Saga Trophy 2025, 1st Race, 1st May 2025
Published 01:00 on 11 May 2025
Summer 2025 Thursday evening racing started promisingly with a gentle westerly wind but faded as the evening progressed.
Nonetheless 11 boats optimistically came to the start line, including a couple of Merlin Rockets, four ILCA7s, a pair of Solos, a pair of N18s and Ed Medcalf and representing the juniors in a club 2000.
Rupert Fletcher as OOD elected for a dogleg course with an initial beat upstream to Canbury. David Baker and Carolyne Vines in their Merlin Rocket Chimp showed their intent and quickly took a lead they only extended as the race progressed. Behind them, John Adams and John Edmondson followed in the second Merlin Rocket with the Lasers behind them and the rest of the fleet behind them. As the race progressed, the wind dropped to a barely discernible zephyr. This dropped the Johns back down the pack and brought Peter Impey and Ilker Sener up in their ILCA7s to the fore. Charles and Fox and Robert Blakebrough in their N18 also seemed to cope well with the lack of wind and advanced up the fleet.
As the sun started to fall below the horizon the race ended with David Baker and Carolyne Vines in their Merlin Rocket well in the lead, followed by the ILCA7s of Peter Impey and Ilker Sener. Charles and Robert took 4th in the N18 with Johns Adams and Edmondson in the Merlin Rocket 5th and Peter Konidaris, the only other boats to finish, in 6th.
The rest of the fleet decided that the shore and clubhouse were more attractive propositions than drifting around on a mirror like river and retired.
After the application of handicaps, the results remained the same as the on the water results.
Thanks to OOD Rupert Fletcher, ably assisted in the box by James Berry and in the patrol boat by Mark Gardner and Anne Hutchinson. Jean-Michel and his team of Maisie and Jessica served up a great meal of Boeuf Bourguignon served with mash, broccoli ad salad followed by a tasty selection of cheese and crackers, all washed down with suitable liquid refreshments from the bar.
Last updated 17:25 on 12 May 2025