Alton Water 2023 Fox's Chandlery & Anglian Water Frostbite Series Week 1

Good weather for the first races during Alton Water Frostbite Series Week 1 © Emer Berry

After a very windy, wet Saturday, sailors arriving for the first day of the 2023 Alton Water Frostbite Series on Sunday 8 January were surprised and pleased to be greeted by sun and a moderate but sailable breeze.

It was good to see some familiar faces but also to welcome several new sailors to the series and although a few were apprehensive about this first real post-Covid Frostbite series, they weren't disappointed and the jointly-run Anglian Water/Volunteer series started smoothly, as if none of us had ever been away. The series is once again generously sponsored by Fox's Chandlery.

Numbers were sufficient to allow for four starts for Fast, ILCA (Laser). Medium and Slow Fleets and two back-to-back races were sailed with a quick turnaround in-between. so sailors didn't get too cold. It was good to have a spread of ages and experience represented and the course was such that different fleets could sail a different number of laps, with the Cadets completing two and the Fast fleet sailing four. A few sailors were a little unpractised after a long break and the safety fleet was kept busy, but the good news is that some adventurous new gymnastic positions were invented and captured by our regular photographer Tim Bees.

An enthusiatic fleet of Cadet sailors during Alton Water Frostbite Series Week 1 - photo © Emer Berry

The south-south-west breeze picked up during racing with some strong gusts, but the majority of sailors managed to keep their boat and body in one piece for the second race.

There was some close racing with the six Cadets (including at least one crew member recently back from the Worlds in Australia) and the OKs having their own battles and there were several exciting three-sail reaches. All sailors were safely ashore soon after 1pm before the forecast rain arrived.

Slot gasket inspection during Alton Water Frostbite Series Week 1 - photo © Tim Bees

This is a nine-week series with six discards from the eighteen races and, with water levels up from the summer, there is plenty of room for more boats, so come and join us. Entrants can pay for the series or per race. There is a sailors' briefing at 10.30am each Sunday, with the first race start at approx. 11 am. Parking is free for sailors and the café is open and selling hot snacks and sandwiches; the staff managed to produce the most bacony bacon sandwich we've ever had.

Full race results can be found on the Alton Water Frostbite Results facebook page.

Week 1 Results: (top three in each start this week)