CB Dinghy Chandlery Inland Championship Report

CB Dinghy Chandlery 70th Anniversary Solo Inland Championship

Day 1

62 Solo sailors have arrived at Grafham Water Sailing Club, their one mission, if they should accept, to take the title back home. Some have no hope, many do not really care and a few will be disappointed if they do not succeed but with 6 races scheduled over the two days, a winner will emerge.

This being the 70th Anniversary of the Solo, no stone had been left unturned and a special NSCA Sub Committee of social event specialists had been found and tasked with organising the Saturday evening’s entertainment, something the class has pretty much failed at since Princess Anne handed out the trophies at Falmouth in 1977. Fortunately our Honourable NSCA Secretary Maria E. Franco, ably assisted by CB Dinghy Chandlery CEO Chris Brown had been busy behind the scenes and had secured the Wheatsheaf pub for a three course meal, the complimentary wine provided by the NSCA, purely for toasting the great Jack Holt and some pre-meditated speeches though I would not be the only one to neck a few glasses in between.

Before all that we would need to get three races in the bag and with the sun punching through an overcast sky and a light westerly breeze covering the whole of the reservoir, the competitors assembled outside the robustly constructed, brutalist inspired club house for a short briefing. The course would consist of a beat followed by a reach to a mark set at 90 degrees then a run down to two gate marks before a beat and run to the finish. In retrospect, the reaching leg was a little processional on day one but certainly provided some great planing opportunities on day two.

The shore line at Grafham Water resembled a watering hole in the Serengeti, only some dehydrated Wildebeest and a Hippo or two missing from the vista though the Lion on board our Jury/Media rib would later hunt Antelope with some success.

The Inland Championship has always kicked off at 12pm and so it would be a very relaxed atmosphere as the fleet, which was spread down a number of slipways, launched onto a gentle 6-8 knots, negotiating their lightweight alloy trollies down the solid concrete slips and through a few feet of sediment which would do wonders for your roses but did pong a bit.

We made our way down to where our rib was moored, my wife Caroline obediently following with all the NSCA media equipment, her ‘Sherpa like’ strength and balance being just two of her hidden qualities. The narrow metal platform sat at quite an alarming angle but with a very pretty shore staff member watching on, there was no way I was going to get Caroline to carry me so I edged my way along, making sure as to not look down.

We were soon joined by NSCA Jury Steve ‘The Lion’ Watson, equally nimble but taking no risks, and like any sensible tightrope walker, he balanced himself with his bright yellow, heavily laden dry bag tethered to one end of his flag stick, the other, cunningly counter-balanced with his lunch.

Our last ride at Royal Torbay was a poor excuse for a hard bottomed inflatable but this was at the upper end of even Steve’s expectations and following a quick blast on the throttle to ensure we had enough punch to avoid any ‘Ben Ainslie’ type scenarios we headed out to the race arena with the fleet congregating around the Committee boat.

Race Officer Chris Clark was keen to get into the start sequence and with the line set and the wind readings within our race parameters, we were live. I quickly sent the NSCA mini 3 into the air with Caroline busy trying to fill up the 64 GB SD card, her trigger finger, wickedly crooked from arthritis, perfectly shaped to hit the shoot button. Meanwhile the Lion scanned the horizon for Antelope, his beady little eyes trained on transoms as the competitors positioned themselves on the start line, downwind of the herd, they would not smell him.

I had activated my DJI RC2 console but for some reason the drone/control panel were not talking and for a moment I did wonder if Anglian Water had purchased some tech from Ukraine to block all automated flights, visualising a sinister figure on the shore pointing a cone shaped device in our direction.

I did not have a problem with the drone ban but mine was currently bolted to a five metre pole so after a few swear words I lowered the thing down and concentrated on the Solo WhatsApp reporting thread, at least launch and landing had been successful.

Race 1

Some of the fleet had been tardy off the shore, Simon and Brenda Hoult having arrived late in the morning but with perfect conditions and all the marks in place, we went into sequence.

The RO had set a nice long start line but that was negated by the amount of port bias so no surprise to hear a general recall. The second attempt under a black flag was also recalled with some prominent casualties including the event sponsor Chris Brown, one of the favourites Ewan Birkin-Walls and our Chief Measurer Jonathan Woodward. The start had again been port biased but also the competitors seemed to be lining up way too early, the sound of a hooter every minute from the five minute gun heightening their pulses and increasing their urgency to be near the line.

The thought of beating the record of six recalls pushed it’s way to the front of my mind, I had not witnessed it myself but it was still as raw in some of the more elderly sailors memory banks as the bar break-in of 89.

To the relief of us all the third start was successful and with the breeze holding at between 6-8 knots, the fleet headed upwind towards the west of the reservoir, some sailors fully powered up while others perched nonchalantly on their side decks, slightly smug but also conscious that the downwind legs would be a test of skill and character, class President Paul Davis looking especially vulnerable in the middle of the pack.

Top mark and Alec Savitsky, who had made a nice start toward the Committee end leads in from the port lay line followed by David Cronk and Andy Carter with Robert Gullan nipping inside Andy Hyland in his Paul Davis build for fourth. The breeze is up a click to 10 knots providing some partial planing for those who hook into the veins of pressure, Rich Ball, Birkin-Walls (BFD), Mike Dray and Steve Roberts all closing in on the leaders as small wavelets, like acne on a pubescent child’s forehead, develop across the windier parts of the reservoir. Steve Ede is in tenth with two vintage entries just behind, David Goudie (4040) and Bryan Moran (4443). Ex Olympian Paul Brotherton is in thirteenth, we had seen his name on the entry list but ownership of an older Solo and membership at some gravel pit up north had led us to the conclusion that it was not the sailing legend. It only took a few moments of studying his silky smooth movement and body trim to confirm we were in the company of greatness.

The fleet ripped across to a mark set at a nice angle for reaching before soaking down to a pair of gate marks, Savitsky opting for the gate mark which would take him up the right of the course, with Gullan, Cronk, Carter and Hyland following in perfect formation. Brotherton is up to eighth, the nimble footed technique that took him to the pinnacle of 470 and 49er stardom again reaping dividends from Goudie in the thirty year old Gosling, now that is a story to tell his grand children.

The Grafham swell sent my wife, who had been clicking away like there was no tomorrow, onto the rib’s hard floor but fortunately the Nikon P950 was fine and so we powered back up towards the top mark for the final lap, the outboard’s powerful propeller cutting through the water  with ruthless efficiency and, despite it’s weighty cargo, lifting the chined hull up and over the bumpy bits.

The top mark was in the lee of the land and the wind was down to 6-8 knots as Savitsky and Carter approached, rounding within what would have been spitting distance of each other but that would have been disgusting and with the jury on station and their mouths dryer than much of the UK, they instead concentrated on the final run. The unfortunate Birkin-Walls  (BFD) is third so Hyland, Gullan and Ede would go up a place along with Ball, Dray, Brotherton and Cronk.

After a tense final run and short reach to the finish it is NSCA Northern area rep Andy Carter from Savitsky, Gullan and Brotherton with long time Solo sailor and ex class President Steve Ede completing the top five. The ladies title would be between Maria E Franco and Brenda Hoult and after R1 Brenda held a twelve point advantage though she owes the fleet a few beers for the recalls.

We positioned ourselves out of harm’s way as the remainder of the fleet finished, my pre-event and nationally published stable of favourites had not faired well, Wilde (20) and Lucas (30) along with the R1 BFD’s of Birkin-Walls and Brown making me sound like a two bit tabloid Horoscope reader.

I pulled out my Samsung A14 and after opening the relevant excel spreadsheet, filed through the competitors birth dates, the current star signs definitely aligning with Wilde and Lucas though with Vince Horey’s 70th birthday falling on this very special weekend and Pluto in Uranus, his outlook was not so good.

Race 2

Heavily Committee biased under a black flag and the hooter’s second blast confirmed that a recall was necessary,  R1 winner Carter, Dray and Datchet sailor Jack Barrett deemed over early.

Clearly enjoying the sight of an armada of Jack Holt Solos circling him, the RO held firm with his start line angle and the second attempt saw the fleet once again, like chickens at feeding time, congregate at the Committee end. With 15 seconds to go, Hyland is in all sorts of trouble and is pushed closer to the invisible line of the damned by the never-ending row of Solo bows, inevitably BFD, Jim Lowbridge and Joe Ryecroft joining him on the naughty step.

The fleet are once again recalled but the crunch and gentlemanly hailing indicated a more serious incident and indeed one of the finest wooden Solos ever built is damaged, albeit above the water line. Mike Barnes and Top Drive leave the arena but would be back for R3, some sticky back plastic providing a make-shift repair until Kevin Gosling get’s his hands on it.

The race team moved the pin marker up and this had the desired effect, spreading the 50 something survivors down the line and with the breeze holding at 8 knots and the sky layered with neat rows of Cumulus, we were finally into R2.

Davis, Brotherton, Ede and Moran hug the Committee boat end while Wilde sits in a pocket a third of the way down the line, the fleet exploding upwind as the sound of the hooter echoes down the reservoir. David Cronk catching my eye following a bold port-hand cross, this man is a mystery to me and I know many so do please send me your sailing CV mate.

Fully powered up, the competitors are hooked into their hiking straps, kickers in 8-10 knot mode, centreboards at optimum rake as the breeze rolls down the track to meet them.

Top mark and the planets equilibrium is restored, Wilde leading by 25 seconds from Chris Brown who is utilising the very same graphite aramid North sail Cumbley used in Royal Torbay. These two squirt forward on the pack as the wind temporarily drops to 4 knots, Woodward, Lucas, Stephen Dickinson, Brotherton and Jamie Clementson follow with the consistent Ede inside the top ten again.

Wilde escapes with Brown hanging on by his fingertips as the fleet compress with a new band of breeze embracing the back markers and adding some chaos to the wing mark rounding, Brenda Hoult in particular, who had rounded just outside the top ten, absolutely slaughtered  for just holding her starboard gybe a second too long.

The leader has already left the building as the fleet disperse left and right at the gate marks, the wind is both erratic in direction and strength, a short tack gaining or losing more yards than seems conceivable but this worm hole effect shuffles the pack, Lucas hooking into a strong left shift to round with Brown, Woodward and Brotherton evenly spread behind him.

Wilde is already approaching the gate and I could see his eyes squinting towards the Committee boat, with thirty two minutes already elapsed and the wind as soft as Steve Watson’s cashmere sweater, surely the RO would shorten course? A few minutes later were saw Wilde head back upwind, so a final lap of honour would be required and with a five minute lead he would enjoy a stress free win, Matthew Frary and Vince Horey somehow finding the worm holes down the final run to finish with some style from an equally rapid Jasper Barnham with Woodward fifth. Maria would finish with a twenty-ninth though she was much better placed earlier in the race and with Brenda retiring after getting on the wrong side of the run, the Columbian was back in the hunt.

Race 3

The breeze was holding at 6 knots, natural sunlight somewhat tempered by some thickening cloud as the competitors lined up for R3 and with a square line we finally had a clear start. Brotherton held a nice lane out of the middle with Bunn and Gullan for company and Birkin-Walls a little further towards the pin end. Cam Norris tacks off at the Committee boat with Wilde and Barnham punching out on starboard. R1winner Carter is up there with Savitsky and John Steels as the fleet thread their way through the maze of pressure and shifts, stringing a set consistent scores together could be the difference between overall success and failure and only Steve Ede had two top tens out of the 62 entries.

Initially it looked like the left would pay but Nigel Bird had hit there turbo button on the right of the course and hooked into some nice pressure to round first from Brotherton and Woodward with Ede, Brown and Lucas in close attendance.

Brotherton took control by the second mark, his 67 kg of athleticism an unfair advantage over Bird who tells me he used to race Enterprises at a high level, one would assume without a crew. The fleet compress as the breeze goes up a notch and with Brotherton opting to hold on the starboard gybe on the club house side, albeit in some nice pressure, the majority gybe on the mark and hook into a stronger vein of pressure. Bird is back in the lead by the gate despite messing up his gybe into the mark and with no whistling from the Jury boat, Woodward must have infringed Ede as he does penalty turns, dropping to fourth with Ede and Brown gaining a place each. Lowbridge is fifth with Brotherton finally making it to the gate in sixth, opting to go back up the left of the course with no gain to be made in following the pack. Clementson, Lucas and Norris are making in-roads into the leading pack, it’s great to be typing some new names into my reports and no doubt these guys will feature heavily in future Championships.

Top mark final time and 4 knots is perfect Enterprise weather, Bird extending from Woodward who had rectified his earlier penalty and was back into second from Ede and Brown. Lowbridge tried to roll them both, gybing at the top mark and hooking into the new pressure while Clementson and Lucas improved at Brotherton’s expense. Lesser sailors may have completely lost the plot but the elite competitors are the one’s who see the big picture and remain focused in the present and he would post three results leaving him third overall after day one.

Bird was his usual modest self at the gun, already formulating his winning speech and the display warranted our undivided attention so we motored alongside for an interview, taking one for the team and hoping we would hear nothing more about it once ashore. Woodward had put to bed his R1 BFD but with only one discard in play after four races, he had, like the Solo class rules, only a small margin for error and that had been cashed.

Jim Lowbridge’s aggressive move at the top reaped rewards and third at the gun from Brown, Ede, Lucas and Clementson, the oscillating wind shifts and pressure increases had tested all the sailors resolve. David Cronk finishes eighth and would be second overall with an enviable score line (10-11-8) with Brotherton third overall (4-15-11) but both eclipsed by the hugely impressive Ede (5-8-5) who would lead the CB Dinghy Chandlery Inland Championship with day two to come.

Brenda was absent from R3 and with Maria scoring a forty-one, she would be the overnight Ladies leader and would don the relevant rash vest on day two.

Steve Watson opened up the throttle on the powerfully hung Jury/Media rib, strangely silent, I did wonder if my wife’s presence on the boat had unsettled him, our own strong ‘bromance’ something we have never discussed or never will but I did not want to delve into the complexities of the genius’s mind incase I uncovered something dark and mischievous so I put it down to a low blood sugar reading, something I would rectify for the next day.

The Solo 70 Anniversary dinner at the Wheat Sheaf was a total success, mainly thanks to the energy and organising from Maria and Chris whose enthusiasm bodes well for the class over the next 20 years.

Highlights included:

The Solo Quiz,

Compared by Steve Watson, his delivery of the questions was akin to a very angry Jimmy Tarbuck but he held the audience in the palms of his perfectly manicured hands, despite the boring subject matter.

Class President Paul Davis’s intro Speech

The Tom Hardy doppelgänger had immersed himself in the Taboo role, modelling a faux fur trench coat and cane which did concern a few children who were nearby. His words, few and carefully chosen from the book passed from President to President.

Guest Speaker 1

Will Loy with a light-hearted and yet stirring tale of his life and Solo relationships, a tear appearing from nowhere when he mentioned 186.

Guest Speaker 2

Solo Legend Ken Falcon, suited and booted, the consummate professional speaker, his confidence in his delivery achieved through decades of victory speeches.

Best Dressed Competitor

We had arrived early and I assumed there was a wedding reception next door but it turned out to be Steve Roberts, his baby pink waist coat catching my wife’s eye so he earned the prize, a bottle of bubbly. The things people will do for a free drink. We plan to do this more regularly Simon Hoult.

Event Sponsor Chris Brown provided some spot prizes and with podium rash vests and race trophies presented, we all headed off for bed, bellies full and eyes bloodshot from the earlier tears of endearment.

Day 2

The forecast promised an Indian Summer of sunshine, warmth and 10-16 knots of breeze from the south so there was a high level of enthusiasm in the boat park. I finished my last minute interviews and scuffled to the rib which was already laden with equipment and crew. Determined to utilise the drone I had earlier practiced a flight around the formidable club house with onlookers looking slightly bemused but with no waterboard interference I was confident it would work. I boarded and cracked open the Rhubarb and Custards, conscious that we needed the Jury fully operational  and anyway, they taste good.

Race 4

Breeze holding at 10 knots from 195 degrees, and with a square line and with the start sequence returning to the standard 5-4-1 were were all clear, easy when you set a line that spreads the fleet down it’s entire length.

Lowbridge makes a nice start a third of the way down the shorter start line from Brown, Ede, and Jamie Morgan with Cronk, Tony Thresher and Edward Rice-Birchall closest to the committee end.

I balanced the five metre pole against my leg, rotating it as we rolled through the fleet while Caroline did her best to control the DJI electronic, highly temperamental gimbal and mobile phone, its screen filled with Solos as they powered up the beat. We had gone no more than 20 yards when the rib accelerated through an almost non-existent gap, our ears drums vibrating quite disturbingly as the Jury emptied his undersized yet surprisingly powerful lungs into the little silver whistle. Lucas had been a little too aggressive with his pump off the line and the Lion had his first Antelope.

Top mark and it is R2 winner Wilde from Morgan and R3 winner Bird with Robert Gullan, Brotherton, Lowbridge, Simon Derham and Birkin-Walls completing the top eight. Event leader Ede is handy but would drop places after hitting the mark and Lucas has recovered to be just outside the top ten.

The reaching leg was perfectly set, the angle and increase in pressure from over the club house providing some planing opportunities though we were too far back to record any changes.

Top mark, lap two and Wilde is looking confident, holding Morgan at an arm’s length with Gullan, Brotherton and Lucas on his transom, Derham and Bird doing their best to stay in touch.

Top mark lap 2 and Wilde and Morgan are looking safe with just the run and short reach to the finish, Gullan is up to third with Brotherton holding Lucas, these two competitors in a battle for overall victory though with a discard kicking in, others were still in the shake-up.

I passed the sweets around, the tactic slowing Caroline’s attempt to fill the SD card memory bank and providing a much needed injection of sugar into our Jury’s blood stream.

Coming into the finish and the Lion pounced, pulling up Brotherton with a penalty just yards from a fourth place and handing it instead to his nearest adversary.

Wilde took his second bullet, Gullan, Morgan, Lucas and the envelope pushing Brotherton completing the top five.

Brenda chose to have a lie in so counted a DNS 65 while Maria’s 55 would see her strengthen her grip on the ladies title.

There seemed to be a correlation between Steve’s sugar spike and propensity to blow his favourite whistle but I needed to verify my theory so offered Steve another sugar laden tablet, purely for scientific purposes.

Race 5

The breeze had built, touching the 16 knots that had been foretold in XC Weather’s forecast apparatus, albeit only occasionally but it provided the competitors with the sort of exhilaration Solo sailing is all about.

Another clean start under a black flag and this time the fleet were spread evenly down the track, all powering off on starboard, those at the far left praying for a header while the right handers hoped for a lift.

Top mark and Brown leads from Barnham, Dave Winder, Paul Davis and Rice-Birchalll with Brotherton sinking deep, I expected him to take the hot angles so favoured by the asymmetrics but two years in a Solo has put an end to all that madness.

Mark two and Lucas is up to fifth with Brotherton one back, Gullan in eighth and Wilde down deep in twenty-seventh and work to do.

Top mark lap two and Barnham is in charge with Lucas up to second and revelling in the moderate breeze, Gullan, Winder, Rice-Birchall and Brotherton completing the top six. Paul Davis is in seventh and looking happier than his first day experience with Bird and Denison on his tail.

