Soak Tide Ride 2024 at Hayling Island Sailing Club
by HISC 13 Oct 17:49 BST
5-6 October 2024
Hayling Island Sailing Club were really excited to reintroduce the Tide Ride and welcome over 100 sailors and riders to take part during the first weekend of October.
This event has not been held for over 15 years. In the past it had been sponsored by the likes of Red Bull and Holt and televised on the BBC. We might not have managed filming from helicopters this year but we still delivered an awesome event!
We had 3 fleets - 29ers, RS800s and Wingfoilers. Tide Ride means racing at the highest point of the tide and before the ebb leaves the marks high and dry. Our Race Teams, directed by Tim Hancock, ran 50 races over 2 courses, which included a medal race for each Fleet. Wingfoilers had courses suitable for their fleet's ability levels (one required tacking and gybing and one required only gybing) and the RS800s and 29ers had Windward/Leeward courses, but with teeny weeny gates that they had to go through downwind.
Heats were run over the first day and half, and then the fleets took it in turns to race their top 10 (top 5 in the RS800s) in the 'Winner Takes All' Medal Race.
If that was not exciting enough, we had two hilarious and knowledgeable commentators, Kuba and Noah, who got merrier as the day went on, and gave us a nail-biting analysis of the racing as it unfolded before our eyes. Racing over the Winner Bank allowed the spectators on the balcony a fantastic view of the racing (and yes, I had spent years telling the 29ers not to go over the Winner!).
We had phenomenal sponsorship from Soak Insure who donated prize money and giant cheques to the top three of each fleet, and spot prizes were donated from Salcombe Gin, Sandy Point Water Sports, Andy Biggs and AFS. We also had AFS and Swift on site with a whole heap of Wing-foil demo kit to try out. Thank you so much to all these amazing companies.
There was also a massive team of volunteers who produced this event while our crew at HISC kept the club running smoothly. So, a huge thank you to everyone who helped make it happen, and to all the competitors, members and visitors who came to play.
The club was buzzing, we were so lucky with the weather, sun and wind, and we can't wait to host it again next year.