Classic & Vintage Dinghies at Chippenham Sailing Club

The leaders at the Chippenham classic dinghy open © Karen Honour

Despite the late venue change, visitors from three clubs joined with the local faithful for the first CVRDA event to be held at Chippenham SCC. The strong winds that were forecast materialised during the Saturday afternoon caused numerous capsizes and retirements, but though the carnage the Firefly of Rupert Whelan and the OK of Alan Price survived admirably, finishing first and second respectively in both races albeit by the closest of margins.

Sunday morning saw no respite in the weather, but Rupert Whelan continued his winning ways, this time challenged by his wife Kathryn in a British Moth and Rodney Gingell in his Solo. The Sunday afternoon race provided even more wind, which while the more cautious members of the fleet watched from the clubhouse, Rodney Gingell, took the lead from the start and as the rest of the fleet was scattered around the river by a vicious squall, he weathered the storm to finish unopposed.

The spirit of the event was wonderful, and as Rupert Whelan said after the prizegiving ” Force 5 squalls on a river the width of a supermodel's wrist was an experience I won't forget in a hurry”

Overall Results: