RS Feva Grand Prix Series Round 2 at Hayling Island Sailing Club

RS Feva Grand Prix 2 Round 2 at Hayling Island © Lucy Jameson

RS Feva Grand Prix 2 Round 2 at Hayling Island © Lucy Jameson

The second instalment of the RS Feva Grand Prix series took place at Hayling Island Sailing Club over the weekend of 5th and 6th October. With a forecast ranging from light and fickle to big winds with the addition of tricky tides it really was set to challenge all of our young sailors and indeed our Race Team lead by none other than our very own RS Feva UK Class Chairman Steve Fisher AKA Fish.

Saturday's conditions allowed for some racing in Hayling Bay so the 43 strong fleet headed out to the racecourse. The race team wasted no time in getting the fleet off for race one. A super start for Felix Stewart and Liam Farrell from Windermere School and Llandudno SC, these young lads have already gained a good amount of Feva sailing experience having both sailed with their older brothers, they have not long jumped in an RS Feva together so really showed their ability to work well as a team as they spotted the shifts and wind to take race 1 win. New to the UK fleet but not new to the International RS Feva Class Vanja Ramm-Ericson and Maia Delin sailing for Chew Valley Lake SC monopolised on their experience of sea sailing in beautiful Malta and came over the line in 2nd while Millie Irish along with her almost veteran to the class crew Katie Byne Draycote SC finished in 3rd

Race 2 and its all girls in the top 2 spots with Millie Irish and Katie Byne finishing in 1st, Ellen Morley and Hazell McDonnell from Hollowell Sailing Club banked a 2nd and it's Yorkshire Dales SC brothers Oliver and Matthew Rayner taking 3rd.

Race 3, the wind a gentle 7 knots still and its Restronguet Sailing Club and Chew Valley Lake SC pairing Sam Cox and William De Jaeger who showed their ability to concentrate hard while picking their route around the course to waft through the finish line for a 1st while 2 local teams Gregan Bergmann Smith and Josh Stokes in 2nd and more veterans to the feet its Ben Tuttle and WIll Balch in 3rd.

With a forecast for "dogs of chains" the following day PRO Fish set the fleet off for a 4th race of the day, Brothers Oliver and Matthew Rayner stormed over the finish in 1st, and in turn took the overnight lead, Sam Webb and Oliver Baddeley Royal Lymington YC finished off a very consistent day in 2nd and locals and RS Feva World Champion Crew Oliver Peters and Max Sydenham came over in 3rd.

Sunday's forecast was as expected, windy, very windy! With the option of heading out to the Bay abolished due to the conditions, it was a wait for the harbour to fill up! At around 1300 the fleet set out to sail over Pilsey, great for those wanting to standby and watch the action from the clubhouse. With a busy harbour of club racers, windsurfers and cruisers along with the notorious Chichester Harbour sandbanks PRO Fish along with his team set a great course and the fleet enjoyed blasting around in 20 + knots of wind, smiling faces and lots of action, the sailors revelled in the conditions, some boat breakages but in true RS Feva class style parents and supporters on and off the water did all they could to get sailors and their boats turned around and back out to the Race Course.

Race 5 and its Sam Cox and William De Jaeger who again fought through to take 1st, Millie Irish and Katie Byne in 2nd and Ben Tuttle and Will Balch in 3rd. A quick turnaround for Race 6 and no sign of the wind dropping. Millie and Katie showing their experience in heavy wind sailing take a very convincing race 6 win and in doing so the overall win for GP2, one of 2 Father / Child teams Alex and Lee Sydenham came flying in to take 2nd and Oliver Peters and Max Sydenham in 3rd.

Hayling Island Sailing Club as always played perfect hosts to the class, the conditions challenged all our sailors and our race team with a bit of everything thrown in over the 2 days, all sailors coped incredibly well with the frustrations of light winds through to the long wait for launching on Sunday and the thrill of some big wind sailing, what a weekend!!

Next stop for the RS Feva Class is the RS Feva Winter Championships at Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy.

Overall Results: