Firefly National Championships 2024 at Restronguet Sailing Club - Overall

by Alex Baxter 3 Aug 12:32 BST 27 July - 2 August 2024

The Final Race of the 78th Firefly Nationals at Restronget Sailing Club brought wind, finally! The race officer set the alarm early to attempt to complete a full series. With a brisk and shifty force three, the fleet was finally ready to stretch its legs.

At the beginning of the day, there was much to play for, with five points separating the top four boats. Jono Pank and Helena Lucas led overnight from Steve Tylecote and Tasha Hughes. What happened to many across the fleet could only be described as 'emotional'.

Race 7

The race started with a sprightly 10-15 mph breeze, a shock to the fleet after the light wind week.

Ben Lumby and Liz Evens had a healthy lead at the windward mark from student pair Gordon Cogan Sivarajan and Lizzy Linsdell. The first beat was very shifty and tricky, with many pairs thinking they were in it only for the wind gods to bring them back in.

Downwind, many teams went low, but the 'high' mode paid off, with Guy Davison and Sally Wakefield, Alex Baxter, and Ella Vincent sailing through on reach one, overtaking Gordon, Will Pank, and Steve Carver, whilst Jamie Tylecote and Alice Lucy consolidated second.

Eventually, Stuart and Lizzie Hudson had 'appeared' downwind. Up the second beat, it was nip-and-tuck, with Guy, Sally, and Jamie fighting it out for second, while Alex Baxter and Ella fought closely for third, before Steve enacted dark art mark roundings and secured themselves fourth spot.

Down the run, Ben and Liz were clear from Jamie and Alice, with Guy firmly in third. Nigel and Emily had appeared, with Stuart just ahead of the pack of Alex/Ella, Steve/Tash, and Will/Steve. Ultimately, the top three places were assured, but it was close, with 4-8 all very right and jostling gybes down a very shifty run.

It finished Ben/Liz, Jamie/Alice, and Guy/Sally in a very enjoyable Force 3.

Well done to Ben and Liz for proving the pre-event runners and riders accurate!

Race 8

Friday's second race was a holdover race following a bit of rescheduling from a too-light-to-sail moment on Wednesday afternoon. As this was the last race in the championship, it was critical for many. The race got away on a black flag after two previous general recalls because the stakes were high.

Rob and Mel Sherrington in Iris started a third of the way from the pin, heading towards a band of pressure on the left. They tacked to leeward and forward of Jamie and Jo McEwan in Skirmish, who were the first to tack on to port.

The SW wind meant a windward mark off the club moorings and a wide arc for shifts at the top of the course. A building breeze provided full hiking on the beats and planing reaches - at last!

Grasshopper, with Steve Tylecote and Tasha Hughes, and Alarm, with Will Pank and Steve Carver, took a more right-hand side approach, and they all converged on the mark. First Iris, then Alarm, then Grasshopper. By the wing, Stuart and Lizzy Hudson in Fursty Ferret were through to third or second. By the leeward mark, Grasshopper was second... but it would all be about the shifts.

Alarm briefly led ahead of Iris, but Iris rolled them, and they led on the run. Some splitting and then bunching occurred, but Iris led on to the final beat.

Pressure on the sides with leverage and big splits. At the finish, the cross-tide made the lay line tricky to spot. Iris led in from the right to win, followed by Alarm from the left in second, and then Skirmish took third, finding a puff from the right.

Importantly, the chasing pack contained Fursty Ferret, Nigel Wakefield and Emily Saunderson in Tip Top Too and Grasshopper, which would prove vital in determining the event's top placings.

Iris was awarded the Olympic Trophy for this race win.

Overall

The final day of the Nationals proved a big one, with massive shifts and huge wins and losses to be made. We were lucky to ensure that every race was won by a different competitor, showcasing the sheer quality of the fleet and how competitive the racing was.

Overnight leaders Jono and Helena had a tough one after sailing a great regatta otherwise, but unfortunately, counting a black flag from the first race, made inconsistency a challenge.

Many congratulations to Steve and Tash, sailing F3037 'Grasshopper, on winning the Sir Richard Fairy Points Cup and to Tash on claiming the Colin Whittle Trophy for the first crew!l They overcame a rough race to sail a great week right across the wind conditions. The oldies have the victory!

Yet Steve's victory shouldn't only be for his own racing but also for the unbelievable number of Rutland Sailing Club youths (including his own two sons) with whom he successfully won the Tolly Cobbiold Cup for the best 'Club' prize. Not only has Steve claimed yet another success story for himself, but he has also worked magic for the health of the class!

Stuart and Lizzie Hudson, sailing F3850 'Fursty Ferret', took second place. Hud was a very proud 'Dad', and he and Lizzie also claimed the Rothmans Trophy for the best scorecard across all races (practice and crew) without a discard, showcasing how consistent they had been.

Nigel Wakefield and Emily Saunderson took the final podium position in F3007 'Tip Top Too'. Nigel claimed that he 'deteriorated' as the week went on. Still, despite a boat breakage and very difficult conditions, they managed to sail well across the weather conditions and put enough distance between themselves and the other challengers on the final day.

A special mention must also go to Alex and Stella Davey in F2649 'Mustard', who sailed the nationals of their lives to finish fourth. 13-year-old Stella marshalled her dad around all week. They were rudely not included in the runners and riders, and despite a difficult last day, they sailed unbelievably well all week. Alex and Mum Rosie could be seen grinning throughout the prize-giving.

Other important prizes included the Deben Lady's prize for the first female helm, which Jenny Smallwood and Philip Aldous claimed in F3625, 'Squabbling Pheonix'.

The Chris Lynham Trophy for the best under 21, hotly contested this year, was won by Terry and Annabell Hacker in F3871 'Go Ballistic', kindly loaned to them for the week. The Firefly class will always go the extra mile to put youths on the race course!

The Restronget Ovaloid Trophy, for the first under 18 helm, again, more contested than it had been for many years, was won by Toby Smith and Harriet George in F3414 'Tigger' from Royal Hospital School.

Finally, the Stern Light Trophy, for the first institution-owned boat, the backbone of the Firefly Classes' success and popularity, was won by the University of Warwick Pairing of Harris Goodman and Ben Tweedle in F3915 'Bon Journo'. Sponsor Selden kindly gave them a brand-new jib stick to ensure they continue returning!

Many thanks to Restronget Sailing Club for hosting us and for all the volunteers who worked so hard to ensure we got a complete week's sailing in and were well fed and watered throughout the week's tribulations.

Prizes were given out with the generous support of our thanks to our class supporters for their generous support and prizes.

Thanks to our class supporters for their generous support and prizes Marlow Ropes, Craftinsure, Allen Sailing, kSailEvents, Selden Mast, Sailboat Trailers, Ovington Boats.

Overall Results:

Pos	Sail No	Boat Name	Helm	Crew	Club	Practice R	R1	R2	R3	R4	Crews' R	R6	R5 (Gore)	R7	R8	Pts
1	F3037	Grasshopper	Steve Tylecote	Tasha Armstrong	Rutland SC	8	39	1	8	7	69	2	3	6	4	31
2	F3850	Fursty Ferret	Stuart Hudson	Lizzie Hudson	Royal Lymington YC	1	12	4	4	2	4	9	7	11	5	42
3	F3007	Tip Top Too	Nigel Wakefield	Emily Saunderson	Netley Sailing Club	25	1	8	7	3	69	10	9	7	8	43
4	F2649	Mustard	Alex Davey	Stella Davey	Royal Harwich YC	2	2	5	6	5	7	13	2	18	19	51
5	F1954	Pogie	Jono Pank	Helena Lucas	Imperial Poona YC	35	69	3	1	4	1	6	4	24	16	58
6	F3871	Go Ballistic	Terry Hacker	Annabelle Hacker	Rutland SC	69	14	2	2	23	11	25	1	4	17	63
7	F3764	Tic Tac	Jamie Tylecote	Alice Lucy	Rutland SC	5	21	10	5	16	2	22	10	5	2	69
8	F3695	Officer Dibble	Angus Cook	Lucie Hopkins	Castaways	24	6	22	16	8	69	11	5	8	15	69
9	F999	Alarm	William Pank	Steve Carver	NBYC ‑ UEA sailing club	4	4	18	19	15	13	16	11	2	7	73
10	F3318	Lynestra	Guy Davison	Sally Wakefield	Llangorse and Netley S C	12	5	9	37	14	69	23	16	9	3	79
11	F3617	Iris	Rob Sherrington	Mel Sherrington	OCSS	9	10	19	9	20	69	5	22	1	18	82
12	F3615	Skirmish	Jamie McEwen	Ben McEwen	Royal Lymington YC	16	25	35	34	11	17	3	6	3	12	94
13	F2937	Smutty	Chris Kameen	Jenny Johnson	Imperial Poona Yacht Club	7	19	7	3	1	8	18	23	26	35	97
14	F3671	Purple Doris	Ben Tylecote	Lucy Cox	Rutland SC	27	15	11	21	6	28	1	34	69	9	97
15	F4220	Scruffy	Gordon Cogan Sivarajan	Lizzy Linsdell	OCSS	21	18	28	12	10	69	8	29	12	13	101
16	F2659	Kong	Ben Lumby	Liz Evans	Restronguet SC	6	44	32	20	45	69	7	15	10	1	129
17	F3154	Gemini Too	Dom Johnson	Sophia Johnson	West Kirby Sailing Club	23	17	13	10	21	69	29	33	13	29	132
18	F4444	Fournication	Alex Baxter	Ella Vincent	OCSS	10	43	17	11	17	69	27	17	41	6	136
19	F3625	Squabbling Phoenix	Jenny Smallwood	Philip Aldhous	OCSS	11	8	26	28	33	3	19	27	20	10	138
20	F3414	Tigger	Toby Smith	Harriet George	Royal Hospital School	20	24	6	31	25	15	26	8	23	32	143
21	F973	Spiderling	David Sincock	Betty Sincock	Restronguet SC	14	11	20	40	13	69	40	26	14	20	144
22	F3023	Fourwood Thinking	Barney Smith	Alannah Hebbert	Hamble River Sailing Club	19	3	33	36	29	24	28	20	19	14	146
23	F3119	Horror	Roger Morris	Izzy Bretherton	Royal Lymington YC	69	69	12	17	24	69	24	21	29	26	153
24	F2065	Bonkers	Jason Aldous	Josephine Mason	Papercourt sailing club	13	7	27	15	37	69	17	18	34	57	155
25	F1384	Pooh	Thomas Davey	Cameron Bowden	Royal Hospital School	18	9	14	47	26	9	21	19	27	41	157
26	F3874	Tarantella	William McEwen	Robbie Hudson	Royal Lymington YC	45	26	48	32	39	21	14	12	21	44	188
27	F3609	Shocker	Angus Armstrong	Poppy Armstrong	West Kirby Sailing Club	30	32	44	13	19	19	12	28	69	48	196
28	F2502	Cyclone	Sophia Hulbert	Alan Hulbert	Restronguet SC	3	22	23	22	18	16	44	42	45	27	198
29	F1867	Cumulus	Steven Greaves	Jane Hudson	Royal Lymington YC	69	23	40	29	12	18	36	32	28	40	200
30	F1979	The Winter of Discontent	Harry Rowlands	Harry Burge	Rutland SC	69	45	31	23	56	69	50	14	16	30	209
31	F2012	KEM	Ben Pym	Sarah Hickman	RORC	69	34	51	18	36	22	37	69	15	24	215
32	F3690	Mutsy	Rosie Davey	Jessica Green	Royal Harwich YC	22	13	24	51	47	69	41	13	31	49	218
33	F4000	Walrus	Will Mason	Amy Bowden	Burghfield SC	32	35	15	45	46	12	39	24	35	31	224
34	F2294	Nerapi	Thommie Grit	Hannah Crogan	NBYC ‑ UEA sailing club	37	30	49	39	52	32	15	25	30	38	226
35	F2925	Dignity	Sebi Schmidt	Claudia Bazyk	Penzance Sailing Club	28	20	21	56	55	26	20	47	38	28	229
36	F3095	Mensonge	Christian Guy	Iona Sherwood	Castaways	69	69	46	26	43	34	31	39	25	33	243
37	F3288	Tinkerbell	Ellen Morley	Sam Dernie	CUCrC	26	27	50	50	30	25	48	30	39	21	245
38	F2485	Fury	Luke Rowlands	Jude Beatty	Rutland SC	31	28	29	41	22	23	33	45	54	50	248
39	F4125	Threshdar	Joe Scarborough	James Nicoll	West Oxfordshire SC	42	33	38	25	40	31	34	55	46	34	250
40	F3801	Frieda	Damian Boreham	Toby Sherrington	Chew Valley Lake Sailing Club	41	16	34	42	49	69	53	46	32	37	256
41	F888	Desparado	Dylan Beatty	Oliver McKee	Rutland Sailing Club	69	37	39	30	31	5	32	49	69	39	257
42	F3739	Willow	Lucy Boreham	Rachel Crebbin	Chichester Yacht club	44	56	36	43	28	29	35	43	33	45	263
43	F3713	Barry Girl	Edward Morris	Dominic Bowden	Spinnaker Sailing Club	33	31	47	48	61	69	49	37	22	43	277
44	F4234	Vader	Izzy Johnson	Anna Morris	West Kirby Sailing Club	17	41	41	38	51	69	43	51	42	23	279
45	F3677	Wiki Wiki	Hugh Tomkins	Helen Jones	OCSS	36	38	30	27	58	69	51	44	40	51	281
46	F3741	Ma Hon	Arthur Greaves	William McEwen	Royal Lymington YC	69	69	69	69	9	10	4	36	56	42	285
47	F2587	Chi Chi	Richard Whitefoot	Elizabeth Whitefoot	Norfolk Broads YC	46	49	43	46	38	14	38	41	48	36	290
48	F3550	Water Spider	Ewan McLellan	Jonquil Hackenberg	Imperial Poona YC	69	69	25	69	69	69	69	31	17	11	291
49	F4400	Swaggle	Erin Pank	Charlie Phillips	Castle Cove SC	38	52	16	33	54	69	57	57	37	46	295
50	F3556	Hush	Ted Ashworth	Isla Armstrong	Netley SC	69	46	56	14	34	69	47	50	69	55	302
51	F3133	Thermopylae	Amy Morris	Gilly Phillips	Royal Lymington YC	69	69	69	69	44	69	30	40	36	25	313
52	F3554	Striga	James Ball	Freya Halsall	West Oxfordshire Sailing Club	15	42	42	54	27	6	42	38	69	69	314
53	F339	Mazurka	Ellie Maynard	Charlie Whelan	Burghfield SC	43	54	52	24	41	35	60	49	47	53	320
55	F900	Kingfisher	Annabel Caldecott	Georgiana Caldecott	Rutland	34	47	69	52	50	27	45	53	44	59	350
54	F2900	Snark	Andrew Mckee	Abigail Mckee	Rutland SC	29	29	69	69	32	38	69	35	69	47	350
56	F2525	Hookey	Gideon Sherwood	Ben Sherwood	Dell Quay Sailing Club	47	40	58	44	48	30	46	59	69	58	353
57	F3610	Serenity	Noa Moskovitch	Gabs Burlton	Royal Lymington YC	69	69	69	69	35	20	69	52	43	22	359
58	F3476	Atalanta	Maddie Greaves	Polly Mason	Royal Lymington YC	52	57	55	35	57	69	52	58	69	54	368
59	F3837	Calypso	Fiona Tylecote	Jane Hutchins	Rutland SC	48	51	37	49	42	69	69	54	69	69	371
60	F3820	Silly Goose	Chloe Harding	Georgia Evans	NBYC ‑ UEA Sailing Club	40	48	45	53	64	36	56	60	55	56	373
61	F3957	Maccatoo	Andrew Robson	Naomi Richardson	West Oxfordshire SC	39	50	59	62	59	41	55	65	50	52	387
62	F3915	Bon Journo	Harris Goodman	Ben Tweedle	University of Warwick SC	50	36	53	61	65	37	69	64	49	63	391
63	F8	Fate	Guy English	Becca Scouse	Restronguet SC	69	53	54	59	53	69	69	61	51	61	392
64	F400	TBC	Matthew Mason	Dan Cowley	Hayling Island SC	53	58	60	55	63	69	59	62	52	60	406
65	F3916	Thatcher	Ffion Morgan	Alex Long‑Weather	University of Warwick SC	51	59	62	60	60	40	54	63	53	62	410
66	F3893	Rockin Robin	Anna Kennedy	James Kennedy	Keyhaven Yacht Club	49	55	57	57	62	39	61	56	69	69	417
67	F4378	Pixie	Louise Woodley	Caitlin Kent	NBYC ‑ UEA sailing club	54	60	61	58	66	33	58	66	57	64	424
68	F2100	Old Pine	David Chisholm	Alex Barone	HISC	69	69	69	69	69	69	69	69	69	69	483