Please select your home edition
Edition
PredictWind - Offshore App 728x90 TOP

The Lockdown Cup Round 1

by Mark Jardine 16 Apr 2020 03:59 PDT 15 April 2020
The Lockdown Cup Round 1 © Mark Jardine

Round 1 of The Lockdown Cup is complete and the five top British sailors have been chosen to take on our competition winners, who are yet to be selected. The racing was tight and the battles fierce.

Top sailing commentator Andy Green provided some superb colour to the action and the livestream was supplemented with introduction videos and a little more production this time. Did it run entirely smoothly? Of course not. We're learning on the job and switching between the many different pieces of software to enable the broadcast is a challenge, but thanks to the likes of Adam McGovern, Alistair Dixon and James Eaves at the RYA this is at least possible, and anything which is doable should be done in my opinion!

There was a noticeably different atmosphere compared to the eSailing Demonstration Event a fortnight ago. Were the sailors more subdued after another week of isolation? No, it was fact that selection was on the line. This may be virtual sailing, but these are strong competitors at heart and they all wanted to win, or at the very least make it through to Round 2.

After the racing I asked each of the sailors to give me their immediate reaction and Luke Patience, aka 'Weepearl', summed it up when he said: "A different competition - far more decorum out there today which was a shame. And that panda has been on a diet and was flying!"

There are some interesting excuses made for a poor race, and Stu Bithell wins the prize this week as he described: "It was going great till my 96yr old gran tried ringing in the second race and I didn't have the heart to hang up. Maybe I'll ask her to write a letter to the organizing committee to request redress. But seriously, another great showing of epic racing, every mistake being punished. Hats off again to Adam McGovern to take the win."

One sailor's excuse can turn into another man's luck and Nick Craig scraped into Round 2 by a single point.

"Thanks to my 10-year-old son Adam for teaching me to use an iPad and of course Stu's gran." Nick said continuing, "Adam then said, 'Is that the real Ben Saxton' while watching the livestream - he hadn't heard of any of the other sailors!"

It's getting very clear that cabin fever is setting in and, like the rest of us, our top sailors are raring to get back out on to the water as Ben Saxton described: "I'm missing the excitement of racing. Great to be able to get racing against friends during these lockdown times!"

For others there were more than a few parallels to real world sailing, perfectly summed up by Christian Birrell: "Watching Ben sail downwind was very reminiscent of watching him sail away from me downwind at the Endeavour Trophy!"

It was extraordinary watching Ben Saxton's downwind sailing. Even against this calibre of fleet he demonstrated an almost uncanny skill in spotting the shifts and gusts to race away from his fellow sailors at times.

So, who made it through to The Lockdown Cup Round 2? Once again Adam McGovern took the win with a superbly consistent series, Ben Saxton finished second, despite a 12th in the first race, Luke Patience came third thanks to two podium finishes in the first two races, Dave Hivey came fourth due to his consistency and Nick Craig scraped in fifth by a point. There was disappointment for Sam Watson and Fynn Sterritt, missing out by just a point. This was especially acute for Sam as a scoring error announced him as the fifth qualifier during the livestream and only later was the calculation error spotted... Sam was magnanimous about the situation, "Good fun, I need to work on my starting! Hope to do it again soon."

Adam was ecstatic about his win, "Lots of fun once again. Really chuffed to take the win against this amazing group of sailors, I just wish I was as fast in real life!"

The British Sailing Team's coach Jonny McGovern summed up the general feeling well: "It's great to line up against these legends again, I need to up my virtual game though!"

Fynn Sterritt added: "Gutted to miss out on the next round! The end of lockdown can't come soon enough so we can get out sailing for real."

Aye to that Fynn.

The Lockdown Cup Round 1 Results:

PosHelmUsernameR1R2R3Pts
1Adam McGovernAdamNW1528
2Ben SaxtonSaxobank121114
3Luke PatienceWeepearl331016
4Dave HiveyDavidHivey48517
5Nick Craig 54918
6Sam Watsonsam gp14621119
7Fynn Sterritt 97319
8Stuart BithellBiffmiester 214420
9Sam WhaleyWhaleX116623
10Jonny McGovernJonnymcboatface712726
11Andy Davies (taxi)Taxi1410832
12Christian Birrell 8111332
13Matt MeeMattMee1091433
14Katie BurridgeKatieBurridge13131238

If you haven't done so yet, you've got a day to get your entry in the competition to enter Round 2 of The Lockdown Cup!

Related Articles

One thing. One big, very fast boat
One thing that opened the door, another made us enquire some more - 50 knots! Yes. It was one thing that opened the door, as it were. One thing that piqued the curiosity enough to go, ‘I'll take a look at that!' One thing that when you're trying to crack in excess of 50 knots... Posted on 30 Jun
A brief history of marine instrument networks
Hugh Agnew has been involved since the outset, and continues to develop at the cutting edge One man who has been involved since the outset, and continues to develop at the cutting edge, is Hugh Agnew, the Cambridge-educated mathematician who is one of the founders of A+T Instruments in Lymington, so I spoke to him to find out more... Posted on 25 Jun
Harald Findlay on the 2025 Edgartown Race Weekend
A Q&A with Harald Findlay on the 2025 Edgartown Race Weekend When it comes to racing sailboats on the East Coast of the United States in the summer months, few places are as classic as the waters surrounding Martha's Vineyard's northwestern flank. Posted on 18 Jun
Sailing and the summer solstice
Celebrating sailing and the longest day of the year If you love long evenings and early mornings, this is one of the best times of the whole year, as the summer solstice (Friday, June 20) and the entire rich expanse of summer are about to burst into bloom. Posted on 17 Jun
Video Review: The Amazing Cure 55
Composite Construction meets Cruising Convenience It was two years ago at the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show that I talked to Dave Biggar about his ideas and plans for the Cure 55. At the 2025 show I got to step on board the yacht and see how his ideas became reality. Posted on 17 Jun
The Big Bash
Every summer the tournament rolls into town. A short format of the game. Fun and excitement abound. Every summer the tournament rolls into town. Local and international players. A short format of the game, run over a relatively compact six-week season. Posted on 15 Jun
The oldest video footage of Kiel Week
A look back into our video archive at the Kieler Woche of the 60s and early 70s In our series of articles looking back in time through our video archive, we visit Germany. Kiel Week is been a crucial event on the world circuit, and here we look back at the Kieler Woche of the 60s and early 70s. Posted on 15 Jun
Nick Olson on PredictWind's newest features
Nick Olson discusses PredictWind's newest features PredictWind has long been a leader in presenting high-quality marine forecasts. Nick Olson discusses the company's newest features. Posted on 12 Jun
The X-Yachts Gold Cup Experience
A celebration of sailing, of X-Yachts and, most importantly of all, people Having just returned from Haderslev, Denmark - which is the home of X-Yachts and played host to the X-Yachts Gold Cup 2025 - I was left wondering if this was a racing event, a rally or a social celebration amongst close friends. Posted on 10 Jun
Getting excited for the Van Isle 360
Quoting a famous line from Pink Floyd's "Time" As I pack for the first half of the 2025 Van Isle 360 International Yacht Race, I find myself thinking about the last time I did this race, a certain Pink Floyd song, and the great adventuring, sailing and time with friends that awaits. Posted on 3 Jun
Henri-Lloyd Dynamic RangeHyde Sails 2024 - One DesignArmstrong 728x90 - Performance Mast Range - BOTTOM