Contender Final Fling at Rutland Sailing Club

Contenders at Rutland © Martyn Emberson

With colder mornings, leaves covering the dinghy park, shorter days and an autumnal feel in the air, it can only mean one thing, it must be time for the Contenders annual trip to the waters of Rutland.

Day One

The weather was predicted to improve throughout the day, providing ideal conditions for the fleet of Contenders. The wind was also forecasted to shift to the right. However, this brought with it several challenges:

• Issue 1: The wind started at a low base, only favouring those light enough to trapeze, leaving heavier sailors at a disadvantage.
• Issue 2: The wind swung around erratically, like a manic pendulum losing its rhythm. While this swing was progressive and should have favoured the right side of the beat, it was unpredictable.
• Issue 3: Don't rely too heavily on taking the right-hand side of the beat.
• Issue 4: The strength wind was inconsistent across the course, making issues 2 and 3 irrelevant.
• Issue 5: Rutland's merging valleys and their flip-flop effect on the wind in the direction from which it came, rendered all previous considerations moot.

Race 1: The boats made their way up the course like a stop-motion film. Surprisingly, the fleet arrived in a pack. But stop-motion films can be painful to watch, as the leading boats were about to learn. With the help of a puff of wind, the rear guard rolled over the leaders. After the churn, positions became more fixed. Despite slipping in the rollover, Mr. Jones managed to work his way to the front, leaving Carl Tagoe and James Spikesley to battle for second and third place.

Race 2: The conditions remained similar, with Thomas Hooton in "prime" form was pursued by Mr. Jones. James secured third place. It was clear that these three excelled in these conditions.

Race 3: The wind began to pick up and swing to the right, and now the wind bend started to pay off. Tom nailed the race, followed by the two J's - James and Jones.

Race 4: With variable wind strengths, Peter Snowden decided to wake up. It was one of those "bang-a-corner and hope for the best" races. Tom, following Jones, who rounded the windward mark from the left-hand side, held a commanding lead and never looked back. Meanwhile, those on the opposite tack at the windward mark were begging for mercy. Carl held third place until Peter—perhaps a disciple—passed him on the last beat. However, in the two reaches to the finish line, Carl ground him down in true biblical fashion to reclaim third place.

Peter, on the rise, was improving steadily. However, he would have to wait until Sunday prayers to realize his full potential. By the evening's tally, Tom held the pole position, followed by the two J's.

Day Two

Race 5 & 6: The weather brought light air and dying wind, justifying the decision to move the fourth race to Saturday. Thus, Sunday consisted of two races, sailed in shifty, light conditions. Only one person seemed bio-engineered for such a demanding environment: Stuart Jones. Jones made quick work of the conditions, securing two consecutive second-place finishes. James sailed brilliantly in the fifth race, taking first, followed by a fourth in the last race. By then, Tom's position had plummeted, and he retired from the final race. Peter, meanwhile, steadily climbed the rankings and achieved first place in the last race, leaving him tantalizingly close to the coveted fourth overall position.

In the end, Jones won the event, with James in second and Tom in third. The racing was tight and a lot of fun. So, to those who were "no shows," you missed out.

As always, Rutland hosted a fantastic regatta! Thanks go to the race team that kept things moving to get in 4 good races on the Saturday and still get the two races completed on Sunday before the wind fell away.

Overall Results:

With this being the last of the British Contender events for 2024, it is time to start looking at your diaries for a packed list of events for 2025 (the list will be available soon). These events include a trip to Florida in February for the 2024 worlds, and back to one of the Contenders favourite locations of Lake Garda from 23rd July to 3rd August 2025 for more details visit 2025worlds.contender.it

The Contender National championships are to be held at Shoreham Sailing club in the first week of September. To keep up to date with the ins & outs of the British Contender fleet, go to our website, www.sailcontender.org.uk

For those of you that enjoy a bit of winter sailing, take a look at the Selden Sailjuice Winter series with 9 events to choose from, it would be good to see some Contenders taking part.