Cadet Open at Waldringfield SC

by Waldringfield Sailing Club on 26 Jun 2012 A total of 33 teams from the East Coast gathered at Waldringfield Sailing Club (WSC) on the River Deben on Saturday 23rd June for the Club’s annual Cadet Open Meeting, sponsored by global technical clothing specialist, Zhik, Anglia Factors and chandlery, Seamark Nunn.

For Race 1, RO Johnathan Penn and his assistant, Neil Collingridge, took the fleet down to the Rocks area where they set a windward/leeward course with spreader marks. Battling a fierce incoming tide and 18-20 knots of southwesterly breeze, the 29 boats on the start line jostled for position at the Committee Boat end with Stress, helmed by Alex Warrrington and crewed by Laura Lloyd (Thorpe Bay SC), first across on starboard after the gun.

Just four boats headed for the starboard hand shore but those who chose to go to the Rocks side of the River benefitted from less tide and at the windward mark it was Challenger, helmed by Josie Gummer and crewed by Aaron Chadwick (Fishers Green SC) that went round first, followed by WSC’s Henry Stone and Mary Sacker in Total Elipse, Alex Corby and Robert Keen in White Stuff (Fishers Green SC) and Willow and Cara Bland in Flying Scotsman (WSC).

In a show of chivalry Henry Stone shouted to Josie Gummer that she had missed the spreader mark, as he took pole position. Henry gybed early and managed to sustain his lead until just before the leeward mark when Josie came through by keeping her kite up for just that little big longer and by being in the stronger tide.

On the next beat the fleet split across the river, despite the advantage shown in the first race of sticking close to the port hand shore and with some beautifully timed tacks, this enabled Lucy and Lainey Terkelson in Blue Calula (Stone SC) to round the windward mark first, followed by Alex Corby, Willow Bland and then Josie Gummer.

A good, high run brought Henry Stone back into the frame at the leeward mark, where he rounded after the Terkelsons and Alex Corby – who by this stage had a commanding lead - but his position was to be short-lived after he decided to take the port hand leeward mark and then cross over to the other side of the River.

Despite some excellent tacking, Alex Corby’s lead was by now being eroded, with Josie Gummer hot on his heels and WSC’s Annie Knott and Ellie Wootton, who hadn’t yet featured at the front of the fleet, working really hard as they short-tacked up the Rocks shore. As they approached the finishing line, Annie Knott squeezed in on port, timing her tacks to perfection, ahead of the Terkelsons and Josie Gummer who cut in on Alex Corby to come third.

Race 2, a triangle/sausage course, began in the Tips area of the River, where the wind showed little sign of easing, the water was very rough and ominous black clouds gathered on the horizon.

All of the boats started on starboard and went over to the starboard side of the River, to avoid the last hour of the incoming tide, with Sam Yale and Harry Chatterton in Out of the Blue (WSC) having an excellent start at the Committee Boat end. As they rounded the first mark it was Sam Yale in front, followed by Alex Warrington who snuck in illegally on Annie Knott and had to do his turns, and then Alex Corby. With a significant number of boats coming in on port there was mayhem as the rest of the fleet turned, made even more chaotic when Angus Stone and Katie Sparks in Great White (WSC) parked on the mark.

With an incredibly tight reach to take the fleet to the wing mark, many boats struggled to hold their kites although they gamely all continued to try to do so, but Sam Yale managed to extend his lead. At the leeward mark it was Sam Yale in front, followed by Annie Knott, Alex Corby and Josie Gummer. By this stage the wind had eased a bit and with it the choppy waters calmed somewhat and Sam Yale went off on one long tack on the beat, followed by the others in the leading pack. He and Annie pulled away from the rest of the front runners and left the windward mark on different gybes for the downwind leg, followed by Alex Corby and then Hattie Ayre and Cally Terkelson in Tantrum (Stone SC).

On the next beat Sam Yale and Annie Knott over stood the mark giving Alex Corby the opportunity to gain some ground but on the reach and downwind leg, Sam extended his lead yet again with some superb spinnaker work and by the final leeward mark he had a huge lead over Annie Knott who then very politely let Alex Corby in around the mark. Sam crossed the finish line first, followed by Alex Corby, Annie Knott and Hattie Ayre who had her best race yet.

The Committee Boat was yet again the favoured end for the start of race 3, but this time Josie Gummer did a well executed port tack flyer. By now the tide had turned and the fleet spread across the course on the first beat. First round the windward mark was yet again Sam Yale, having a superb afternoon’s sailing, followed by Hattie Ayre, the Terkelsons and then Alex Corby who flew past the other two boats on the reach to move into second position. Spectators were then treated to a spectacular luffing match mid fleet. At the third mark it was Sam Yale and Alex Corby upfront followed by Hattie Ayre and Alex Warrington.

With lots of downwind and reaching legs the figure of eight course suited Sam Yale’s strengths and by the windward mark of the second leg he was a country mile ahead of the rest of the fleet. Alex Warrington overtook Hattie Ayre on the reach and Sam’s lead extended to an incredible one minute 50 seconds. Hattie then capsized at the leeward gybe mark, costing her two places and moving Josie Gummer up the fleet.

By now, the wind had gone more westerly and eased significantly, and this combined with the outgoing tide meant the race had become somewhat processional but in a controversial decision the ROs decided to send the fleet around on a third lap. Sam Yale crossed the line way ahead of Alex Corby, despite having to do turns after he hit a mark, with Alex Warrington in third and Josie Gummer in fourth.

At the end of day one and with no discards at this point, Alex Corby lay in first place with just eight points, Josie Gummer in second with 11 points, Alex Warrington in third place with 15 and Sam Yale in fourth with 18 points.

Day two started wet, very wet and with similar wind conditions to the previous day. But as the start sequence for a windward/leeward race commenced at the Rocks the sun came out which helped to make the very challenging conditions more enjoyable – even before the start several boats had capsized as significant gusts came through.

All boats started on starboard, with Annie Knott having an exceptionally good start at the Committee Boat end, but there was chaos as the vast majority of the fleet headed for the port shore which had paid off so well the day before. A great deal of shouting ensued but no accompanying loud thuds, much to the relief of the race committee.

At the windward mark it was Annie Knott who turned first, followed by the Terkelsons who had done a great job of hugging the shore once more and who snuck in on the inside of Henry Stone, followed by Alex Corby. Henry and the Terkelsons then had a luffing match which resulted in both boats missing the leeward mark, letting Alex Corby and Sam Yale through. The Terkelsons then had to spend vital minutes trying to free a stuck spinnaker. By now the wind was increasing significantly and the rescue boats were kept very busy watching over and assisting the capsized boats including Hattie Collingridge and Elsa Cooney’s aptly named Little Miss Trouble whose mast had broken and Luci Offord and Molly Hardwick’s boat whose mast closely resembled a banana after turtling.

With the rescue boats at full stretch, the front runners continued to battle it out and though Alex Corby looked close on occasions to catching Annie Knott, with her crew, Ellie Wootton hiking like a badger it was Annie who crossed the line first, followed by Alex Corby. Hattie Ayre sadly hit the finishing buoy after having been given her third place hooter so had to take a DNF instead giving Alex Warrington and Matt and Katy Lloyd in Free Style (Thorpe Bay SC) third and fourth place respectively.

With the driver of the press boat, Chippy, now facing the prospect of a soggy lunch after his lunchbox leaked in the extreme conditions the decision was taken to go in for an early lunch and to seek more sheltered waters for the final two races in the afternoon. Many of the fleet limped in behind rescue boats, but all sailors were smiling and accounted for.

Race 5 was held at the Tips with the wind showing no signs of abating and some choppy conditions as it battled against the tide. Only 25 of the 33 boats that had come out for the morning race made it out to the start line and some of the helms had doubled up to provide more experience and weight in their boats for the afternoon racing. On the way to the start some of the fleet were treated to a spectacular capsize by Wild Thing, helmed by Gus Cooney, which saw his crew, Cameron Goodhead, try to right the boat by leaning over and pressing the centreplate, only then to dive into the water headfirst as the boat came up.

Will Everitt and Ali Goodhead in I’m a Bullet Too (WSC) executed a very impressive port tack flyer crossing the rest of the fleet who were all on starboard. Despite a very unimpressive start by the windward mark, Annie Knott had worked her way up the fleet to round first, followed by Alex Warrington, the Terkelsons and Henry Stone who rounded on the inside of the Lloyds.

Once again in the gusty conditions boats struggled to hold their kites on the reach and as she approached the mark, Annie Knott capsized. Meanwhile, Alex Corby had overtaken four boats to put him in second position at the gybe mark behind Alex Warrington. They were followed by Josie Gummer and, after a very quick recovery, Annie Knott. The gybe sorted the men from the boys in the squally conditions as several more boats went over.

Alex Warrington opened up a big lead on the run, followed by Alex Corby who was unable to fly his spinnaker after a breakage. By the leeward mark it was Alex Warrington who rounded first, followed by Annie Knott who had luffed up Josie Gummer on the run to come through. Several boats were then caught out by the gate including Alex Corby who failed to go back so had to make do with a DNF.

Alex Warrington then maintained his lead around the course right up until just before the finishing line when he capsized, finishing eventually in eighth position. First to cross the finishing line was Annie Knott, followed by Josie Gummer, Sam Yale and Henry Stone.

By the final race the wind had increased yet again and gone more northerly. Despite the starboard side of the course being much calmer the fleet opted to head for the port side because of the tide. Sam Yale was first to the windward mark, followed by Henry Stone, Alex Corby and the Terkelsons. Henry struggled with his kite on the reach letting the Terkelsons and Alex Warrington through but things got stressful on Alex Warrington’s Stress on the downwind leg when he tipped in and then struggled to recover. At the leeward mark it was Alex Corby who rounded first, followed by Sam Yale and Annie Knott who had used good covering to catch up the Terkelsons and then sneak inside at the mark.

By the next windward mark, Alex Corby had pulled away from Sam Yale but Annie Knott gained another place by going inside the Terkelsons at the mark. The Terkelsons then had a collision and had to do turns letting Josie Gummer in on the action.

Annie Knott clawed her way past Sam Yale on the final windward leg with the Terkelsons also recovering well from their turns to go round in fourth place behind Sam Yale.

With Alex Corby well ahead of the rest of the front runners, Sam Yale then challenged Annie on the downwind leg but she pulled away. Sam made the decision to go for an early kite drop, which he paid dearly for as Challenger pipped him at the finishing line to take third place.

After a fantastic weekend of sailing, and some nail biting racing, Annie Knott emerged victorious to win the overall Harris salver with just eight points. Alex Corby was second, Sam Yale third, and Josie Gummer fourth. Sam Yale was first under 15, Ed Harris and Faye Chatterton (WSC) first under 14 and Francesca Ingall and Eve Turnpenny first under 13. Ed Harris also won most improved helm and Hattie Collingridge and Elsa Cooney won the coveted Ultimate Plank award for their broken Waldringfield SC UK Cadet Class website