Scorpion Inland Championship at Chew Valley Lake Sailing Club

Scorpion Inlands at Chew Valley Lake © Chris Meredith, Adam Sykes, John Smalley, Martin Rose

Scorpion Inlands at Chew Valley Lake © Chris Meredith, Adam Sykes, John Smalley, Martin Rose

38 Scorpion sailors assembled in the sunshine at Chew Valley ready for the 2025 Inland Championship. After viewing the weed islands in some corners of the lake there was a scramble to find lifting rudders for the occasion, but we were assured that most of the lake was clear (it was) and that the wind at least would be ok (it wasn't).

We launched into an unstable force 2 with sharp pressure bands and big variations in direction more normally associated with sailing on a puddle. Ollie and Rob in 2053 nailed the right on the first beat and quickly established a sizeable lead, the racing for the rest of us was tight but Pete and Rach in 2058 gradually worked their way through to 2nd followed by Chris and John in 2026. On the last lap the wind died to barely enough to fly a spinnaker, Pete and Rach took the unorthodox approach of sailing away from the leeward mark on the run but somehow managed to stay in the only breath of wind on the lake to reel in Ollie and Rob from half a leg behind and ghost past them at the finish. Chris and John briefly lost 3rd to Tom & Tim in 2025 but copied Pete & Rach's route to snatch it back by the finish. With the wind starting to fill back in Malcolm James and Monty Hampton in 2001 made a late charge but had to settle for 5th.

Race 2 saw the wind return, albeit with a big shift to the right. Pete & Rach established an early lead and despite the changes in direction it was at least consistent in strength and they held this to the finish. Nigel and Jerry in 2018 led the charge for best of the rest followed by Ollie and Rob in 3rd. Unfortunately for race 3 the wind went event further right which placed a large patch of weed on one side of the course. Needless to say exactly where the fleet wanted to go for the best wind so we were caught in the dilemma of trying to navigate a path through and getting the best shifts, or taking the detour around but at least not having to stop to clear the foils. Ollie and Rob navigated the trap the best to take the win followed by Chris and John. Janet & Alan in 2005 held off Sam and Evelyn in 2009 to take 3rd.

It was an impressive feat by the race team to get 3 races in, and despite the shifts it was the same teams making their way to the front each time so it was clearly still down to skill rather than luck, but I don't think anyone was disappointed that the 4th race was postponed to Sunday when the forecast was better and it wouldn't interfere with a trip to the local pub. Overnight Ollie and Rob led, illness had taken Pete and Rach out of the last race so they would be a threat on Sunday but had no room for error, and everyone else had some very up and down results.

Sunday dawned with more sunshine and wind, lots of it. There were still gusts and shifts, but not as significant as Saturday, and the race team even managed to get away without moving many marks which meant that we could get 4 races in.

While most people raked back, Tom & Tim, back in a Scorpion together after 4 years, and maybe carrying a little more weight than last time round decided that this was overkill, led to the windward mark and gradually extended. Chris & John kept them honest all the way to the finish followed by Ollie & Rob, and Pete & a well recovered Rach in 4th.

Scorpion Inlands at Chew Valley Lake - photo © Chris Meredith, Adam Sykes, John Smalley, Martin Rose

In race 2 the same four boats broke away, this time with Ollie & Rob holding a narrow lead but positioning themselves well to control the fleet behind. This was until they had to tack to avoid a right of way Seafly. Normally this wouldn't have been an issue but the wind waited 30 seconds and then shifted 30 degrees allowing Tom & Tim and Pete & Rach through to finish in that order. On the last run Chris & John were able to snatch another 3rd.

Race 6 saw Pete & Rach and Tom & Tim break away from the fleet with the lead swapping several times until the last lap when Pete & Rach nailed some shifts to pull out a comfortable lead. AJ and Chris in 2014 were holding a strong 3rd place and started chasing down Tom & Tim for 2nd. That was until the last run when they found a hole on the run and dropped to 6th (the wind was better but still not without peril).

Scorpion Inlands at Chew Valley Lake - photo © Chris Meredith, Adam Sykes, John Smalley, Martin Rose

Going into the last race there were 4 boats in contention. A top 5 finish would win it for Pete & Rach, but their discard meant they weren't safe, and the 3 boats behind them were all tied on points. As it was Pete & Rach put any doubts to bed by leading from start to finish to become the well deserved inland champions. Ollie and Rob didn't' let them have it easy but had to settle for 2nd and 2nd overall. Nigel and Jerry did most of the running in 3rd until they decided to inspect the centreboard on the run which allowed Tom & Tim through for 3rd.

A massive thank you to Chew who ran a very slick event, and especially the race team for getting all the races in. Sunday meant there were lots of tired bodies as we packed up but it was a great weekend and attention was soon turning to the upcoming trip to Lymington in July. See you all there.

Overall Results: