an Osprey for ourselves," Gray continued.
This year's series had quite a few light wind events, and hence slower boats generally did well, but the Osprey class managed to take the only two places for trapeze boats in the Top 10 for the Series, demonstrating the class's ability to make the most of the available breezes.
The other Top 10 finisher for the class were father and son combo Roger and Iain Blake (ably deputised by Jonathan Osgood), sailing the latest model Osprey, the Mark VI. The Blakes won the Masters division, and together with ILCA sailor Jamie Blake, the three family members took the Club trophy for Great Moor SC.
Gray and Edwards also won the Symmetric class, showing a clean pair of heels to others like 505s, Fireballs, and 420s.
Six Ospreys took part in the Series, a mix of old and new boats. Ospreys are very well built boats, and different constructions, from wood to GRP to the latest Hartley Boats FRP/ epoxy model, all compete equally. 40 year old wooden boats still often win the class Nationals.
Now that Gray and Edwards have completed their loan period with the class demo boat, it is available for others to sample the excitement of sailing an Osprey. To apply, go to the class web site at www.ospreysailing.org. In the Osprey class's 70th year, the Staunton Harold pair proved that good design (by Ian Proctor) never ages.