420 Open at Itchenor Sailing Club
by Piers Shepherd 2 Oct 05:43 PDT
27-28 September 2025

Itchenor 420 Open © James Self
Under the expert guidance of Class Chair and longstanding Itchenor Sailing Club member Piers Shepherd, acting as PRO, the GBR 420 fleet enjoyed a superb opening day of racing.
Four races were completed on Saturday in sparkling autumn conditions, with sunshine overhead and a steady 10-12 knots of breeze filling Chichester Harbour.
In place of the usual 420 championship courses, competitors were treated to a special Itchenor zig-zag layout, cleverly designed to work with the day's tide and wind direction. The format kept sailors on their toes, rewarding sharp tactical thinking and precise boat handling. With the harbour at its best, the fleet revelled in what can only be described as champagne sailing — bright skies, flat water, and just enough breeze to make the racing tactical yet fast.
Sadly, Sunday brought a different story. Despite the race team's best efforts to find a sailable window, the wind never materialised, and racing was abandoned for the day. The four races from Saturday would therefore decide the weekend's honours.
On-the-Water Highlights
Proving he has lost none of his golden touch, veteran 420 sailor Neil Marsden crewed by Olivia Creasy dominated the scoreboard, taking three wins from four races with confident, well-judged sailing. His starts were sharp, upwind pace impressive, and downwind positioning consistently ahead of the fleet.
One of the weekend's most exciting moments came in Race 3, when the youngest competitor, Rupert Garlick crewed by Freddy Jones (both fresh out of the Optimist class), stormed into an early lead. For the first few legs he kept the pressure firmly on Neil and Olivia, showing fearless boat speed calls before being reeled in by the more experienced helms. His performance was a clear sign of emerging talent in the class.
Ashore at Itchenor
As ever, Itchenor Sailing Club delivered its trademark hospitality. Club members volunteered as rescue crews, ensuring safety cover was seamless, while the bar and buttery kept sailors, parents, and supporters well fed and watered throughout the weekend.
Saturday evening saw the 420 sailors swap sailing gear for black tie, gathering for a sumptuous dinner in the clubhouse. The night concluded with a lively disco, where the dance floor was as busy as the start line had been earlier in the day.
The evening was shared with Itchenor's Swallow sailors and the 420 class was extremely grateful to the efforts that Itchenor went to accommodate the class.
Final Thoughts
While the lack of wind on Sunday was a disappointment, the quality of Saturday's racing more than made up for it. The combination of a well-run race programme, inventive course setting, and the welcoming spirit of Itchenor Sailing Club made this a memorable event for the GBR 420 Class. With emerging young talent mixing it with seasoned campaigners, the future of the 420 fleet looks bright.
It was fantastic to see sailors travelling from across the country to Itchenor — from Hollingworth Lake and Budworth in the North, to West Kirby and Cardiff Bay, all the way down to Restronguet — alongside a strong contingent from Chichester Harbour.
A final thanks to our class sponsors Gill Marine and Xtremity.
Overall Results:
Pos | Sail No | Bow No | Helm | Crew | Club | Category | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Pts |
1st | 54379 | 69 | marsbar marsden | Olivia Creasy | West Kirby SC | Open MIxed | ‑4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
2nd | 56954 | 63 | Sabine Potter | Merle Nieuwland | Warsash SC/CBYC | Open Female | 1 | ‑6 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
3rd | 54483 | 29 | Patrick Bromilow | Thomas Kelsall | West Kirby SC | Open Male | 3 | 2 | ‑7 | 3 | 8 |
4th | 57701 | 48 | Hugo Fletcher | Alex Flint | Royal Southern YC/Royal Varuna YC | Open Male | 5 | 4 | 4 | ‑8 | 13 |
5th | 57477 | 45 | Harry George | Ralph Cawthorne | Lymington Town SC/Shustoke SC | Open Male | 2 | ‑12 | 8 | 4 | 14 |
6th | 52916 | 76 | Rupert Garlick | Freddie Jones | Itchenor SC/Chichester YC | U17 Male | 6 | ‑11 | 2 | 7 | 15 |
7th | 57224 | 12 | Pippa Shepherd | Lauren Mecklenburgh | Itchenor /Bosham SC | U17 Female | 11 | ‑14 | 5 | 5 | 21 |
8th | 57411 | 32 | Isla Fletcher | India Eastwood | Royal Southern YC/Itchenor SC | Open Female | 7 | 3 | 13 | (DNC) | 23 |
9th | 56943 | 33 | Laragh Epstein | Charlie Howard | CBYC/Burghfield SC | Open MIxed | 8 | 5 | ‑11 | 11 | 24 |
10th | 57499 | 68 | Jessica Skelding | Zach Aziz | Winsford Flash SC/Draycote Water SC | Open MIxed | 9 | 7 | 10 | ‑12 | 26 |
11th | 56467 | 99 | Arthur Greaves | Nia Mecklenburg | Lymington Town SC | Open MIxed | 13 | 8 | 6 | (BFD) | 27 |
12th | 57502 | 54 | Tabitha Davies | Zac Shepherd | R Lym YC/Trearddur Bay SC/Itchenor /Bos | Open MIxed | ‑10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 27 |
13th | 57145 | 72 | Jasper Bramwell | Eva Murphy | Hollingworth Lake SC/Budworth SC | Open MIxed | ‑14 | 10 | 14 | 6 | 30 |
14th | 55242 | 36 | Noah Sauven | Lottie Sparkes | N/A Dell Quay SC/South Cerney SC | U17 Mixed | 17 | ‑20 | 12 | 10 | 39 |
15th | 57225 | 21 | Zoe Lomas‑Clarke | Mark Soars | Frensham Pond SC | U17 Mixed | ‑15 | 13 | 15 | 13 | 41 |
16th | 57501 | 58 | Hennie Burlton | Charlotte Beardsall | Royal Southern YC | Open Female | 12 | 16 | (DNC) | 15 | 43 |
17th | 57349 | 9 | Hector Davies | Sebby Bailey | R Lym YC/Treaddur Bay SC/Oxford SC | U17 Male | (NSC) | 17 | 18 | 14 | 49 |
18th | 55169 | 30 | Callum Harris | Fraser Ferguson | Bough Beech SC/Shore | U17 Male | 21 | 15 | ‑24 | 16 | 52 |
19th | 56383 | 20 | Ed Upton‑Brown | James Davies | Bosham SC/Itchenor SC/Shropshire SC | Open Male | 18 | ‑25 | 17 | 19 | 54 |
20th | 56091 | 18 | Niamh Epstein | Molly Martin | CBYC | U17 Female | 16 | 21 | ‑23 | 18 | 55 |
21st | 55633 | 14 | Samuel Clancy | James Clancy | Bough Beech SC/Desborough SC | Open Male | 20 | ‑24 | 16 | 20 | 56 |
22nd | 54482 | 43 | Finn Ramus | Tom Eastwood | HISC/Bosham SC/Itchenor S | U17 Male | 19 | 18 | 19 | ‑21 | 56 |
23rd | 54463 | 39 | Eve Bromilow | Isabella Barnes | West Kirby SC/Draycote Water SC | U17 Female | 25 | ‑28 | 22 | 17 | 64 |
24th | 55942 | 3 | Darcy ODonnell | Tom Pringuer | Royal Southern YC/HISC | U17 Mixed | 22 | 19 | ‑25 | 25 | 66 |
25th | 51427 | 82 | Felix Garlick | Lucy Fox | Itchenor SC | U17 Mixed | 23 | 27 | ‑28 | 22 | 72 |
26th | 55102 | 91 | Ruth Gawley | Max Devonport | Emsworth SC | Open MIxed | 24 | 22 | ‑29 | 28 | 74 |
27th | 56007 | 44 | Elsie Upton‑Brown | Connie Murphy | Bosham SC/Budworth SC | U17 Female | ‑28 | 23 | 27 | 24 | 74 |
28th | 55107 | 26 | Sam McNamara | Harry Mitchell | Bough Beech SC | U17 Male | 26 | 29 | ‑32 | 23 | 78 |
29th | 57224 | 1 | Edie Lewin | Lucinda Leaver | Itchenor SC | U17 Female | ‑29 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 79 |
30th | 57289 | 27 | Charlotte Self | Mave Shield | Cardiff Bay YC/Seaview YC/Frensham Pond | U17 Female | ‑32 | 31 | 20 | 29 | 80 |
31st | 53983 | 17 | Gloria Smith | Aurelia McNamara | N/A /Bough Beech SC | U17 Female | 31 | ‑34 | 21 | 32 | 84 |
32nd | 54537 | 19 | Flo Patterson | Grace Windett | Restronguest SC/Rock Sailing and Watersk | U17 Female | 27 | 30 | ‑33 | 30 | 87 |
33rd | 55244 | 47 | Leo Thorne | Lucas McLaughlin | Itchenor SC/Chichester YC | U17 Male | ‑33 | 33 | 30 | 26 | 89 |
34th | 5485 | 4 | Theodora Rogers | Annouska Gadsby | Itchenor SC | Open Female | 30 | ‑32 | 31 | 31 | 92 |
35th | 54314 | 41 | layla Shaer | Ethan Shaer | N/A Itchenor SC/West Wittering | Open MIxed | (DNC) | 35 | 34 | 33 | 102 |
36th | 55108 | 2 | Archie Aylwin | Bertie Holloway | Itchenor SC | Open MIxed | (DNC) | DNC | DNC | DNC | 114 |
36th | 53518 | 31 | Apolline Depaepe | Lilly Cox | N/A Itchenor SC | Open Female | (DNC) | DNC | DNC | DNC | 114 |
Next Event
The next 420 event is the Autumn Championships being hosted by Lymington on 18/19th October, please enter here.