Etchells Saida Cup Regatta 2024 at the Royal Thames Yacht Club
by UK Etchells Fleet 16 Jun 15:18 BST
8-9 June 2024
Etchells Saida Cup Regatta © Mark Wayte-Smith
Saturday was looking like champagne sailing conditions until the hints of a sea breeze swung the
wind left and led to postponement while the race committee battled the shifts and relaid the course.
All of Saturday was raced under U flag with most boats still pushing the line hard, which managed to
catch out 2 boats in the first start. A tidal change during the day, shifting to wind vs tide caused
bumpy chop that was challenging to maintain speed through when the wind was down, with plenty
of gear changes occurring.
The weather conditions were forecast similarly for Sunday but this time the sea really breeze
wreaked havoc. The second race was in particular a challenge, with 60 degree wind shifts every other
minute up the first beat. Ziggy managed to get the best of the first after heading out right and led
round the windward mark very comfortably.
The last 100m of the race was interrupted by a 180
degree wind shift, leading to gybes and dropping kites to head upwind to the finish; this caused
boats to jump and drop places like flies.
Beyond this the wind behaved, no tidal change during the
racing meant a flat and calm sea.
Regatta winner was Chris Hampton on Tango. David Bromilow was first Corinthian and first Youth Boat.
Huge thanks to the PRO Phil Hagan and the Royal Thames Yacht Club race committee, who managed
to fit in an entire series in challenging conditions.
Overall Results:
| Pos | Sail No | Boat | Team | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | Pts |
|---|
| 1 | AUS 1466 | Tango | Chris Hampton / Sam Haines / Charlie Cumbley | 1 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 |
| 2 | GBR 1271 | Ziggy (Corinthian) (Youth) | David Bromilow / Will Martin / Henry Heathcote / Oscar Cawthorne | 6 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 15 |
| 3 | GBR 1459 | Exabyte | Shaun Frohlich / James Hemmingway / Duncan Truswell | 4 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 17 |
| 4 | GBR 1495 | Louise Racing (Youth) | Tom Hough / Isaac Lines / Dan Harris / Killian Boag | 3 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 3 | 7 | 22 |
| 5 | GBR 957 | Alison (Corinthian) (Youth) | Harry Cowell / Ted Blowers / Will Birch Tomlinson / Steph Small | 2 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 22 |
| 6 | GBR 1460 | Man's Best Friend | Quentin Bes‑Green / Paul Blowers (Sat) / David Tydeman (Sun) / Ed Salter | 5 | 2 | 4 | 13 | 8 | 5 | 24 |
| 7 | GBR 782 | Pulse (Corinthian) (Youth) | Maisie Harkess / Lia Horne / AJ Luxton / Kt Byne / Alicia Biggs | 8 | 4 | 11 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 35 |
| 8 | GBR 927 | Shamal (Corinthian) (Youth) | Owen Colbern / Charlie Cooper / Max Bradley / Becky Caiger | 9 | 9 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 38 |
| 9 | GBR 1148 | Ariel (Corinthian) (Youth) | Ross Bannam / Charlie Dodd / Ross Southwell / Alice Senior | UFD | 11 | 9 | 5 | 10 | 6 | 41 |
| 10 | HKG 1407 | Astrid (Youth) | James Oxenham / Kate Robertson / Thomas Lee / Kelly Hilier | 10 | 12 | 3 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 43 |
| 11 | GBR 1439 | Rocketman (Corinthian) | Rob Goddard / Dylan Collingbourne / Adrian Padro | 7 | 10 | 6 | 11 | 13 | 11 | 45 |
| 12 | GBR 1014 | Palaver (Corinthian) (Youth) | Azat Ulutas / Seun Williams / Jessye Opoku‑Ware / Max Guiguet‑Belcher | DSQ | 13 | 13 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 50 |
| 13 | GBR 1194 | Mano (Corinthian) (Youth) | Sam Barnes‑Thornton / Harry Blythe / Benedict Brown / Nicholas Oldroyd | UFD | 7 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 56 |