Please select your home edition
Edition
Leaderboard brokerage

Flying Fifteen Open Meeting at Aldeburgh Yacht Club

by Adam Oliver 6 Aug 2024 13:21 BST 3-4 August 2024
Sunset at Aldeburgh Yacht Club © Sebastian Mawson

Aldeburgh Yacht Club were delighted to host their annual Open Meeting with four visitors and ten local boats out of the burgeoning home fleet of sixteen racing Fifteens.

Our first course was a passage race round the cans taking us down river in a south westerly Force 3 in full sun. Start time was 30 minutes before high tide and those choosing the east bank benefitted, putting Justin and Amanda Waples followed by Duncan Matthew crewed by John Chalker out front. Adam and Clare Oliver made third place choosing the same bank.

Our second course was hard fought. Waples/Waples took first, followed by Matthew/Chalker and visitor John Hanson crewed by Philip Snowden.

We headed slightly further down river for a classic windward-leeward in stronger breeze after a shift to the south-east. The committee boat was moored alongside a major eddy, causing huge excitement at the start. Waples/Waples won again, with Matthew/Chalker second and Chris and Emma Sparks third.

Day 2 opened, as expected with a drift but this time up river to the stunning upper reaches of the Alde. The first race could have been anyone's with a very patchy wind. That should not take it away from Stephen Fulford crewed by Archie McEwen for their first, with Matthew/Chalker second and Waples/Waples third.

The sea breeze set in, providing excellent conditions for a tight windward-leeward won by Waples again after a recall. The final race was a passage back to the club line with the whole fleet nicely bunched and plenty of energy in the tank to compete up to the line. Matthew/Chalker prevailed over the Sparks, with Fulford/McEwen third. So overall it was Waples/Waples, then Matthew/Chalker then Fulford/McEwen.

We benefit at Aldeburgh from excellent and ambitious professional management, boatmen and caterers, all of whom accomplished themselves with a big welcome for our visitors. We must also thank Robert Mulcahy - our returning race officer - for his patience and for holding his nerve as we waited for the sea breeze on Sunday.

The Aldeburgh fleet is building, with a number of young faces now regularly racing. We will welcome visitors again to our 2025 event once dates have been set.

Overall Results:

PosBoatSail NoHelmCrewClubR1R2R3R4R5R6Pts
1stSparks & Bubbles4033Justin WaplesAmanda WaplesRCYC11131‑47
2ndTrue Luff3844Duncan MatthewJohn ChalkerAYC‑2222219
3rdRum Punch4055Stephen FulfordFreddie Fulford/Archie McEwanAYC6451‑7319
4thFfast Idiots3764Chris SparkEmma SparkAYC473‑84220
5thSnaffu4094John HansonPhilip SnowdenRYA‑83475625
6thForgetmenot3467Nick BarkerChris BrunsdonAYC557‑93727
7th 4035Tommy WilkinsonAnna WilkinsonAYC‑76646527
8thSweet Polly3826Adam OliverOliver ScottAYC388(RET)8835
9thJust The Tonic3636Gavin MarshallNicky ScottAYC‑1212969945
10thFfido4041Simon CooperAlastair CooperGrafham‑1111115111048
11thHalf Fast3564Oliver ScottJames KempAYC1010‑1211101253
12thFully Focussed3139Jeremy HintonAlex HintonAYC9910(DNC)DNCDNC58
13thNo Half Measures3485George SylversterAlfie Sylvester/Sarah ZinnsAYC‑14141410131162
14thFfirsty Work3695Anthony HintonSimon GerishAYC‑13131312121363

Related Articles

Entries open for Cowes Classics Regatta
NoR published - see you there at the end of May Cowes Classics Regatta, the flagship event of the Royal London Yacht Club in Cowes, in conjunction with the Royal Thames Yacht Club, is delighted to announce that entries have opened, and the Notice of Race has now been published. Posted on 24 Apr
Hyde's new B1 designs win F15 UK Inlands
A close fought battle in varied conditions as the fleet builds towards the World Championship A close fought battle with Hyde's One Design Sales Manager, Ben McGrane, winning crewed by Scott Dawson. Conditions were varied for the weekend with strong winds on Saturday and a more moderate Sunday. Another great result for the new B1 designs! Posted on 9 Apr
2025 P&B Flying Fifteen Inlands at Draycote Water
Sunglasses, woolly hats, cake and some sailing Draycote Water SC has been home to a keen fleet of Flying Fifteens for many years, several of whom are regular travellers on the open and championship circuit - but prior to last weekend the club hadn't hosted a Flying 15 event of its own for some time. Posted on 7 Apr
Cowes Classics free classic car and boat display
Entries now open for car owners for 1st June event Cowes Classics Regatta is delighted to announce the 5th annual Cowes Classics Day, a free community event on The Parade in Cowes, organised by the Royal London Yacht Club. Posted on 5 Apr
Poole Regatta to Host IRC Europeans in 2026
4 days of competitive racing in a spectacular environment The enviable track record Poole has built for hosting unmissable regattas continues in 2026 with the inclusion of the prestigious IRC European Championship as an integral element of racing, alongside multiple class starts. Posted on 1 Apr
Keelboat Endeavour 2025
Sonata class win Robin Judah Trophy in Burnham Joe Cross, Russell Wheeler, Matt Hitt and Tim Lees, representing the Sonata class, won the 2025 edition of the Keelboat Endeavour, hosted by Royal Corinthian Yacht Club, in Burnham on Crouch, Essex, over the weekend of 22nd and 23rd of March. Posted on 25 Mar
Ovington Inland Championships at Grafham
110 sailors spread across 83 boats and 6 classes attended It was great to see over 110 sailors spread across 83 boats and six classes for the Ovington Inland championship. This regatta has become a season opener for our classes over the years and whilst the sun was out, the temperatures stayed down. Posted on 20 Mar
No more excuses
2025 is all about the club sailors, the weekend warriors, the open meeting stalwarts I was wondering if things were going to slow down in sailing after the huge events of 2024, namely the Olympics, America's Cup and Vendée Globe but, if anything, they've speeded up. Posted on 17 Mar
Flying Fifteen Spanish Championship 2025
The fleet welcomes four new crews to the fleet bringing a new strong challenge The Flying 15 Spanish (Balearic) Nationals were held alongside the Snipe and 420 Nationals in Pollenca Bay on the island of Mallorca. Posted on 16 Mar
Volvo Ladies Helm 2025 at RHKYC
Female skippers aboard the 47 boats across seven classe On the International Women's Day on Saturday 8 March, the Club hosted the annual Volvo Ladies Helm Day on Saturday with female skippers aboard the 47 boats across seven classes joining forces to celebrate and recognise women's achievements worldwide. Posted on 10 Mar