The fleet were treated to a third lap and Barnham’s lead seemed unassailable, Brotherton holding a solid second from Gullan, Winder, Bird, Davis, Birkin-Walls and Lucas who had missed the big left hander with Wilde having the beat of his life to round in eleventh.

We powered down to the finish just in time to follow the leaders through the line and there was late drama with Barnham being recorded as BFD so Brotherton took his first Solo race win with Gullan, who would now be the event leader, Winder, Birkin-Walls and Lucas completing the top five.

The sugar fix works it’s magic and this time Norris is penalised for one pump too many on the battle to the line. Conscious that too many R42’s looks bad for the class I confiscated the remaining sweets, burying them deep into my dry bag, despite Watson’s protestations.

Paul Davis’s first event as class President was fast becoming memorable for all the wrong reasons, also BFD

Brenda Hoult had made it out and recorded a 37 to Maria E Franco’s 44 though they did swap positions throughout the race.

Race 6

So to the finale and with Gullan on nineteen points, Brotherton and Lucas tied on twenty-one and Wilde on twenty-four, the scene was set for a tense battle for the overall victory.

Tony Thresher, racing his Thresher/Hobin white whale optimised/minimised 2009 hull makes a nice start at the Committee end with Brown’s graphite grey, North aramid standing out like a bad tooth against the pearly white dacron sail on Tony’s boat. The breeze is the strongest of the day, a nice 14 knots with 23 degrees and clear skies, we were all very lucky.

Top mark and Brown leads in with Birkin-Walls on his shoulder and Morgan six boat lengths back but the news flash is that Lucas is in fourth from Wilde, putting him first overall, if only fleetingly. Chris Bunn, Dickinson and Thresher are in pursuit with Rice-Birchall and Derham again well placed. Brotherton and Gullan are deep in the pack and would need some help, both holding heavy discards before this last race decider.

Morgan takes the lead by the gate from Birkin-Walls, Wilde and Brown with Thresher temporarily fifth but he hits the mark and gifts it to Lucas who would now be leading overall by just one point from Wilde. Brotherton has made up a load of places to sit eleventh but he is now in damage limitation mode while Gullan has no chance of a counter from deep in the twenties but would ultimately take fourth overall.

The final lap of this fabulous Championship sees yet more drama as Wilde works his North powered Winder into a lead and subsequent third bullet of the event from Birkin-Walls, Morgan and Brown who would post his best result of the regatta. Harry Lucas would do no better than fifth, a reflection of how well this young fella is progressing in his ‘break out’ season.

Paul Brotherton would finish with a ten and this would guarantee his third place finish overall in his first major Solo event of what we hope will be a long career.

Maria E Franco consolidated her score with a fifty-two, beating Brenda Hoult by twenty-nine points in the Ladies Championship, that said, Hoult was racing a Solo built in 1999 and with the female competition hotting up in 2027, she may switch to the FRP hull.

Prizes were awarded to Veteran, Grand Master Septimus and Junior but sailwave results have omitted them so my guess is that Lucas was the Junior Champion. I would not like to upset any of the other category winners, they can get touchy about their age but once confirmed they will be posted on our Solo site with the appropriate commendations.

The club did a great job on and off the water and the local Wheat Sheaf were also warm, friendly and accommodating.

Huge thanks to Chris Brown and CB Dinghy Chandlery for their support of this 70th Anniversary event.

Thanks to our NSCA Jury Steve Watson who kept the fleet looking over their shoulders throughout the event.

Andrew Wilde is a worthy winner, three first places, a fourteen and an eighth proving that even when you are deep in the pack you can still post a solid score, so do not give up.

We head to the Netherlands in a week for ONK, there are a number of UK entries amongst the forty odd NED competitors but Pim van Vugt will be the favourite.

The North Sails Super Series is nearly complete with just the Northern Championship at Leigh and Lowton (Sep 19-20), Midland Championship Rutland (Oct 24-25) and EOS at Draycote (Nov 14) still to come.

Harry Lucas has an unassailable lead from Alex Butler and Chris Brown so will have no pressure at Draycote, can he win the event in style?

See you on the water.