Please select your home edition
Edition
C-Tech 2020 Battens 2 728x90 TOP

Burnham Week 2023 Day 1

by Sally Harbott 26 Aug 2023 13:30 PDT 26 August - 2 September 2023

Over 130 boats raced today on the opening day of Burnham Week 2023. Multihulls and IRC rated cruisers right through to Lasers and Fevas with day boats in between came out to enjoy great racing.

The river front was buzzing and by 11 o'clock moorings were empty and the fleets were headed to their respective start lines. Pile House, the downriver line, was for day boats, cruisers, multihulls and Ospreys. All other dinghy classes raced from the Burnham Sailing Club.

The Elites were the first fleet off with their class having two races today. Both races had them going up and down the Roach to Wallaseaness and down the Crouch to Holliwell a couple of times. Richard Bavin in Serious Moonlight won race one with Neil Fulcher in All the Gear taking the second race. The first three boats are all on 4 points with Neil Fulcher leading on count back, Serious Moonlight second and Bill Blank in Blind Squirrel sitting in third.

The fantastic fleet of over 25 squibs went off next and with a warning from the race officer to take care with a fair tide downwind start got away cleanly first time. Dan Wastnage in Firework took the bullet with Mickey Wright in Spoof second and Sophie sailed by Stuart Mears third. In their second race Budgies Tongue, Jack Grogan from West Mersea YC won with Sophie second. Budgies Tongue is leading overall on countback from Sophie after the first two races.

The three MOCRA yachts went off next heading down river with NRB leading the other two. The course took them right out to Sunken Buxey twice after a short leg up the Roach to Jubilee. NRB owned by Julian Linton took the win on corrected time with Triassic owned by Nigel Stevens from Hoo Ness second.

Class One were also careful not to set kites too early with one or two a little line shy they got away safely with Slipstream, Mantra and Santa Evita setting their kites first. They headed off down to Crouch and Outer Crouch 1. Provisional results which are subject to protest show Lizzie Brown in Slipstream winning from Digger Harden and Mike Schneidau in Santa Evita helmed by Doug Duce. Phillip Harbott in Mantra is in third.

Burnham Week 2023 Day 1 - photo © Alan Hanna
Burnham Week 2023 Day 1 - photo © Alan Hanna
Class Five who this year are racing YTC (with spinnakers) were also careful on the start with Ophelia owned by Richard Moore and Ernie Breavington's Sandhopper at the pin end on the gun both with quick spinnaker work. Daryl Mylroie in Eclipse also getting a good start more midline. Eclipse took line honours with Ophelia coming in second. On corrected time Ernie Breavington in Sandhopper won with Peter Hooper in Trinco the Contessa 26 second and Ophelia third.

Class Six, YTC without spinnakers, also has a good number of entries this year and it's great to see some boats returning as well as some new to Burnham Week boats taking part. Dabtoe, Nicholas Moulton, got a great start and took line honours. On corrected time Lucy Lee owned by Ian Keam George took the win with Dabtoe second and JodeAnni, Danielle Southey third.

The day boats as always were well supported with a brilliant fleet of ECODs out. These elegant boats designed by G Laws with all 10 built by William Kings boatyard at Burnham were originally all built gaff rigged but some now are Bermudan rigged. Wizard, David Smith won (gaff) with Witch owned by Paul Jeffries of Blackwater Sailing Club second and Gi Gi, Celia Wilson (Bermudan) third.

The RCODS had a good start with Justin Waples in Cormorant and Corella, Nick Bacon, at the front playing cat and mouse as they got their kites pulling on the first leg. Corella won with Cormorant second and Sue Law in Coralie third.

The Dragons had a good race down to Outer Crouch 3 twice coming back up to Inner Crouch in between. Mark Wade took the win in Avalanche with Peter Marchant in Beauty and the Beast second and Hands Off, Andy Moss third.

The RBOD fleet was led by number 2 Red Jacket owned by Stephen Herring who took the win with Phalarope Tom Corrigan second. Aquamarine, Angela Shepherd took third.

The Sandhoppers had a great first day and sailed a couple of times up the Roach to Jubilee. Peter Thompson in Sea Phantom won with White Gull, Kevin Whittle, second. Third was The Dogs.......5 sailed by Mark Jewell.

The Ospreys enjoyed their first race from Pile House with Lethal Weapon, David Carroll winning with Ghost Ship sailed by Roger Blake second and Robert Shaw in Bird of Prey IV third.

Up river the line was full with a superb fleet of Lasers with a class of Phantoms, and two mixed Handicap classes. The lasers have seen a real revival on the Crouch with over 20 entered and the racing they enjoyed superb. The rounding of the windward mark saw many place changes with some taking a wider route with the ebb tide.

The fleets each enjoyed two races today from the Burnham Sailing Club and the results will be available at www.burnhamweek.com/results-2023

Related Articles

PredictWind launches PredictRain
New app From PredictWind delivers hyper-accurate, short-term rain predictions PredictRain is a groundbreaking standalone app that combines advanced AI modelling with intuitive tools to provide timely and precise rain forecasts for all types of outdoor activities. Posted today at 4:51 am
49er & 49erFX Junior Worlds champions crowned
One final race before the storm kicked in at Øresund The final day of the 2025 Junior World Championship delivered high drama and even higher waves. As wind and rain swept across the Øresund, Race Committees managed to run one final race before safety concerns forced an early end to the competition. Posted today at 4:43 am
Admiral's Cup: Emotional, Rare, Unforgettable
The 2025 Admirals' Cup set the stage for a bold new era in offshore racing Once the pinnacle of international offshore sailing, the return of the Admiral's Cup was a resounding success, setting the stage for a bold new era in offshire racing. Posted on 4 Aug
29er World Championship at Porto Day 2
The breeze never quite showed up but the action didn't stop Day two of the Porto World Championships began with hope—and strategy. With light winds in the forecast, the race committee scheduled an early start in anticipation of a short sea breeze window. Posted on 4 Aug
RS Aero World & Youth Worlds overall
The fine Brittany weather and afternoon sea breezes have provided excellent racing The stage was set for a dramatic final day showdown in Quiberon Bay, France, to decide the titles for the 7th RS Aero Worlds and 4th Youth Worlds. Posted on 4 Aug
RS Feva Worlds at Aix-les-Bains, France Overall
Crowning of our 2025 World Champions As our World Championships drew to a thrilling close on Friday afternoon, the atmosphere was electric with anticipation! Sailors and families were buzzing with excitement as they prepared for their journey home. Posted on 4 Aug
ClubSwan 28 American Series launched
US-based regatta series unites high-performance design with competitive racing. Nautor Swan today announces the launch of the ClubSwan 28 American Series in collaboration with Terry Hutchinson and American Magic, a new high-performance racing circuit designed to ignite competitive sailing in the U.S. Posted on 4 Aug
Just another event?
Is Cowes Week still a pinnacle regatta? We've been blessed with incredible sailing so far this summer in the UK (for once) with great breeze much of the time, and some of the best events in the world gracing our shores. But, like with Storm Floris, there are clouds on the horizon... Posted on 4 Aug
Safe Harbor Race Weekend starts Friday
Exciting racing, unforgettable shoreside festivities on tap Ever growing in popularity and caliber, the three-day Safe Harbor Race Weekend will host an impressive fleet of 73 boats on August 8 when it begins its fifth annual edition in Newport, R.I. Posted on 4 Aug
Tenerife Windsurf Grand Slam Day 3
Pierre Mortefon draws first blood after the wind fills in late After a couple of days of waiting for the wind, Day 3 eventually provided the goods to end the wait for some official competition as the Slalom X got under way during the early evening in 15-18 knots of wind. Posted on 4 Aug
Doyle_SailWorld_728X90px_cruise BOTTOMLloyd Stevenson - AC ETNZ 1456x180px BOTTOMBarton Marine Pipe Glands