Pinnell & Bax Phantom Nationals 2025 at Hooe Point Sailing Club - Day 1
by Alex Spurgeon 20 Sep 2025 07:21 PDT
19-21 September 2025
Pinnell & Bax Phantom Nationals at Hooe Point - Day 1 © Nicola Davies
This year's championship is hosted by Hooe Point Sailing Club, Plymouth, with a highly competitive line-up of 57 boats. The forecast had been changeable in the days leading up, and finally was 5-11 kts from a southerly direction.
Sailors were warmed up with a 50-minute beat to the sail area outside the breakwater. With two races scheduled for the first day, and a windward-leeward course with a committee boat start/finish.
Race 1 : 5-10 kts
Eager to get a good start, the fleet was rewarded with a general recall, the RO briefed that he would black flag offenders, and should the Phantoms misbehave, it may be used! After another start sequence, the first race got under way without difficulty, and the wind was already starting to reduce, providing opportunities and adversity for the fleet.
First to the windward mark was Nick Orman 1487 Castle Cove, closely followed by Rob Cook 1496 Northampton SC and Ben Dancer 1478 Llandegfedd SC A close battle downwind ensued between Nick and Rob finalising in a win the the Class Chairman Rob, Nick 2nd and the Sam Coxon 1450 Chase SC.
Small-scale skirmishes were breaking out across the course as sailors struggled for clear air and keen to bank a good first race. All 57 boats finished.
Race 2 : 5-9 kts
After a short break, race 2 mirrored the previous race, and a general recall was called. The race finally got under way, most sailors opting for a more conservative start.
Clear air and sniffing out the shifts was king; first to the windward mark was Chris Pope 1220 Chew Valley, proving 20-year-old boats are still very much competitive, followed by Rob Cook 1496 and Ben Dancer 1478.
Similar to the first race, places were freely changed with sailors. John Harrison 1380 Rudyard Lake SC pulled out a splendid performance, motivated by his penalty and 22nd place in race 1, taking the win, Ben Hawkes 1467 RAFSA 2nd and James Wells 1305 Hooe Point SC picking up 3rd.
Post-racing
After a heroic 45-minute sprint (drift) back to shore — which felt more like a wobbly dance marathon — a few sailors dramatically missed the dock and performed graceful flops into the water, clearly aiming for synchronised swimming awards. Once most of the boats had made their less-splashy exits, the soggy, tired sailors were rewarded with the holy grail of post-sail nourishment: a giant pasty and a pint of cider, both gratefully accepted.
Each day concluded with the highly prestigious — and by that, we mean mildly embarrassing — prize-giving ceremony, featuring the coveted "D of the Day" award.
The nominations were as follows:
- Sam Coxon, for expertly blocking in a local resident's driveway with the grace of a rogue shopping trolley, thereby making them late for work. Parking level: Chaos.
- Ben Hawkes, for deciding rudders are overrated and launching his overboard just before attempting to dock. Bonus points for the spontaneous swim.
- Mark Spruce, for forgetting to tally back in after sailing — a bold move for someone whose actual job is to rescue people who forget to tally back in.
And the winner, by unanimous facepalm, is... Sprucey! A proud member of HM Coastguard, setting new standards in "do as I say, not as I do" water safety. We salute you, kind sir.
Honourable mentions this time go to:
- The Race Officer, for boldly flying the class flag upside down — a daring new signal we can only assume means "send help" or "the phantoms are misbehaving"
- And your humble author, who now travels with two full sets of sailing gear after a traumatic run-in with the local wildlife. No Points for sailing with two left-hand gloves — a bold fashion choice and a terrible idea for actual racing. Doh!
Three races are planned on day 2, and it is promising slightly more wind, expecting the larger gents will start coming to the fore. The team Competition is looking close between Northampton and Castle Cove, with five more races planned and discards coming into play, a split into gold and silver feet and forecast stronger winds, the competition is really heating up!
This year's event sponsors: