Cadet Open at Frensham Pond Sailing Club

by David Little 25 May 2021 11:49 BST 23 May 2021

With blustery weather forecast, some 54 Cadet sailors from three different clubs arrived at Frensham Pond Sailing Club on Sunday 23rd May for the Frensham Cadet Open. Known as 'the nursery of champions', Frensham is well-known (perhaps notorious?) for shifting wind conditions. Those that sail well here can go on to great things anywhere.

Keith Videlo, the Race Officer (himself a Frensham veteran and a former Cadet World Champion) faced a very tricky task to get the first race off. The wind shifted 30 degrees several times in the pre-start, and the postponement flag flew to allow Keith and daughter Rebecca to go for a different windward mark.The fleet got off cleanly.

The first race provided plenty of spills, with a good number of capsizes and two masts coming down. Fortunately the excellent safety boat crews (who were kept busy throughout the day) were able to get the two boats back to shore quickly, where a willing army of volunteers (including Synergy Marine's Simon Cox) got the boats back on the water in record time.

Back on the racecourse, Bridgitte Nee and Monty Slump in GBR9028 She Who Dares took line honours from Hannah Carruthers and George Cox-Oliff in GBR10076 Aurora in second place and Ben Goult and Mave Parry-Shields in GBR9984 True Colours. Special mention goes to Ben - Mave is a new crew and the spinnaker was too daunting a prospect in this breeze; Ben achieved great results under white sails alone.

In the regatta fleet, Charlotte Mitchell and Miles Barnabas Hardy in GBR9768 took first place, followed by Tom Shepherd and Tom Stoddart in GBR9378 Whacky When Wet and Ava Roberts and Ines Figueiredo in GBR8556 Moonraker, all coached by the excellent Ellie Watling, a former World Team member herself.

Keith got race two under way, but the main fleet was starting to get very competitive and a general recall was needed to curb enthusiasm. The squalls were coming down the track, bringing rain and wind close to twice the base speed. In the main fleet, Will Shepherd and Joe Mycroft in GBR9994 May Contain Nuts established a phenomenal lead, a trick they have often pulled off in the regular Saturday training and racing at the Pond. They were shadowed by Hannah and George, and Bridgitte and Monty, and finished in this order. In the regatta fleet, Tom and Tom came first, with the rest of the fleet retiring after several capsizes.

A short break afloat and the third race got under way. The fleet divided somewhat on the beat, with the right paying heavily. The course included two good reaches; for those able to tame their spinnakers in the wind, an exhilarating ride was in store. The lead was tight and changed several times. Toby Bush and Kemmel Thorogood sailing GBR10001 Pushing It, one of the visitors from Waldringfield Sailing Club, had clearly gone through a steep learning curve and built on a 9th and a 5th to bring in a 2nd in this race. Bridgitte and Monty secured their second 1st by a very healthy margin, and Will and Joe came in 3rd.

Special mention goes to Monty Hampton and Olivia McMorris in GBR71 Sullom Voe, who managed to achieve some excellent starts and first beats. Sadly this rarely carried through to the finish line, but whenever the safety boat approached them after a capsize they were greeted by giggles and laughter. In the regatta fleet, Tom and Tom scored their second 1st place of the day, with Charlotte and Miles coming in 2nd and Oliver Caygill and Toby Caygill in GBR8854 The Red Cadet securing 3rd - an excellent bounceback after a dismasting in the first race.

The scoreboard was tight going into the last race, and with a discard kicking in after four races, getting a good result in the last race could mean everything. And the crews knew it; leads and places changed throughout the race and throughout the fleet, as boats took advantage of or were punished by shifts and gusts.

The start and the first beat were very tight for the main fleet. The right was favoured again, and some of the overall leaders were at best mid-fleet approaching the top mark. But tenacity runs deep in Cadet sailors, and several fight-backs were evident, one being Hannah and George. But they weren't to have it all their own way, with a penalty turn conducted later on in the race. In the end, Will and Joe crossed the line first, with Toby and Kemmel very close behind. Ben and Mave came in third, with Fiona Nee and Elliott Chapman in GBR9043 El Nino delighted with a fourth. Tight racing all round; in the batch that followed two boats crossed the line within a second of each other. It's never over 'til its over.

In the regatta fleet, Tom and Tom secured their third 1st place, followed by Charlotte and Miles in second and Ava and Ines in third. Determination ruled in the regatta fleet to overcome tough conditions.

Overall, it was close at the top. With two boats tied for first place after discards, it was only on countback that Will and Joe came out as winners, with Bridgitte and Monty in second place. And there was a tie for third as well, with countback putting Toby and Kemmel in third ahead of Hannah and George in fourth.

In regatta fleet, Tom and Tom ruled with three wins out if four, followed by Charlotte and Miles in second and Ava and Ines in third.

A great open meeting in the finest traditions of Frensham Pond. And there was plenty to do ashore, with a second-hand kit sale, Al's BBQ churning out bacon and sausage sandwiches for breakfast and burgers for the post-race crew, Rose's Sweet Shop selling sweets and pop-cakes, and a veritable mountain of tea and cake for parents. None of this happens without input from a lot of people, all who deserve our thanks. But none more so than Sean and Lorna Nee, the exceptional Squadron Captains here at Frensham, who do a marvellous job of running the Cadet Class in Frensham. We're in safe hands.

Overall Results:

Pos	Sail No	Boat Name	Helm	Crew	Club	R1	R2	R3	R4	Pts
Main Fleet
1	9994	May Contain Nuts	Will Shepherd	Joe Mycroft	FPSC	4	1	3	1	5
2	9028	She Who Dares	Bridgitte Nee	Monty Slump	FPSC	1	3	1	5	5
3	10001	Pushing It	Toby Bush	Kemmel Thorogood	WSC	9	5	2	2	9
4	10076	Aurora	Hannah Carruthers	George Cox‑Olliff	FPSC	2	2	5	6	9
5	9984	True Colours	Ben Goult	Mave Parry‑Shield	FPSC	3	7	4	3	10
6	9964	Mischief & Mayhem	Sophia Sfaxi	Alex McEwan	FPSC	5	4	8	10	17
7	9367	Bluefin	Tom Walker	Ava Stoddart	FPSC	7	6	9	7	20
8	9043	El Nino	Fiona Nee	Elliott Chapman	FPSC	10	14	11	4	25
9	845	Double Expresso	Sarah McEwan	Holly Jones	FPSC	12	9	6	11	26
10	10032	Boombastic	Amelia Mayhew	Hettie Thorogood	WSC	6	23	12	9	27
11	10003	Enigma	Libbie Bush	Emily Krailing	WSC	23	13	10	8	31
12	7679	Hot Rocks	Mimi Slump	Samantha Nee	FPSC	8	11	23	14	33
13	8854	Aquilo	Ryan Harris	Sophie Marshall	FPSC	13	8	13	18	34
14	8533	Teen Spirit	George Little	Zachary Windibank	FPSC	14	10	16	15	39
15	9985	Twocan	Gwen Thorogood	Oscar Bush	WSC	17	12	15	12	39
16	9020	What's It Called	Jess Watling	Annabel Shepherd	FPSC	11	23	7	23	41
17	9151	Tornado	Evan Harris	James Vellacott	WSC	15	16	14	13	42
18	9382	Legend	Emilia Hampton	Jemima McMorris	SC	21	15	17	23	53
19	71	Sullom Voe	Monty Hampton	Olivia McMorris	SC	19	18	23	16	53
20	8333	Sizzerin' Hot	Lydia Mycroft	Mimi Windibank	FPSC	18	17	23	19	54
21	8352	Master Mariner	Megan McMorris	Joshua Davidson	SC	16	23	23	17	56
22	9454	Purple Haze	Amelie Whitehouse	Immy Sherwood	FPSC	20	23	23	23	66
Regatta Fleet
1	9378	Whacky When Wet	Tom Shepherd	Tom Stoddart	FPSC	2	1	1	1	3
2	9768	FPSC Club boat	Charlotte Mitchell	Miles Barnabas Hardy	FPSC	1	5	2	2	5
3	8556	Moonraker	Ava Roberts	Ines Figueiredo	SC	3	5	5	3	11
4	8854	The Red Cadet	Oliver Caygill	Toby Caygill / Jay PlestedFPSC		5	5	3	5	13