420 GP7 at Itchenor Sailing Club

Battle of the Cawthornes

On Saturday morning, after a briefing from the race committee we launched for the long sail out to the racecourse. With strong tides and winds of about 8 knots it was a reasonable sail. Thanks to our relaxed midday start time, it didn't feel too early. The race officer put us on a windward leeward course, aiming to send us round for four laps in the space limited by the wind direction.

420 GP7 at Itchenor - photo © Jon Cawthorne

The first race got away first time on a blue peter flag. Heather and Gwyneth battled it out at the front with Harry and Ralph to win their first ever race in the 420 fleet. Teddy and I following behind in third.

In the second race the wind increased enough to get the Oscar flag up, a nice change after our recent light wind events. Again, we started on a blue peter flag, however there was a general recall as the port end had become rather bias because it was so crucial to get out of the tide as fast as possible. The race began again on a black flag and this time the line was all clear. In this race Harry and Ralph got back to their usual winning ways with new lightweight-pairing Joe and Hennie in second and another young pairing of Arthur and Angus in third. A top three built completely from U17 sailors.

Will Bailey and Matthew Rayner during the 420 GP7 at Itchenor - photo © Jon Cawthorne

The final race of the day was won by Joe and Hennie who had an outstanding day, showing their strength in the lighter conditions and ones to watch. In second was Harry and Ralph who were followed by William and Ethan in third.

The day ended with Harry and Ralph sitting at the top of the leader board with a strong 2,1,2; Joe and Hennie in second; myself and Teddy in third. Special mention to William and Ethan who haven't been in the fleet long, they remained consistent with two 7ths and a 3rd. Impressive in the tricky tidal conditions.

Harry George and Ralph Cawthorne during the 420 GP7 at Itchenor - photo © Jon Cawthorne

In the evening, our sailor reps Oscar, Teddy, and Arthur put on a great Halloween social. Arthur dressed as Patrick Bateman was the perfect DJ for the night and it was great to see the newcomers becoming more involved with the fleet off the water.

On Sunday morning, the heavier pairings woke up smiling as the forecast showed a solid 20knots. The race committee got the fleet out with no hesitation and after our extra hour in bed everybody was raring to go. The first race began on a blue peter and was again called back (luckily for Harry and Ralph who appeared to be having a swim on the go gun). After four long laps of intense sailing, experienced sailors Henry and Oscar came out leagues ahead, with Will and Matthew in second and Arwen and Arlo in third showing their heavy wind strength.

Ellie Creighton and Bea Greenfield during the 420 GP7 at Itchenor - photo © Jon Cawthorne

In race number five, Henry and Oscar continued to dominate with another first. Switching places in this one - Arwen and Arlo followed behind in second and Will and Matthew in third. After this race the points at the top looked tight and the battle for first between the two Cawthorne brothers looked intense.

In the final race of the day, we were back to four laps, once again Henry and Oscar were almost as leg ahead by the time they took the win. This meant that Harry needed a third or better to beat them overall. However, in second place was Will and Matthew who showed consistency on day two (three top three results). In third place was Oli and Amber.

Henry Heathcote and Oscar Cawthorne during the 420 GP7 at Itchenor - photo © Jon Cawthorne

Henry and Oscar had won by one point, winning their first event together. Following them in second and first U17 was Harry and Ralph, Teddy and I managed to come away with third overall after remaining consistent across the two days. First girls' team was Heather and Gwyneth. And finally, the endeavour prize which went to Martha and Isobel. Well done to all the sailors this weekend, especially our new U17 teams. It was a tough venue with tricky tides and lots of different wind strengths to deal with.

Looking forwards to seeing a big fleet for the grand finale of the season - the End of Season Championships and final GP event of the year. It's lining up to be a good one.

Overall Results: