Cadet Open at Frensham Pond Sailing Club

Frensham Pond Cadet Open © Corinne Whitehouse / UKCCA

Fighting fickle winds

64 sailors arrived at Frensham Pond Sailing Club on Sunday 19 March for the annual Frensham Cadet Open meeting. Seven boats had travelled from Waldringfield SC and six from South Cerney SC, and the car park was soon full of home and away sailors. Bacon sandwiches were the order of the day, whilst boats were rigged and friends met again.

Four races were planned, and with a dying breeze forecast Race Officer Martin Goult (himself a former Cadet Class Measurer) briefed a format of three races before lunch and one after. Extra layers and extra snacks were acquired and boats headed to the water.

Frensham Pond Cadet Open - photo © Corinne Whitehouse / UKCCA

A northerly 8-10 knots greeted the fleet - a tricky direction at Frensham with high trees on the northerly bank of the pond. The 18-boat main fleet got away cleanly on Race 1, with some traditional and inevitable bunching at the Committee Boat end - come on folks, hasn't the winter training broken that habit yet? One boat with a great start was 9964, Sophia Sfaxi and Evie Boddy, with them and their boat recently returned from its trip to the Cadet World Championships in Australia. They picked their way through the shifts and lulls to have a decent lead by the first mark which they never surrendered. 8533 sailed by George Little and Hugh Voysey had a good start but found the light patches on the beat, with a fightback required to recover to second place. 9985 sailed by Gwen Thorogood and Primrose Denny-Pickess held off the pack with good spinnaker work throughout to take fourth place.

In the 14-boat regatta fleet (a great turnout of new helms) the start was more cautiously contested, with some of the more canny helms able to see how the main fleet had fared five minutes ahead of them. 8537 sailed by Mimi Windibank and Rose Little (with gradually improving spinnaker work) found themselves working their way to the front of the fleet to take a first, followed by 10002 with Ava Stoddart and Isabelle Davies and then 10006, Mave Parry-Shields and Sophie Baer.

Frensham Pond Cadet Open - photo © Corinne Whitehouse / UKCCA

The wind kept the same direction for Race 2, although a slight softening of the breeze began to furrow brows on the committee boat. In the main fleet, 10032 Hettie Thorogood and Nicole Richardson had a cracking first beat and led at the top mark, with a tight pack hunting them down on the two subsequent reaches. By the second top mark, with another fickle beat, the order had changed, with Sophia and Evie pulling ahead to take first, with George and Hugh second. Hettie and Nicole held off the rest to take third. In regatta fleet, 8529 sailed by Mia Stanislaus and Isobel Stamp took first place followed by Ava and Isabelle in second and 8447 sailed by Benjy Bullock and Oscar Ward in third.

The breeze had eased to 5 knots by the third race, although some movement of marks away from the windward shoreline kept the course fair. The third start got away cleanly despite some bunching at the committee boat end, with those at the pin end having plenty of freedom of manoeuvre. 9994 with Aussie participant Tom Shepherd and European Champion Joe Mycroft on board took an early lead throughout the first beat and the downwind legs, with a pack close behind them. At the start of the second lap, George and Hugh tacked off early and managed to jump from ninth to first on the beat - a useful combination of luck and judgement. They held that position to the end, with Tom and Joe second and 9028 Sam Nee and Audrey Giumali third. In regatta fleet Benjy and Oscar put their light air lesson they'd learnt from the Grafham residential training to good effect to scoop first, with great kitework throughout. Ava and Isabelle maintained their consistency with a second, and Mia and Isobel came third.

Frensham Pond Cadet Open - photo © Corinne Whitehouse / UKCCA

Time for a high-carb lunch. With a discard only kicking in at four races, there were mixed emotions as sailors looked at a decidedly flat pond, but as the fleet relaunched the wind built and shifted to the west, giving a much longer first beat. With all to play for, the start saw an individual recall - two boats went back, but the X flag stayed flying. The fleet split on the beat, trying to stay in patches of stronger wind - those who looked further upwind and worked the pressure came out better. Alas for Sophia and Evie, they were pinged by the Race Officer at the top mark for being OCS. In front, Tom and Joe were extending an already impressive lead on a broach reach, with the next dozen boats doing a superb impression of a banana as they fought for clear air - many ending up gybing to make the mark. At the finish Tom and Joe took the gun with George and Hugh second and Sam and Audrey third again. In regatta Mave and Sophie fought all the way round with 9080 Teya and Kyla Brezan, eventually pipping them on the line. Mimi and Rose came in third.

Whilst the sailors were on the water for the last race, Mums were treated to a well-earnt slice of cake and a glass or two of pink fizz - the least they deserve for all they do to support sailors throughout the year.

And so the Frensham Open winners were confirmed: in Main Fleet, George and Hugh first, Tom and Joe second, and Sophia and Evie third. And in regatta fleet, Ava and Isabelle first, Mimi and Rose second and Mia and Isobel third.

Many thanks to all the volunteers who made such a great day possible, from competitors and parents to galley team, safety boat crews and committee boat team. And whilst everyone agreed this was another classic Frensham Open, some questions remain: who will come through the Spring Series (first stop Weymouth on 1/2 April) to get a World Team place? Why do Al's burgers taste 15% better than anyone else's? And does a day spent on a safety boat really count as a date for a husband-and-wife team?

For some of these mysteries, only time will tell.

Overall Results: