Yachting World Dayboat Open at Bosham Sailing Club
by David Macfarlane 26 May 2022 02:57 PDT
21-22 May 2022
Race start during the Bosham SC Yachting World Dayboat Open © Dawn Tomlinson
This year's Bosham SC Yachting World Dayboat Open Meeting was held in spectacular conditions over the weekend of the 21st & 22nd May.
The original design of the class dates back to 1949. And whilst not originally intended to be raced, with its weighted centreboard and moderate sail area, the boat particularly appeals to mixed crews and has proved ideally suited for estuary, open water and inland harbour sailing. The Bosham fleet was established over 20 years ago and has grown steadily, and is now one of the largest fleets in the country.
For this year's Open event the weather gods delivered fantastic conditions with 12-16 kts of wind and unbroken sunshine.
Four visiting boats from as far afield as Gravesend SC and Avon SC joined a large contingent of the home fleet.
The four race series was run from a committee boat in the main area of Chichester Harbour, and over the two days, the fleet got the opportunity to explore many parts of this outstanding sailing area.
One Bosham crew dominated the 16 strong fleet. Nigel & Isabel Russell stepped into their newly acquired boat and proceeded to win all four races in a convincing fashion, maintaining consistent boat speed and demonstrating clever tactical awareness to navigate the many natural hazards in the Harbour.
They were followed in 2nd place, by another crew new to Dayboats. Richard and Laura Lewis had borrowed a boat from an absent Bosham owner and very quickly got to grips with the nuances of the Dayboat and put together a very consistent series.
The second race each day finished at the Quay which involved a glorious reach right up the beautiful Bosham channel to the club's Raptackle finishing line.
Once ashore the fleet were served the most magnificent tea, a highlight of which was undoubtedly the homemade scones and cream! On Saturday evening the club laid on supper and live music on the sunny Terrace.
Overall Results:
1st DB614 Nigel & Isabell Russell (Bosham SC) 3pts
2nd DB618 Richard & Laura Lewis (Bosham SC) 8pts
3rd DB651 Simon Veysey & Judy Roberts (Bosham SC) 9pts
4th DB475 Paul Dewing & Katie Prentice(Bosham SC) 17pts
5th DB654 Tower Prower & Nick Stride (Bosham SC) 18pts
6th DB664 Tim & Gerry Wilcock (Bosham SC) 21pts