West Country Boat Repairs 2000 Millennium Series Round 3 at Castle Cove Sailing Club

West Country Boat Repairs 2000 Millennium Series Round 3 at Castle Cove © Martin Pascoe

The 2000 Class has adopted the slogan 'Fast, Family, Fun' - on this Bank Holiday weekend blessed with beautiful sunshine but plagued with light winds two out of three wasn't bad. The Castle Cove Sailing Club team squeezed every last drop of juice from the pips of the lemon of a forecast and a great weekend was had by all.

As the fleet were welcomed and briefed by Martin Pascoe (more of that surname to come!) the lightest of easterly breezes was fading in and out of the class lower limit of 5 knots....as he finished against any reasonable expectation it had gone south-westerly and was straight in at 6-7 knots.

By start time at 1300 it had increased by about a whole knot and continued to build by another maximum two by the end of the day! Their patience and precision paid off, delivering a full six race series that showcased the very best of the 2000 Class: competitive, welcoming, and junior and youth powered.

Race 1 - West Country Boat Repairs 2000 Millennium Series Round 3 at Castle Cove - photo © Michelle Pascoe

It undoubtedly helped that with a striking number of young helms and family crews, the boat park buzzed with optimism even when the wind did not. Special mention too for returners after a long break John Smith and Sally Tavioner... lovely to see three generations racing with Andrew and Oscar sailing together too.

Race 1 - The Pascoes set the tone

Hot topic in the boat park was whether the new pairing of Tristan, taking over from his 9 year old National Champion older brother Ben and dad, Sam, Pascoe (2330) could add another chapter to the family winning streak. They soon proved they could, slipping away with quiet efficiency, taking the first win of the weekend.

Behind them, the light wind specialists came alive with Adrian and Jessica Stell (2212) in second, Jonathan & Hayden Ching (2193) in third, Benjamin Pascoe & Merryn Attridge (2190) in fourth, Cullen & Hopkins (2321) and then the first two-adult team, Horsfield & Horsfield (2203) close behind.

Race 2 - West Country Boat Repairs 2000 Millennium Series Round 3 at Castle Cove - photo © Martin Pascoe

Race 2 - A start line tale worth telling

Here I must digress into a personal history. In Race 1 I had opted for line space rather than getting stuck into the favoured end amongst much lighter crews. But with a little more bias I decided to get in early and grab a seat... which looked good until Ben and Merryn to whom we gave at least 50Kg of crew weight slotted in to windward...and Simon and Katie took our leeward gap at 35 seconds.

Things weren't looking good... and then another boat reached over the top and in the resultant three boat vacuum we founded ourselves sailing backwards... Just as the boat gathered began to gain forward momentum, the Hulleys (2854) appeared on starboard, prompting a dramatic duck... only for it to become clear, mid duck, that they were sailing backwards too!

A first in 40 years of racing. Suffice to say that the rest of the report for this race is based on dinghy park claims and from the results.

At the front, the Pascoes made it two wins from two, with the Horsfields in second and Cullen & Hopkins in third. The Chings added another top five, and the mid fleet battles were already becoming a tale of puffs and micro-shifts.

Race 2 - West Country Boat Repairs 2000 Millennium Series Round 3 at Castle Cove - photo © Michelle Pascoe

Race 3 - Three from three

By Race 3, the breeze had steadied and increased just enough for proper tactical racing. I finally let my crew sit behind the shroud and the Pascoes completed a perfect opening day with their third bullet. Behind them: Cullen & Hopkins in second, Chings in third, and Horsfields in fourth with Pete Vincent and Sophie Bentley back to form in fifth.

Wonderful homemade cake awaited the fleet, which was just as well because on the return sail, the larger Phantom sailors appeared to be eyeing up the smaller 2000 crews as a snack. It was followed by a delicious Pascoe family-facilitated takeway curry... and the bar until late for the adult sailors, led by 93 year old Ernie Hatton insisting Paul Cullen and Pete Vincent followed his example and drank dark and stormies.

It was noted that Jay and Alice Whitehead were attempting to sabotage the Stell family by keeping up the young crews up late with game after game of Monopoly... not that it did them any good.

Sunday - A postponement, then a perfect finale

Sunday began with another postponement ashore, the wind once again reluctant to appear. But by late morning, with 20 minutes to abandonment decision time, a completely un-forecast gentle south westerly began to fill, and the fleet launched with renewed optimism.

When racing finally began, the breeze settled into a steady light to medium pattern — ideal for tactical, thoughtful 2000 sailing. And maths...there were a number of scorecards on display in the boat park ready to go afloat and track results - such was the closeness of the racing.

Race 4 - The Horsfields strike back

The Horsfields came out firing, taking a superb race win — the only team all weekend to break the Pascoe winning streak. Cullen & Hopkins were second, Tristan and Sam Pascoe third. Notably the Burridges were beginning their Sunday surge in fourth.

Race 5 - Burridges on the charge

The Pascoes returned to the front with another win, but the Burridges stole the show with a brilliant second, signalling they had found another gear. Behind them the Horsfields were third, Ching & Ching fourth, and Cullen & Hopkins steady as ever in fifth.

Race 6 - A fitting finale

The final race saw the Pascoes close out the regatta with their fifth bullet, sealing one of the most dominant West Country Boat Repairs Millennium Series helming debuts ever.

Overall winners, Tristan and Sam Pascoe - West Country Boat Repairs 2000 Millennium Series Round 3 at Castle Cove - photo © Jon Emmett

In general results went with the form book despite a big left shift: Burridge & Burridge capped their superb Sunday with another second, Benjamin Pascoe & Merryn Attridge finished strongly with third.

The pressure point in the fleet was the rest of the podium. Cullen & Hopkins did just enough with fourth and the Horsfields seventh, with Helen and Andrew Philips just locking them out with their best result of the weekend.

Second overall, Paul Cullen and Verity Hopkins - West Country Boat Repairs 2000 Millennium Series Round 3 at Castle Cove - photo © Jon Emmett

Castle Cove Sailing Club (with special mention of the Pascoe family contribution off the water - which matched results on it) provided the perfect weekend for that 2000 Class spirit. The boat park was full of smiles, encouragement, and the unmistakable energy of a class where families sail together, young sailors thrive, and the racing is competitive without ever losing its warmth.

Keen to join in the Fast, Family, Fun then the next West Country Boat Repairs Millennium Series event is at Shoreham on June 20/21. Also there is still time to enter the Lakes Mortgages Nationals at Brightlingsea: Aug 16-21.

Third overall, Simon and Katie Horsfield - West Country Boat Repairs 2000 Millennium Series Round 3 at Castle Cove - photo © Jon Emmett

Overall Results:

Family/Junior winners, Adrian and Jessica Stell - West Country Boat Repairs 2000 Millennium Series Round 3 at Castle Cove - photo © Jon Emmett