Polar Pursuit Race 2022 at Chase Sailing Club

Polar Pursuit Race 2022 at Chase SC © Alex Walton

Neil Wilkinson during the Polar Pursuit Race 2022 at Chase SC ©Alex Walton

Polar Pursuit Race 2022 at Chase SC © Alex Walton

Nick Craig during the Polar Pursuit Race 2022 at Chase SC © Alex Walton

As the race officer woke on the Saturday morning for the Polar Pursuit, a couple of things went through their mind; is the lake frozen? Will anyone want to sail? Don't talk about the fog!

Luckily all three things came together and 37 boats ventured out intrepidly on to the water, with no ice in sight. A steady SW breeze never faltered all day giving the opportunity for great racing across the 2 hours.

With a few boats dropping out, the first boat didn't get a small while, but when it did it was the Lightning 368 of Bethan Evans that showed the fleet the way round.

By the end of the first lap the Solo's of Richard Instone and Neil Wilkinson held a strong lead over the fleet, however Neil managed to shake Richard off to hold a commanding lead.

As the hour mark passed the breeze started to pick up, much to the enjoyment of the faster boats who were able start carving their way through, much to the enjoyment of some of the rescue crews who were able to watch, a particular fan favourite being Jake 'Spiderman' Willars in this RS600.

It also allowed some great racing between all the boats, with positions changing all the time throughout the fleet.

With 30 minutes to go, the lead had changed with the 2 Oks of Andy Davis and Nick Craig leading the way. But as time ticked away would the pack, lead by Matt Biggs/Mark Fowler in their Albacore, catch the leaders?

As the race was coming to a close, the Phantom of Adam Froggatt managed to squeeze through Neil in his Solo to take 4th place, and the Albacore of Matt/Mark got through Andy Davies with minutes to spare, with Nick holding a commanding lead over the fleet taking the win.

A big thank you to all the visitors who came along to support us again, especially the guys from Notts County SC who came back to visit us, despite the experiences of the fog the year before!

An even bigger thank you to our recorders, who made sure that we knew where everyone was before the finish.

And the biggest thank you to John, Mike, Gaz, Izzy, Ollie, Emily, Scott, Pete, Dave, Dave and Tom, for being out on the whole lake for the full 2 hrs keeping everyone safe.

We hope to see everyone again in 2023!

Prize Winners:

• 20th place: Elsa Minton ILCA 6 (Chase SC)
• First Junior: Fin Watson ILCA 7 (Chase SC)
• First ILCA 6: Finn Morgan (Chase SC)
• First GP14: Rob Stringer & Pete Tate (Chase SC)
• First ILCA 7: Jamie Cuxson (Shustoke SC)
• First Phantom & First Home Boat: Adam Froggatt
• 3rd Place: Andy Davies OK (South Staffs SC)
• 2nd Place & First Albacore: Matt Biggs & Mark Fowler (Bartley SC)
• 1st Place: Nick Craig OK (Burghfield SC)

Overall Results: