Streaker South-East Series at Arun Yacht Club

Ian Morgan maintained a tight cover on Neil Firth throughout race 2 at the Arun YC Streaker Open © Sue Firth

Saturday 22nd August, Arun Yacht Club hosted their first Streaker dinghy open. The forecast was presenting a day of two halves. The morning promised a light northerly wind, later veering south to fill in with the sea breeze.

Neap tides meant minimal tidal effects on the racecourse and also plenty of water over the dreaded River Arun bar, so all sailors made the passage to sea with their foils still in one piece. The short sail from the clubhouse, based within the river, to the racecourse was a suitable warm-up to make the final adjustments ready for the day's sailing ahead of us.

The race management team consisted of Race Officer Nick Clare, assisted by Maxine Pears and Sue Firth. By the time the fleet had made it to sea, the course was laid and before you knew it, we were in sequence!

Easy beach launching up the river at the Arun YC Streaker Open - photo © Sue Firth

Race 1 - Drift to the end

Race one got under way promptly at 1130. The last of the northerly breeze proved to be a challenging opener to what promised to be a great day of sailing. The race got under way with minimal argy-bargy, however, at the go a second horn followed! In all the excitement, Dick Holden (Arun YC) was declared OCS and had to quickly bear away and get back behind the line. With the forecast promising a right shift, Neil Firth (Banbury SC) kept to the right of the fleet with fingers crossed that a lovely shift would carry him onto the windward mark. The wind gods played ball and Neil found a corridor of wind which lifted him to windward giving a substantial lead in the opening lap. Neil managed to defend his lead to the finishing gun with 1st place of the first race going to Streaker Chairman, Neil Firth. The light fickle conditions meant contorting the body into many creative shapes to keep the boat balanced and driving. This proved too much for Dick's new knee & achilles, following a couple of laps much to his bemusement Dick retired on medical grounds and headed back to the bar.

Towards the back of the fleet the wind turned off on the last lap of this race, with Chris Godwin (Rutland SC) and me, Mark Nicholls (Arun YC), drifting downwind to the finish line. With general dismay at the state of the wind, there was a sigh of relief when Nick hoisted the AP and shared with the fleet 'we're going to see what happens'. Twenty minutes later, a band of pressure could be seen coming in from the south and Nick's team of RIBs quickly got to work relaying the course and, with that, we were in sequence again for race 2.

Race 2 - Ian and Neil play cat and mouse

The south-westerly sea breeze started to fill in. Excitement was building. With sailors getting used to conditions Ian Morgan (Warsash SC) and Neil had great pace from the start and broke away from the fleet to gain a healthy lead. By the second lap, with clear wind behind them both and no significant traffic to worry about, it turned into a match race downwind for the inside track around the leeward mark. The RIBs who thought they were well out of the way, sitting safely above the leeward lay line, had to jump into action and move away when Ian pushed Neil high. The jostling worked with Ian winning the leeward mark. The match race continued up wind, the tacking battle that followed certainly was entertaining to watch, with the mixed emotion that I was only able to see it because I was behind them! Ian went on to take line honours with both Ian and Neil now carrying a first and second place.

Race 3 - Neil and Chris battle for Second place

The wind hadn't yet completely settled in by this time; the odd left shift came in now and then. Combining this with a short windward / leeward course presented the fleet with a tactical minefield. With laps of 8-10 minutes, the shifts on the windward legs presented a tough decision of whether the shift was worth the manoeuvre. Being the least experienced Streaker sailor and sailing the oldest streaker of those in the event, I was struggling to keep up with the rest of the fleet.

Ian Morgan comfortably wins race 3 at the Arun YC Streaker Open - photo © Sue Firth

My fortune was changing though; I had found myself still in the mix by the first mark. However, a schoolboy error got the better of me; in the search for clear wind I found myself on the left side of the racecourse approaching the windward lay line on port. After tacking into a space that didn't really exist, I found myself nudging the windward mark. Any pace I had gained was quickly lost to a 360, cementing my position of bringing up the rear again. No matter, it put me in front row seats for the battle that was about to unfold for second place. Neil also made a couple of mistakes which led to a nudge of the windward mark. A well-disciplined 360 from Neil gave Chris the opportunity to overtake. Chris held on to second place for the lap that followed but despite Chris' best efforts, Neil crept back ahead and took second place.

Race 4 - Mark comes through the ranks to take 3rd

Eyes down for the final race of the day. The sea breeze filled in with a steady force 3 touching 4, with waves beginning to build. I committed to ensuring I got a strong start. Alas, going a little too hard I was OCS, so a quick dive back across the line cleared the flag and we were away! Chris, keeping clear of the well-mannered tussle at the committee boat end, had clear wind and pulled away for an early lead. Neil and Ian quickly out-paced Mark and Chris and were back at the front of the fleet once again. By this race, sailors were having to properly hike. The small chop also prompted a discussion after racing about how to keep the boat driving in the waves. Back to racing, the wind had shifted slightly during the race with the downwind leg shifting closer to a run and fine broad reach. The reach into the leeward mark was definitely the highlight of the day's sailing. A well-timed bear-away with a squeeze of the mainsheet could get the Streakers surfing the building waves. These conditions were textbook conditions for Arun Yacht Club, and I felt I was keeping pace with the fleet. Not only that, but I was also closing the gap on Chris! We rounded the leeward mark and started the next beat, by the time we had crossed the start line at the end of lap one, a port/starboard coming together put me ahead! I crossed my fingers that the toe straps wouldn't take this opportunity to fail and I could keep this momentum and open the gap further! The £50 streaker (yes, you read that correctly, £50) held together and over the next two laps that followed I opened the gap further between Chris and myself. Alas, there was nothing to be done to catch up with Neil and Ian who were having just as much fun at the front of the fleet. Third place was mine, a result I was very much chuffed with.

During racing, the tide in the river had turned, sailors could sail back upriver to the club to the welcome arms of the beach team, ready with the trolleys. With that, it was time for de-rigging, showers and a debrief in the bar. The results were published by this time, and winning the two bottles of wine was Ian Morgan from Warsash SC. Congratulations! The afternoon disappeared as conversations were had about the racing, upcoming events and most importantly, why I need to upgrade my Streaker! This was my first Streaker event having not found the chance to get away with the fleet yet, it most certainly won't be my last. Arun Yacht Club has strong affection for 'Friendly Fleets' and the Streakers have most definitely joined the list of fleets we look forward to welcoming back in the not-too-distant future!

Ian Morgan celebrates his win with Mark Nicholls at the Arun YC Streaker Open - photo © Neil Firth

Many thanks to Arun Yacht Club for their welcome, excellent hospitality and a very well run event!

Overall Results:

Next up for Streaker travellers:

• 5 Sep - Downs SC - HD Sails Southern Paddle Series
• 6 Sep - Ouse Amateur SC - East Anglian Series
• 12 Sep - Loch Tummel SC - HD Sails Scottish Series
• 19-20 Sep - Inland Championships at Grafham Water SC - Rooster Super Series