Brightlingsea One Design

The forecast for the weekend looks fabulous so make the most of this last hurrah of summer and get on the water for this weekend’s R Stone Challis.  Start is at 14.15 from Bateman’s Tower on Sunday 27 September.

Tickets for the BOD Halloween Party at CYC on 31 October 2015 are now on sale.  We’re expecting this event, which is also open to CYC members, to sell out fast so do please book your tickets asap from Mark Wilby or Dick Stephens as below:

The BOD fleet put in a great showing at Brightlingsea Sailing Club’s Bart’s Bash Race on Sunday 20 September with six BODs on the start line and four boats in the overall top ten.

Conditions could not have been more perfect for the race, which is run in memory of British Olympic and America’s Cup sailor Andrew “Bart” Simpson and raises fund for the Andrew Simpson Memorial Fund.  Glorious hot sunshine and a gradually decreasing sea breeze gave something for everyone both in the race and spectating from the prom.

Despite a flooding tide and reaching start the entire fleet was over eager and it took two general recalls before the race finally got away at the third time of asking.  The BODs had some super close racing amongst themselves, but in the overall race the ultimate battle came down to a fight between childhood Mirror fleet rivals Pete Kyne, sailing a Fireball, and Jeremy Newman in BOD C32 Avocet.  Despite Jeremy’s best efforts the conditions slightly favoured the planing Fireball so Pete claimed first place with Jeremy second and the National 18 of Jessica Berney third.

Dan Willett sailing C9 Bidi and Danny Fox in C8 Egret fought it out for fourth place with Dan getting the upper hand and Danny taking fifth.  There was also a fantastic fight to the finish between Mark White in C53 White Spirit and Mike Hempstead in C18 Gelesma.  Right on the line Mark claimed tenth place overall with Mike eleventh.

Geoff Gritton had also started the race in C51 Grethe, but gear failure forced him to pull out of the race at the end of lap 1.

Full Results

We are delighted to confirm that we already have over 50 tickets sold for the Final Fling lunch and special prize giving on Sunday 11 October.  Tickets are £10 each (of which 50p goes to our BODOA) and for which you get a fantastic carvery lunch.  Lunch will be served at 14.00 allowing us to get ashore, enjoy a preprandial drink and have exclusive use of the restaurant.

With only around 20 more tickets remaining it’s definitely time to book in with Mark Wilby (07803 336960 or mmwilby@hotmail.co.uk ) or the Yacht Club bar staff if you haven’t already done so.

Rain and grey skies didn’t stop seven BODs coming to the line to compete for the Andy Silk Salver on Sunday 13 September and enjoying a hard fought light airs race with plenty of tactical challenges and place changing.

After almost 90 minutes it was Jeremy Newman’s Avocet that ultimately claimed victory from Malcolm Goodwin in Jean with Danny Fox and the Egret boys third and Phil Rust in Dulcet fourth.  On the line fifth place went to Graham Bridle in Blue Peter but having discovered that they had rounded a mark incorrectly they subsequently retired which put Mark Wilby’s The Mike into fifth with Trevor Stone’s Ruff sixth.

This Sunday 20 September, the BOD race will be combined with the Bart’s Bash race being hosted by BSC with an all in start at 14.00.  Following the success of its record breaking first year in 2014, this event has now been established as an annual event.

As well as being great fun, the race is run in memory of Andrew “Bart” Simpson, who lost his life when the Artemis America’s Cup boat capsized in San Francisco Bay, and to raise funds for the Andrew Simpson Foundation, which uses the challenges of sailing to promote health and wellbeing, and to develop personal skills that will improve a young person’s ability to succeed in life and work. Their focus is on young people between the age of 5 and 24, across the world. Where sailing opportunities are already delivered through sailing clubs, training centres, organisations, charities and schools the Foundation will support, both practically and financially, those providers. In countries where the sailing facilities are less developed the Foundation will support the creation of those facilities and their sustainability.

You can enter simply by turning up on the start line, and if you wish you can also take the opportunity to make a small donation to the Andrew Simpson Foundation to help them continue their excellent work via www.bartsbash.com

Whilst the majority of the BOD fleet were enjoying the short sharp racing of the mini series here in Brightlingsea, Storm Petrel and Grethe were enjoying some short sharp racing of their own down in Bosham.  For the second year running the BOD fleet was represented at the Bosham Classic Boat Revival which this year was raced on 5 and 6 September and featured more than 60 wonderful classic dinghies of all shapes and sizes.

Bosham is one of the most beautiful sailing club venues in the world (it’s in the middle of a National Trust village and even has a meadow!) and Chichester Harbour provides perfect BOD river racing conditions with the spectacular South Downs as a backdrop – it’s a little bit like running racing in the area around Brightlingsea, Pyefleet and Alresford Creeks to give those of you who haven’t been yet some idea. This year Saturday brought stronger northerly winds which were very shifty and gusty and three terrific triangle/sausage race.  Sunday initially looked like it might turn into a hot sunny but airless wash out, but just as the warning signal went for the first start at noon a glorious sea breeze kicked in and instead we got two more fantastic triangle/sausage races, this time with mark roundings to starboard for a bit of added excitement.

Last year the BODs had dominated the event with our five boats filling places 1, 2, 3, 4 and 7.  Whilst of course we all sailed beautifully, even we had to admit that in the ideal BOD conditions of Chichester Harbour perhaps our Brightlingsea estuary sailing based PY number was a little too advantageous.  This year they dropped us down a bit and it helped to promote some really close racing with several other very well sailed boats.  Sadly they did adjust our handicap quite enough to push us into the “fast” fleet where we would have raced against the Classic National 18s and Chichester Harbour 18s, but the change did ensure we had to work our socks off and got great racing against some brilliantly sailed Fireflies, Yachting World Dayboats and Enterprises, plus a Torbay Minnow, a Christchurch Coot and an Emsworth One Design.

C54 Storm Petrel was sailed by her usual crew of Alan Hicks, Craig and Jayne Bond and C51 Grethe was sailed by Fi Brown, Mike Stannard, who many of you met when he sailed with Gritter and Fi during Pyefleet Week this year, and Peter Jones, who had crewed for Fi in Bosham last year.  Whilst the smaller boats could hold the BODs on the first beats where short tacking up the shore against the tide was the order of the day throughout the weekend, once we hoisted our kites downwind we began to stretch away and ultimately the BODs largely match raced their way around the course.  Two of the Fireflies and one of the Yachting World Day Boats were particularly quick so we still had to be careful not to get so caught up in our own battles that we let them make significant ground but essentially it was head to head all weekend.

By the end of the first day and with three races in the bag top FD sailor Will Henderson sailing a beautiful Firefly with his wife Mandy was leading the fleet on 7 points with 2014 Firefly National Champion Paul Kameen crewed by Claire Jones in his Firefly second on 9 points.  A single point behind them was Grethe with Storm Petrel fourth on 11.5 points, and David and Fiona Macfarlane’s Yachting World Dayboat one point back in fifth.

With all to play for on the last day the fleet really went for it with plenty of start line drama on the very short lines and some frenetic tacking up the banks against the flooding tide.  With the wind down a little the Fireflies and Enterprises were more nimble and able to roll tack more efficiently so it was harder work for the BODs to get clear air on the water.  Paul Kameen’s Firefly took race 4 with Storm Petrel second and Grethe third and Will Henderson’s Firefly fourth.  Going into the final race the two Fireflies could not be beaten, but with just half a point now separating them and the Macfarlane’s YW Day Boat hard on their heels Grethe and Storm Petrel were in for a big showdown.

And what a show down it turned out to be with the two BODs trading places on almost every tack and gybe and the Macfarlanes giving it their all.  On the line Paul Kameen and Claire Jones took their third win of the regatta and discarded a sixth place to claim overall victory. Will and Mandy Henderson had their worst result of the regatta and immediately discarded their sixth, place but had still done enough to secure second overall.  Second in the race were the Macfarlanes but up ahead the two BODs had crossed the line almost bow to bow with less than a foot between them on the line so the results were too close to call afloat.  Back ashore the scoring team got to work and revealed that Storm Petrel had just pipped Grethe on the line meaning both had finished the regatta on 12 points with Storm Petrel taking third place thanks to a half point advantage in their discards.  Grethe took fourth and the Macfarlanes fifth.

Whilst the racing was outstanding its only a small part of what this event is all about.  Seeing such a wonderful array of Classic dinghies and day boats together is a truly glorious sight and Bosham Sailing Club and the event organisers do a fantastic job of attracting both locals and travelling visitors to the event.  It’s incredibly friendly with competitors always keen to talk about their boats and the club team could not be more helpful.  Particular mention must go to Regatta Chairman Andrew Young, BSC Bosun Gavin King and his team who really went above and beyond the call of duty to help the BODs, Steve and Jane in the BSC office, all the team behind the bar and in the galley, Bosham Harbour Master Mike McGrail and of course the Race Officer and his team on the water.

After two great days of racing and two fun evenings of partying the event closed with a superb afternoon tea prepared by the ladies of the club and the prize giving in glorious sunshine on the club terrace.

Throughout the weekend the BODs had been drawing admiring comments from fellow sailors and members of the public alike and lots of people stopped to chat to us about the boats and ask questions.

It’s great to get the BODs out and about so that a wider audience can appreciate them so we hope to continue sending teams to Bosham and other events around the country and even further afield so help spread the BOD word.  After last year’s transport teething problems this year moving the boats went like clockwork and we really have some good systems and arrangements in place to make going on tour very easy.  If anyone would like to go to Bosham in 2016 (date tbc but likely to be first weekend of September) or has ideas for other classic or traditional regattas that the BODs could attend please contact Fi on fiona.brown@fionabrown.com with details and she will help with coordination and communication.

Our thanks to event photographer Chris Hatton for the great images accompanying this article.

Full Results

Photo Galleries

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The second miniseries of the season was greeted by warm, sunny skies, a NW 6-12 knots and many many wind shifts. Nine sparkly BODs made their way out to the race course, fresh from their aprés Pyefleet week breaks. Two of the BOD regulars were away battling at Bosham Classic Boat Regatta scoring respectable 3^rd and 4^th places overall and being separated by a measly 0.5 points!

Nick Reading’s committee boat set a start line just off of second beach providing a long beat with the tide to No. 13. Each of the three races consisted of two windward leeward legs, taking approximately 30 minutes per race.

In race one, John Payne, crewed by Lucy and Fraz won the pin end and headed out to the left hand side of the course. After a significant left hand shift during the first upwind, this gave them a sizeable lead around the first windward mark. Keeping the rest of the fleet at their transom for the remainder of the race and scoring the first win. The remainder of the fleet was closely fought with David Conlon, crewed by Ed and Mitch, sneaking around in front of the pack to come second, followed extremely closely by Mark White in 3^rd and Danny Fox in 4^th. Finbar Anderson gained a 5^th place in his debut miniseries as a helm. All nine BODs finished within 5 minutes of each other, giving an idea of the competitively close racing in the shifty conditions.

Race two began with a fight for the pin correlating with a considerable left hand shift C8, C11 and C53 struggled on starboard tack to cross the pin, allowing C43, who was to windward, to roll them across the line and take the lead on the first upwind. Downwind, C11 was able to catch up to C43 and call for ‘room’ at the leeward mark, but an iffy mark rounding allowed C43 to sneak inside and continue to lead to the 2^nd windward mark. The final downwind presented a number of place changes as the wind became extremely fickle, C11’s tangled spinnaker left them victims of a C8 roll. At the finish line, the top three boats were approaching the line together, Egret gaining the win followed by Grayling then Endeavour. Behind this, Mr Hempstead and team used their impressive downwind speed to propel themselves to 4^th place.

The third and final race was again pin end biased and won by Endeavour, who hit the left hand side of the beat to come out with slight lead at the top mark. Gelasma rounded 2^nd, followed closely by the other seven. Mr Hempstead again managed to turn on the downwind accelerator, taking a closer line to the shore and presenting himself with a reasonable lead by the leeward mark. John, Lucy and Fraz had managed to gain 2^nd by this point and Endeavour followed in 3^rd, however hitting the bouy left them to do a 360° losing this position to Egret. A storming upwind gave Egret the lead by the top mark which they held to the finish, followed by Gelasma, then Grayling and Endeavour. This gave C8 the overall win from C11 on countback through number of firsts over the series.  The winner of this series will receive the CYC Colne Salver Trophy as that race had to be cancelled earlier this year due to strong winds.

Thanks must go to Nick Readings and his committee boat team for a glorious afternoon of sailing. Comments among the fleet highlighted the excitement and fun surrounding the miniseries set up, allowing crews to spend more time on the water battling throughout the fleet.

Final Results

Whilst we still have a few more weeks of racing to go, the Final Fling Race and Lunch are now fast approaching.  This year’s Final Fling will take place on Sunday 11 October with the race starting from Bateman’s Tower at 10.30 followed by lunch at CYC, which will be served at 14.00 to allow everyone time to get ashore, pack the boats up and enjoy a drink in the bar before they eat.

Lunch will be a carvery at the very reasonable cost of £10.00 per head which includes a 5op contribution to BODOA funds from each meal.  We will also be taking the opportunity to present a couple of special prizes too so even if you can’t do the race do try to make the lunch.  Tickets for the lunch must be booked in advance by messaging Mark Wilby on Facebook or Emailing him on mmwilby@hotmail.co.uk.

Don’t forget we also have the BOD Halloween Party coming up at CYC on Saturday 31 October, further details of which will be published soon.

Further to our note about forthcoming events earlier in the week, here is some further information about the Mini Series on 6 September.

As some of you will remember the CYC Colne Salver had to be cancelled earlier in the year because of strong winds and so we will award the Colne Salver this year to the winner of the Mini Series.

Barry Newman will be our Race Officer supported by Nick Readings and his team.  The first race will start from the committee boat at 14.00 and the plan will be to run three short windward leeward races back to back.

Prize giving will be at CYC after racing.

And don’t forget we have the Osbourne Cup 1 this Sunday morning at 11.00 from the BSC line (please check the club board for our exact start time).  Fortunately the forecast indicates that these strong winds will have blown themselves out by then and we should be left with a nice racing breeze in the mid to upper teens.