9th Saga Trophy race, Thursday 29th June 2023

Published 01:00 on 3 Jul 2023

This was the final and deciding race in the 2023 Saga Trophy, a sign that summer is passing! After last week's race, two boats were tied at the top with 5 points each, Matt P-J in his N18 Optimus Prime and Andrew Harris in his Merlin Crescendo. To break the deadlock, either one of them needed to win the race. After them were competitors keen to hold or improve their final standing in the series, so it was a key race.

A total of 11 competitors came to the starting line, 5 Merlins, a N18 and 5 ILCAs including the leading contestants.

The wind was mostly northerly but was up and down. It was definitely an evening to follow the shifts, sometimes paying to go up the middle, sometimes up either Middlesex or Surrey bank. It was a warm summer evening with the sun appearing as the evening progressed so good conditions for sailors and spectators alike.

OOD David Jerram set short course in front of the club, 6 rounds, marks to port. Three of the Merlins took up the early running, with Andy and Jonathan Key leading after the first lap ahead of David Baker and Carolyne Vines with Tim Medcalf crewed by his son Henry close behind. By the end of the second lap Andy had been overtaken by David, and Matt P-J crewed by Alastair banks was catching up fast, third, 3 seconds behind Andy at the end of the second lap. The leading places continued to change, with Andy retaking the lead, but with Matt P-J close behind in second.

Unfortunately for Matt, the wind dropped, and he was passed by both David and Tim by the end of the fourth lap. While Andy retained his lead, Tim and David continued to battle to the last with Tim ahead of David at the last mark, but with David choosing the right angles he passed Tim and almost caught Andy on the last leg. All three Merlins finished within 18 seconds of each other.

Matt P-J came fourth on the water and Peter Johnson was the first of the ILCAs to finish, in 7th position.

On handicap, the results did not change with Andy and Jonathan winning the race, David and Carolyne second and Tim and Henry third and Matt P-J and Alastair fourth. Peter Johnson was the first ILCA in 7th.

Andy's win gave him the Saga Trophy, counting 4 firsts, with Matt P-J 1 point behind him in second.

Tim Medcalf retained his third position, ahead of Charlie Morgan in fourth and David Baker one point behind him in 5th. Marcus was the leading ILCA in 6th position.

The series was very competitive, with nine boats sailing 4 or more races and 26 different helms sailing at least 1 race. In terms of classes, The Merlins took 4 of the first 5 places, probably benefiting from the slightly stronger winds we had, apart from the evening of 11th May when the race had to be abandoned through lack of wind. Three N18s competed but Matt P-J was the only one to qualify, taking the battle with the Merlins to the last race. It was not a year for the ILCAs in terms of overall results, but Marcus who finished as the leading did have a victory and a 3rd and with 11 different helms the ILCA was the most popular class.

Thanks to David Jerram, OOD, assisted by Beatrice Russ with Ellen Schwartz and Ian Ramage in the Patrol boat.

The evening was rounded off with a great meal of Thai fish curry and rice, salads followed by fruit salad and ginger sauce, cooked by Jean-Michel, with Sabina and May helping in the kitchen and bar.

So the Saga Trophy has run its course and we start again with the GW Smith Trophy on 6th July. Hopefully this will be as competitive as the Saga Trophy, and perhaps with even more competitors enjoying a great evening's sailing and chat over great food and drink.

Last updated 11:46 on 27 May 2025