Please select your home edition
Edition
RYA Membership

ILCA Open at Papercourt Sailing Club

by Liz Hill-Smith 29 Apr 2023 06:54 BST 23 April 2023
Papercourt ILCA Open - Neil Crosby ahead of Colin Carver and the fleet in race 3 © Peter Snow

Despite a patchy light Westerly wind forecast, Papercourt saw a good fleet of Laser sailors turn up to the 2023 open, including visitors from 6 other clubs. In total, 7 Papercourt sailors, and 7 visitors split as 8 ILCA 7's (Full rig) and 6 ILCA 6's (Radial rig).

Notable by his absence was Andrew Hill-Smith our Papercourt SC Laser Class Captain, unable to take part as he is currently sailing his Laser 'Betty' around the UK. Follow him on www.laseraroundtheuk3.uk. During the day we followed his tracker as he crossed the Thames from Whitstable to Clacton.

A gentle breeze lured all out for the mornings racing, but after the first beat the wind disappeared leading to a lot of extreme light wind sailing. The front group of the Full rig fleet managed to get a good puff down the run to extinguish all hope of that lonely gust giving any joy to the Radial fleet sitting further downwind. The second race of the morning was abandoned.

A much enjoyed part of any Papercourt event is the lunch and the camaraderie in the clubhouse and Jill Hamment and her galley team did not disappoint with a delicious chilli, jackets and salad.

Martin Smith, as race officer, made the wise decision to give an extended lunch break to see if the wind would kick in by 2pm. Thankfully it did, although it was hugely variable and fluky. For the two afternoon races Martin made combined single fleet starts, and on any one leg, all points of sailing could be experienced. Credit to Martin for making consistently sensible and timely decisions in service of giving the best days racing possible in the challenging circumstances.

In the ILCA 7 fleet, Bruce Ramshaw (Papercourt) and Neil Crosby (Bowmoor) shared first and second places in both races, with Bruce clinching the decider to win overall. Third place went to Colin Carver from Wembley, with Julian Barker missing out by one point.

The ICLA 6 fleet was won by Samson Cross, from Shoreham. Kevin Pearson from Thames SC gained second place and Niall Maynard beat Liz Hill-Smith in the deciding third race to clinch third place, both from Papercourt. All races were edgy close sailing and not surprisingly, no swimmers today.

With thanks to our race officers, safety crews, and galley for an excellent day despite the fickle light winds.

Overall Results:

PosSail NoHelmClubR1R2R3Pts
ILCA 7 Fleet
1st197342Bruce RamshawPapercourt SC2114
2nd208674Neil CrosbyBowmoor SC1225
3rd209002Colin CarverWembley SC43310
4th200098Julian BarkerLondon Corinthian SC34411
5th213547John AyreLondon Corinthian SC55717
6th176656Christopher KilgourPrestwick SC66618
7th213706Richard LympossPapercourt/Bowmoor77519
8th136074Joseph WatsonPapercourt SC88824
ILCA 6 Fleet
1st205176Samson CrossShoreham YC1113
2nd203323Kevin PearsonThames SC2327
3rd181060Niall MaynardPapercourt SC44311
4th173517Liz Hill‑SmithPapercourt SC35412
5th182639Gordon ColmanPapercourt SC62513
6th91244Charlie BeckPapercourt SC5DNCDNC19

Related Articles

Daisy Collingridge talk on Women in Sailing
British Sailing Team and ILCA sailor inspiring change Over 70 sailors from as far away as Bough Beech in Kent and Rutland SC descended on London Corinthian SC in West London to join Daisy Collingridge from the British Sailing Team to talk about Women in Sailing. Posted on 12 Dec
Positive Waves of Change for Sailing in Orkney
Already experiencing the transformative legacy of the Orkney 2025 Games Orkney is already experiencing the transformative legacy of the Orkney 2025 Games, with a surge in interest in sailing setting a course for the sport's growth in the islands. Posted on 4 Dec
ILCAs at Draycote Water
Combination of Olympic sail and 1972 hull brings deep joy Following recent weeks disappointing wind for several large events 16th November at Draycote Water seemed to be the place to be for all ILCA sailors in the Midlands. There was a reasonable entry of 44 Sailors looking forward to stretching their legs. Posted on 22 Nov
ILCA Women's Coaching Day at Queen Mary
Led by Ellie Cumpsty and an all-female coaching team Female sailors from as far afield as Chew Valley, Rutland and Bexhill descended on Queen Mary SC to take part in the inaugural ILCA Women's Coaching Day led by Ellie Cumpsty and an all-female coaching team. Posted on 30 Oct
Sailingfast Wessex ILCA Open at South Cerney
Warm, quite sunny and generally a reasonable wind speed The final event in the Sailingfast sponsored Wessex ILCA Series took place on Saturday 19th October at South Cerney Sailing Club. Fortunately the date chosen meant the weather gods were friendly. Posted on 24 Oct
ILCA Lakeland & Borders GP at Derwent Reservoir
Five back to back races in strong winds for the fleet of 19 helms Nineteen ILCAs entered for the Lakeland & Borders Grand Prix at Derwent Reservoir Sailing Club on 12th October 2024. The forecast of 12 to 28 knots meant some uncertainty over what conditions would be expected. Posted on 18 Oct
SailingFast Northern ILCA Circuit at Dovestone
Turnout was strong across the year, averaging 17 boats per event The Sailingfast Northern ILCA Circuit completed the 2024 season at Dovestone SC on Sunday 13th October. The 2024 season was conducted across 15 venues across the North, and saw 131 competitors from 27 different clubs sailing between March and October. Posted on 14 Oct
ILCA Masters Europeans at Vilamoura overall
An early start on the final day, anticipating stormy weather The ILCA Masters European Championship 2024 concluded today with a spectacular prize-giving ceremony at MoTAO, marking the end of a thrilling week of racing in Vilamoura Sailing. Posted on 11 Oct
ILCA Midlands Grand Prix at Staunton Harold
A superb entry of 32 helms for the penultimate event in the series Wow, what an event! Staunton Harold SC hosted the penultimate in the ILCA Midlands Grand Prix - next stop Burton Sailing Club for the final! Posted on 11 Oct
ILCA Masters Europeans at Vilamoura day 4
No races today due to insufficient wind Today at the ILCA Masters European Championship, all races were unfortunately cancelled due to insufficient wind conditions. Posted on 10 Oct