Promotional Fleet at the Cadet Worlds, Lake Balaton, Hungary

Freeman and Francis win

The 2006 Cadet World Championships and Open Promotionals took place on Lake Balaton in Hungary over the period 21st to 30th July. Only 7 boats per country (10 for the host) are eligible for the Cadet World Championships, so the host country puts on an additional open event (“the Promotionals”) for those boats that wish to enjoy the experience of a large foreign regatta and World Championships. Over the years the size, quality and prestige of the Promotionals has grown. This year there were 81 entries for the Worlds and 74 for the Promotionals.

The 34 British boats and their crews which left England for the Promotionals left in what they thought was the sweltering heat of 30 degrees, but that was cool compared to the mid-afternoon 37 degrees in the shade which met them at Balatonfured Yacht Club on Lake Balaton.

The Practice Race was started on Sunday 23rd July in very light winds. It was abandoned after 30 minutes when the leading boat was only metres from the first mark.

Race 1 was started on the Monday after a few hours’ postponement. The first lap was sailed in a pleasant 5 knots of wind. On the second lap the wind became patchy. Joanna Freeman and Holly Francis in True Blue led for almost the whole of the race, but were becalmed near the finish and could only watch as Amy Seabright and Katie Barr in Lady in Red came up on a puff from some distance and finished first. True Blue struggled across in second, followed by Seb Balch and Emma Knot in Genesis and Mateuz Giemza and Pawel Glowicki of Poland in fourth. The remainder of the fleet enjoyed mixed fortunes as they played snakes and ladders with the holes and puffs on the last beat. The threat of a thunderstorm and gale force winds (which did not materialise for a few more days) drove the fleet ashore without a second race being sailed that day.

There was no wind and no sailing on the Tuesday, but on Wednesday Race 2 was sailed again in light winds which got progressively lighter and less consistent as the race progressed. Joanna and Holly made no noticeable mistakes and moved smoothly through from 4th to win impressively. Their clubmates from Parkstone, Sophie Pearson and Amy Yeoman in Who Dares Wins were second, closely followed by Robert Henderson crewed by Jacquetta Bridge in Bad Influence in third and Arthur and Mary Henderson in Kiwi in fourth.

Race 3 was started and then abandoned after some 11 boats had crossed the finishing line, when the wind failed almost completely. This kept the jury busy with requests for redress from those who had finished; but to no avail. The abandonment stood.

Thursday had been scheduled as a lay day, but because so few races had been sailed the organisers sensibly changed the schedule to allow racing to take place. They need not have bothered; there was no wind all morning and with no more wind forecast (or eventuating) for the afternoon, racing for the day was abandoned at lunchtime. Many of the British promotional teams seized the opportunity to visit the Balatonfured Aquapark. This contained a superb arrangement of water slides, shutes and other water related activities. The only thing missing was shade. At about this time a epidemic of sickness began to hit the fleet, with the Poles and the British Promotional sailors being particularly badly hit. It was unclear whether the cause was a virus (probable), excessive sun and heat (quite possible), drinking the lake’s water while swimming (quite possible) or a dodgy water supply (possible in some cases, but ruled out in others). The younger children appeared to be more susceptible than the older ones and few adults were affected. The only blessing was that the recovery time was swift, with few being so indisposed that they were unable to sail for more than 24 hours after the symptoms first appeared. Some 25% of the British Promotional fleet were affected.

The next morning the rumour went around the camp that the jury would allow you to sail with an alternative crew if your crew was sick, but would insist on your sailing with that crew for the remainder of the event. That led to the more or less clandestine recruitment of younger siblings and crews whose helms were sick in order to get the British fleet on the water for a 10.00 start on the Friday. The morning’s efforts were wasted because although a race was started, it was abandoned due to a lack of wind. The fleet came ashore, but was sent out again at 4.30 for one good race in light winds. This race was won by the Polish boys, Mateuz Giemza and Pawel Glowicki, with Tye Wichard and Ben Thane in Viper second; Theo Bull and Antonia Steer in Panico third. Several boats failed to finish within the time limit.

Saturday dawned bright and very slightly fresher with a good Force 2 blowing for substantial periods during the day. Races 4, 5 and 6 were successfully completed in beautiful conditions. Although there were still bands of greater and lesser wind, the differences were not so large as on previous days and generally the snakes and ;adders were smaller. The conditions suited Jessica Blick and James Turl in Leviathan who scored a second, fourth and second. Race 4 was won by Chris Proffitt and Hannah Muskett in No Fear with Charlie Impey and Edward Cummings third in She Who Dares.

Race 5 was won by another Polish boat (Iwona Gileta and Zuzanna Myszkowska) from Clare Dallimore and Jessica Quinlan in Mistoffelees in second and Chris Proffitt and Hannah Muskett in third. The Quinlan/Dallimore combinations obviously enjoyed Saturday’s conditions because Billie Quinlan and Sarah Dallimore in Invisible Touch won race 6 to go with an eighth and a sixteenth in Races 5 and 4. Jessica Blick and James Turl were second in Race 6 and Tye Wichard and Ben Thane completed a good day with third place.

Sunday’s conditions were similar to Saturday’s and there was speculation as to whether the Race Officer would get in three races before the one o’clock deadline for starts on the last day. In the event he managed a third start at five to one, but a general recall meant that he was beaten by the clock. Race 7 as won by Jonathan Kimber and Jamie Profitt in Black Otter. Mateuz Giemza and Pawel Glowicki were second and Amy Seabright and Katie Barr in Lady in Red were third.

This left the result of the Promotionals very open going into Race 8, which proved to be the final race. After Race 8 which two discards would be allowed. Going into the race any of Joanna Freeman and Holly Francis, Seb Balch and Emma Knott and Mateuz Giemza and Pawel Glowicki could have won the event. Katherine Kimber and Stevie Green in Hot Rocks and Amy Seabright and Katie Barr were just out of the reckoning for gold medal position, but could easily have snatched silver or bronze.

The competitors did not know that there would not be a race 9 so they had to sail as if there might be. Seb and Emma did as well as they could and finished first in Race 8, but Joanna and Holly clinched the title by 2 points with a steady fourth place. The Poles, Mateuz Giemza and Pawel Glowicki were third in Race 8 and third overall.

The Hungarian organisers did a superb job in very difficult and potentially fraught conditions. As so often it was said that “the conditions are not normally like this here”. The event demonstrated the strength in depth of the British Cadet fleet with 8 of the top 10 places overall being taken by British boats in very difficult “non-British” conditions. Joanna and Holly and Seb and Emma both sailed very good and consistent series to take gold and silver. Katherine Kimber and Stevie Green and Amy Seabright and Katie Barr were also very consistent, but their results did not quite match those of the leaders and they finished 4th and 5th overall.

Overall Results:

1st: GBR 9575, True Blue, Joanna Freeman and Holly Francis
2nd: GBR 8536, Genesis, Seb Balch and Emma Knott
3rd: POL 9432, Mateuz Giemza and Pawel Glowicki