Gill Solo class Inland Championship at Grafham Water Sailing Club

Vince Horey reduces his wetted surface area - Gill Solo Inland Championship at Grafham © Will Loy

Day 1

There had been warnings in the run-up to this event, a poorly wife, camera and camera stabiliser breakages and to top it all, the good old Volvo V70 had just developed a troubling power steering issue. Whether that had anything to do with a plastic duct that fell off a day earlier is yet to be determined. Undeterred, I had loaded her up and after giving the deep contoured bonnet a reassuring rub, set off on the 260 mile journey to Grafham Water Sailing Club, arriving 5 hours later after a short stop to check fluid levels.

This could possibly be my last Inlands as I seek to make up lost time with my wife and more importantly my cats and tv, so the event had some significance and defying the mystical powers of action-reaction was a no-brainer. The trip had taken me through intermittent fields of fog and mist and although the worst seemed to evaporate as the Sun rose, the reservoir remained shrouded in a fine vail of grey.

Fortunately, Mike Dray was just pulling off his undercover, the splash of lime pierced through the dullness of the day like the luminescence of a photon blast and so we quickly reached for our sunglasses. The generously large field, which would have once been bursting with Solos is this year three-quarters empty, not a sign of the classes demise, it is stronger than ever, the lack of entry is mainly due to it's positioning in the schedule only two weeks after the Nationals, a hard sell to even the most accommodating partner.

Fortunately the fleet is filled with sailors with either failed relationships or partners keen to get rid of them for two days so close to forty have entered.

Among the hotshots here is Charlie Nunn in his distinctive duck egg blue Goat Solo, it would go great in my bathroom. Martin Honnor has come from 'up North' as has Winder owner/driver Steve Denison, both high quality experts in light wind sailing. Tom Gillard is on for the hat-trick of Inland wins and will be hard to beat, I understand he will be 'playing' in a 470 with super crew Rachel Gray this winter, LA 2028 is an inviting target and with his determination and their combined skill, totally achievable. Also, if lottery funding gets pulled from the sailing sector, they will be on a level playing field with the other hopefuls!

Nigel Davies, NSCA webmaster is handy in the light stuff and is coming here off the back of a win last weekend at Carsington, so similar venue and conditions. If they were race horses we would all be lumping on him... each way to be safe.

Local legend Ian Walters is very handy in all conditions and I always say it takes 6 years to get the best out of a Solo, he bought his in 2018, granted he had one in the 90's but that was three decades ago.

The fleet sat on wooden beer tables which were positioned overlooking the water while the PRO dutifully remained at anchor, his binoculars trained on us as we munched on home made sausage rolls and mugs of tea, surely no club duty officer should have to go through such torture. A glimmer of hope arrived with a lack-lustre 4mph but it had about as much puff as a man's last breath so racing for the day was abandoned. On the bright side, none of the fisherman were landing either so it was just one of those days...I should have read the signs.

The club brought forward the evening meal which would have been enjoyed by those that were staying overnight. Vince Horey was chuffed as he was commuting and though racing was canned at 3pm, was planning to stay until 7pm just to get his 'paid for' Shepherds Pie.

Willie Todd holds the windward advantage - Gill Solo Inland Championship at Grafham - photo © Will Loy

Day 2

The view from my V70 passenger window was one of calm, a wood pigeon sung an uncomplicated riff in the background, the car roof echoing with the sound of light rain and the reservoir surface indicated something resembling a breeze.

It would prove to be a tough day for competitors and race management. Competitors stood idle, most in civvies but a few optimistic souls were race-ready and already perspiring.

I received some secret intel from Steve Watson via the PRO that the fleet will be held ashore under an indefinite AP until some steady breeze arrived, estimated to be in 1 hour according to the weather data platforms. The plan would be to run 2 races in fair conditions, a third or fourth would be a bonus. I was instructed to pass on the info via the Inlands WhatsApp link and within a few seconds the area was filled with the chime of alerts.

Just fifteen minutes later the AP was dropped, PRO Chris Clarke, confident that the storm would avoid the area and the fleet launched into a gentle 5 knots.

Nearby turbines at the leeward end of the race area turned in unison, I estimated one full revolution was equivalent to 10 seconds so handy for those who were without a timepiece.

If there was a meteorologist on the water then they would have a big advantage as clouds of various shapes and intensity, or should I say density rolled over the course. It was a PRO nightmare.

Steve Denison concentrates on keeping the transom from dragging - Gill Solo Inland Championship at Grafham - photo © Will Loy

The fleet assembled, I suggested a Committee bias but multiple Championship winner and defending Champion Tom Gillard started at the pin, albeit tacking on to port immediately on the gun.

The breeze was 6-8 knots or that is what my Ebay Anemometer registered but take it with a pinch of salt.

The walkie-talkie crackled into life with the info that the top mark layer had dropped the top buoy at 789 metres, with a wind direction reading of 225 degrees. Spacer set, windward-leeward course, personally I think the fat guys would have appreciated the extra 11 metres.

The 37 competitors spread down the line, each looking for a nice slot to bare off into before one big righting luff to induce some extra forward motion.

Mike Dray and Ian Walters tacked away from the Committee boat while Gillard, Swain and Denison worked back across from the pin end, the wind oscillating to the rhythm of the turbines. Ede and Honnor were in a pack coming in from the left but with the wind swinging right, Swain would lead into mark 1 from Harry Lucas and Walters with Gillard, Tony Thresher, Neil Wilkinson, Willie Todd (in the distinctive Taxi Winder 5967) and Maria E. Franco top eight.

Like the parting of the Red Sea, the fleet split down the run, Gillard, Horey, Honnor and Ede going one side while Swain took a more Moses route and he held to round the right-hand gate mark while Thresher and Gillard opted for the left gate mark.

The run had been close to 800 metres of tedium, the pressure was down to 4 knots and that was away from the wind shadow 30+ Solo mainsails produce.

The cloud had passed away leaving clear skies but very little breeze. Swain had extended but he must have been praying that the race would not be canned, rounding with a slim lead over a fast charging Andrew Wilde, racing the demo Solo and already planning to get one next season.

Swain went high to protect his air, Wilkinson, Wilde and Gillard progressively deeper and with the bottom mark slowly creeping towards them it was Wilde, with the faintest puff who led through the line from Gillard, Wilkinson and Swain with Honnor completing the top five.

Steve Watson held aloft his anemometer which is a bit of an exaggeration if you saw the length of his arms, the reading of 3 knots was a disappointment but not a surprise. At least it was sunny.

I pondered removal of my offshore Aqua Marine emblazoned jacket, instead opting to save my energy for the consumption of some cake which, from my years in the baking trade, I knew to be heavy with fruit and rich in flavour. The breathability benefits of the Goretex can never be understated when food is at stake. Steve remained fully togged up in some sort of thermal, watertight, airtight top, the internal thermometer must have been close to signalling 'cooked.'

The PRO beckoned us over and after a quick discussion it was agreed to go for Race 2 with the breeze at 210 and 6 knots... somewhere on the course.

Tony Thresher swapped out his wooden Solo for a Winder - Gill Solo Inland Championship at Grafham - photo © Will Loy

Race 2

The course axis was re-aligned as they say in Barcelona and after a wind strength evaluation, race 2 was a go. This would be the pivotal race for the Championship with discards only in play after four races and about as much chance of that as a Spurs treble.

Clear start though the PRO indicated that it had indeed been tight, post race, Martin Honnor asked me if anyone was over so I will assume he was the punchy one. Ex Class President Ede was in a good position with the guilty looking Honnor, Walters and Denison all punching out of the middle of the line before hooking into a nice lefty that pretty much ruined anyone's race if they had gone right.

The downwind was a test of nerves, lady luck and sods law deciding the fate of each competitor.

Gillard sank deep, Ede held a middle lane with Honnor going high. The breeze was negligible but still just about acceptable for races of this importance, taking your car for an MOT or a visit to the dentist almost more inviting If you could find a dentist.

Aboard the Jury/Media rib I detected a heightened sense of interest from Steve Watson, one eye trained on an isolated Solo while, disturbingly, his other remained on the herd. Quietly, stealthily, his little fat but perfectly manicured fingers reached for the little yellow flag that had sat obediently at his side all day, his whistle was already on station between his parched lips and on reflection, I think it was there at breakfast.

The victim, like a little vulnerable fluffy animal, unaware of the peril continued down the run until, like a Crocodile exploding from a stagnant pool of water, Steve launched the rib towards his target, the pitch and volume of the whistle even surprising the whistle itself. The subsequent turns cost Wilde a few places but, like an Antelope with a leg hanging off, he would make it back to the safety of the pack.

Steve Ede looked confident holding the lead and he has done that at the top level plenty of times but not for a while and no easy feat with Gillard, Walters, Honnor and Horey breathing down your neck.

He played the percentages which provided Gillard with some separation up the left and with the breeze increasing to 7 knots, maybe there would be a chance of a third race? Almost as soon as I typed that the wind dropped away and with just the last torturous leg to go, Gillard threw in a few gybes and went slightly high in a last ditch attempt to reduce the deficit. Ede was not playing and took the rhum line to the last mark and then the finish line with Martin Honnor a distant third.

The fleet slowly trickled through the finish line with the breeze tracking around to the left and then dying away to nothing.

Launch time - Gill Solo Inland Championship at Grafham - photo © Will Loy

With 90 mins until cut-off we were now playing a waiting game and after 30 minutes the fleet decided on-mass to drift towards the clubhouse. Steve Watson had instructed the PRO to stay on station until 2.10pm and with that time expired, further races were abandoned.

With my Samsung S5 batteries almost depleted I was as relieved as the sailors but this meant that the 2 races sailed would both count, and with no discards, some of the competitors would be heavily penalised.

So Tom Gillard successfully defended his Inland title and with a brace of twos, showed supreme skill and consistency, albeit over the two races.

Martin Honnor lived up to my pre-event billing, 5-3 beating both Andrew Wilde (1-8) and Steve Ede (9-1) with Ian Walters completing the top five.

Well done to Chris Clarke and team for managing to get two races in, it was close to binning but not every major event can be a windy one!

Thanks to the catering team for nourishing the fleet over the two days and Gill for their generous sponsorship.

Thanks to Steve Watson for his Jury and NSCA decision-making services, hopefully next year, the season will have a more even spread across the calendar so we can maximise attendance.

More photos at www.flickr.com/photos/194924056@N05

Overall Results: