HD Sails Phantom South East Series at Oxford Sailing Club

Phantom South East Series at Oxford © Peter Van Doran

Phantom South East Series at Oxford © Peter Van Doran

Oxford, "that sweet City with her dreaming spires", the Thames with guys & girls in dark blue in their rowing sculls, the oldest seat of learning in the UK, bicycles, colleges, books, libraries and museums, all under the sun of lazy, hazy days of spring & summer.

Lazy, hazy days it wasn't when the Phantom fleet arrived at Oxford sailing Club's Farmoor reservoir on Saturday morning, 11th April!

When the fleet arrived at the top of the reservoir's high bank, the wind was consistently blowing 22-24 knots with gusts in excess of 32 knots. Things didn't improve - they got worse. Increasing gusts of over 35 knots silenced the collective throng of nervous sailors. No one could believe the size and number of the white horses that developed over a fetch of less than half a mile!

One might question the expression "Blowing dogs of chains" - not technically correct as the local University academics have their canine friends firmly on the leash but most were flying horizontally, like the rain and the hail that accompanied the big gusts!

25 Phantoms entered, 15 took to the water and only 10 finished the one and only race on Day 1!

Two broken masts reduced that number further overnight but the (slightly ?) abated wind on Sunday still saw only 11 boats completing the 3 races held that day. I suspect it was the campsite burgers and alcohol fortification from a very pleasant evening spent as a class at the local campsite that strengthened their resolve?

Phantom South East Series at Oxford - photo © Peter Van Doran

In the end, Sunday saw three very good races completed in 15- 25 knots along with 60 degree shifts, more hail and rain and complete white-outs as the squalls passed through but there was some very good close, tactical racing. Ben Dancer (Llandegfedd SC), Will Gulliver (Northampton SC) and Adam Froggatt (Chase SC) dominated the podium steps with a tie break on the last race needed to separate Ben and Will!

Special mention in dispatches for Kieran Bowsher, a strong, young newbie to the class who improved with every race to Finish 4th overall. A very impressive performance in a boat new to him!

And congratulations to all the boats that completed races on the Sunday. A tough commitment on a tough day. I believe that several personal speed records were broken, along with most sailors bodies!? Chapeau to you all!

Phantom South East Series at Oxford - photo © Peter Van Doran

So, that's it. I'll leave the pictures to do the talking.

Sprucey

Overall Results: