Phantom Eastern Series Open at Creeksea Sailing Club
by Andy Pyett 16 May 01:58 PDT
10-11 May 2025
Phantom Eastern Series Open at Creeksea © Alan Shrimplin
Competitive racing, champagne conditions and a super social at the Riva del Crouch: the 2025 Creeksea Phantom Open.
"Why've you driven 5.5 hours to come here?" seemed a legitimate question after spending a Friday afternoon on the M1, M25, A12 etc. Since buying a Phantom, the Creeksea Phantom Open has always appealed. At Creeksea, they regularly see 10-12 Phantoms on the water each week, and on the circuit, this spectre of Phantoms has come to be known as the "Creeksea Massive" - a welcoming bunch that knows how to put on a good do!
If you've never been, Creeksea is something of a hidden gem. Located up the River Crouch, out of sight of the yachties, it's modest in construction but has everything you need to get things just right. 'The Massive' are a generous lot: visitors were greeted on Friday evening by two kegs of local ale and a BBQ fit for a fleet of carnivores. As welcome drinks flowed, conversation turned to river sailing - local tips on short tacking, sticking to the banks, and going with the flow - all most helpful for a pond sailor. As the sun set, those left retired to the clubhouse for a nightcap and settled around the fire (...I might have over-egged this image slightly).
Saturday dawned with an easterly breeze building straight down the river. As more visitors and locals arrived, Race Officer Edwin Buckley set a decent-length windward-leeward course with a wing mark to keep things interesting as the tide changed. After a not-so-brief, things got under way.
Race 1 - The race started in the last hour of the flooding tide. Eighteen boats joined the start line - stunning sunshine, a full river and a F3-4 breeze: proper Champagne conditions.
Eighteen boats short-tacked their way up the northerly bank. It was a tacking symphony... elegant ones, rudderless ones, dropped-the-tiller-extension ones, and those rebellious ones just a bit too close to the bank. At the windward mark, adjacent to Burnham Yacht Harbour, out popped 'Yachting Cod' Chris Roberts (Creeksea), Bill "Good to see him back" Taylor (Creeksea), Paddy Denby (Broadstairs), and - at least for the Saturday - Dutch supremo Vim Hopton (Shustoke). As the leading four progressed ~2km downwind, the current was still strongest in the centre. Approaching the leeward mark, Andy Pyett (Combs) had made good progress, catching the leading pack. Two laps and just over an hour of close racing saw the race finish:
1st Jim Hopton, 2nd Chris Roberts, 3rd Andy Pyett.
Race 2 - The gun went on the turning tide. Mark rounding reversed and the wing mark was now passed on the downwind leg. The turning tide opened the whole river, with short-tacking no longer required. A building breeze saw Andy Pyett reach the windward mark first, followed by Bill Taylor and a chasing pack. Remembering the Friday night's discussion, the fleet headed to the northern bank out of the tide. Andy took "sticking to the bank" literally and parked it in the mud! As the fleet passed, Bill took the lead, with the pack condensing behind him as he rounded the leeward mark.
Bill showed no loss of pace following a recent injury - indeed, he celebrated his return with a quick swim at the gybe mark, front and centre before the chasing pack. Much concern was shown by the fleet - delivered in the form of cheer and laughter. Undeterred, Bill hopped onto the board like a young gazelle and was back on his way. Still leading on Lap 2, Bill took another swim at the windward mark - this time, nobody really noticed... much! Chris Roberts continued to demonstrate excellent local knowledge, followed by the consistent Vim Hopton, and Creeksea's Commodore, Stu Brewer. Finishing in that order.
Lunch followed Race 2 - Another generous meal from the Creeksea Massive: a picnic of tea, sandwiches, pies and pastries enjoyed in the sunshine. There could be a market for afternoon tea in hikers!
Race 3 - The breeze had built to a steady F4, with some chop forming in the second half of the beat. A pack of Bill, Terry Cook (Stone), Phil Longley (Stone), and Paddy Denby were first to round the windward mark - again heading to the northern bank. As the leaders tussled and covered each other downwind, Andy Pyett stayed well clear of the bank (this time!), taking the breeze to sail under the wrestling leaders, gain mark room and sneak ahead.
After another lap Race 3 finished; 1st Andy Pyett, 2nd Bill Taylor, 3rd Terry Cook.
Into Saturday night, the top three were separated by just one point each: Chris Roberts on top, Vim Hopton second, and Andy Pyett third. As golden ale flowed again, sailors enjoyed the sunshine while another feast was prepared - a delicious Thai buffet. How such a meal was created without a kitchen remains a mystery - but boy, was it good! By the time, the evening's entertainment - the double-act "Phil & Bill Show" - got going, most had completed several laps of the buffet table.
With everything still to play for on Sunday, as darkness fell sailors retired to vans, tents and ULEZ-compliant motorhomes to rest up for day 2.
Sunday's forecast promised a stronger breeze and an earlier start - three races back-to-back on the flooding tide. As the wind swung east, down the river again, it didn't quite build as expected - a somewhat flukey F3 filled in. A slightly smaller triangular course was set.
Race 4 - With less tide, a shorter start line had everyone looking for a port-end flyer. Short tacking returned, with the fleet packing against the northern bank. Bill, Chris, Paddy and Dean Saxton (Maylandsea Bay) got the jump at the windward mark. Bill kept things upright and led from the front to take the win, followed by Paddy and the ever-consistent Chris. A notable omission from the finish was Midland rep Jim Hopton - back after renouncing his Dutch identity from Saturday - who suffered gear failure from a great position on leg one. Godverdomme!
Race 5 - After a good start to the day in Race 4, Paddy - along with Jim, Chris and Terry - was up at the windward mark again. Downwind, there were fewer gains than the day before. Finding the sweet spot between pressure and tide was tricky - centre, banks, soaking the pressure... nothing seemed to pay (or at least, not for me!). The leaders were out of sight - until Chris Roberts came back into view after an unfortunate swim on the last leg to the line. Gutted.
Race 5 finished: 1st Paddy Denby, 2nd Jim Hopton, 3rd Terry Cook.
Race 6 - So far: five races, five different winners. As the fleet lined up, no one was quite sure of the standings or who was in with a shot at glory. I can't claim to know much of what happened in the grand finale - those who'd been up there all day were long gone. Even with prescription glasses and a vague idea that I was heading for scribe duties, I couldn't make out who was who. But Paddy, Chris, Jim, Bill, Terry and Dean were somewhere on the horizon.
The weekend's final race was won by Paddy Denby, with Dean Saxton in second and Jim Hopton third.
The overall win of a great weekend's sailing went to Paddy Denby, just pipping Jim [Vim] Hopton on countback, with Creeksea's own Chris Roberts in bronze position.
Six races, five different winners, competitive racing in beautiful sunshine, decent wind, a super social with excellent food and Phantom friends.
Special thanks to Race Officer Edwin Buckley, Dave Chick and his team on the patrol boat, and all the Creeksea Phantom Massive for their generous hospitality. Extra thanks to Diane Roberts for making the weekend run seamlessly.
So... was it worth the 5.5-hour drive? Abso-bloody-lutely. I'll be back next year!
Overall Results:
| Pos | Sail No | Helm | Club | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | Pts |
|---|
| 1st | 1246 | Paddy Denby | Broadstairs | -4 | (RET) | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| 2nd | 1492 | Jim Hopton | Shustoke SC | 1 | 2 | -7 | (RET) | 2 | 3 | 8 |
| 3rd | 1395 | Chris Roberts | CSC | 2 | 1 | -6 | 3 | -10 | 4 | 10 |
| 4th | 1420 | Bill Taylor | CSC | 5 | -9 | 2 | 1 | (RET) | 7 | 15 |
| 5th | 1488 | Andy Pyett | Combs Sailing Club | 3 | -7 | 1 | 5 | 7 | -10 | 16 |
| 6th | 1464 | Terry Crook | Stone Salling Club | -6 | 6 | 3 | -11 | 3 | 6 | 18 |
| 7th | 1267 | Dean Saxton | Maylandsea Bay SC | 7 | -13.5 | -10 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 19 |
| 8th | 1248 | Stu Brewer | CSC | 8 | 3 | -12 | 7 | -14 | 8 | 26 |
| 9th | 1394 | Nick Favell | GYGSC | -11 | -10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 27 |
| 10th | 1433 | Warron Martin | CSC | -14 | 4 | 9 | 12 | -13 | 5 | 30 |
| 11th | 1458 | Alan Husk | CSC | -12 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 5 | -13 | 36 |
| 12th | 1443 | Phil Longley | Stone Sailing Club | 13 | 12 | 5 | 8 | (RET) | (DNS) | 38 |
| 13th | 1214 | Nick Thorp | Ardleigh | -16 | 5 | (DNS) | 13 | 9 | 11 | 38 |
| 14th | 1404 | Eric Howe | CSC | 9 | 8 | -15 | -15 | 8 | 14 | 39 |
| 15th | 1337 | Peter Sarbutt | CSC | 10 | -13.5 | (RET) | 10 | 12 | 12 | 44 |
| 16th | 1461 | Graham Dale Jones | CSC | (RET) | 15 | 14 | 14 | 11 | (RET) | 54 |
| 17th | 1425 | Stephen Pates | Ardleigh | 15 | (RET) | 13 | (DNS) | (DNS) | (DNS) | 66 |
| 18th | 1494 | Simon Evance | Maylandsea Bay SC | 17 | 16 | (DNS) | (DNS) | (DNS) | (DNS) | 71 |