International 14 Autumn Pint at Itchenor Sailing Club

International 14 Autumn Pint at Itchenor © Robin Nott

Itchenor SC welcomed the i14 for the annual Autumn double header, the Autumn Pint and Autumn Trophy, with 9 boats and 2 races planned each day a keen eye was kept on the forecast with Storm Ashley due to roll in on Sunday.

It was one of the first shakedowns for the fleet since the Worlds in Lake Garda and there were a few mixed combos, World Champion Rob Struckett was sailing with Andy, just a different one (FitzGerald), George Yeoman & Harry Kennedy teamed up again for the first time in a few years and Charlie Duschene had jumped in the front for Dom Van Essen.

International 14 Autumn Pint at Itchenor - photo © Robin Nott

The Autumn Pint kicked off on Saturday with perfect conditions, a shifty 11 knot westerly with a strong incoming tide making a tricky race course. In race 1, Pete Bromley & Hugh Mclean picked up their form from where they left off at the worlds (where they were cruelly impacted by team illness) and won the pin to lead from Andy & Rob, who forced George & Harry off to the right handside. Pete & Hugh and Andy & Rob built a healthy lead up the first beat with a great tussel round lap 1 with Pete & Hugh leading to the bottom only to go right up the next beat which left them chasing the leading pack.

Andy & Rob covered the fleet, but Julian Pearson & Freddie Covell broke out to the left and turned on the boosters as they took about 500m out the leaders in one leg to lead round the 2nd windward, followed by Andy & Rob and George & Harry right on their transom. Julian & Freddie led the fleet across the tight kite reach to the mouth of the harbour masterfully managing the gusts and lulls under Hayling Island, leading the gybe downwind only to find one lull too far and capsized into windward.

International 14 Autumn Pint at Itchenor - photo © Robin Nott

Andy & Rob and George & Harry were neck and neck as they passed the capsized leaders and the excitement was too much for George & Harry as they fell foul of a similar fate and rolled into windward. However, it was not over yet. The wind was dying as the fleet got further down the run, and the now upright Julian & Freddie set about chasing down Andy & Rob and the two got in a match to sink inside one another to lead the gybe. This low VMG mode gave George & Harry a chance to get back in to the race as well twin wiring toward the leading 2.

At the bottom the race committee had shortened the course and at this point the leaders split, Andy & Rob went left to approach on starboard, Julian & Freddie went right and came in hot to squeak back round in to the lead on the line and take the win, with Andy & Rob 2nd and George & Harry in 3rd with only a few boat lengths separating the leading group.

International 14 Autumn Pint at Itchenor - photo © Robin Nott

Race 2 started with lighter breeze, a turning tide and a couple of boats starting on port but it was Robyn & Martin Pascal who came out the blocks fastest and led from the left up the first part of the beat. However in the search for the windward mark, George & Harry were able to identify the lay line best and led round the 1st mark, gybe set out the tide and were able to extend away down the first run. Andy & Rob were 2nd and had to defend hard from first off the Pascalis and then later the ever charging Pete & Hugh.

After successfully (ish) negotiating the harbour traffic for another lap George & Harry turned for home which was a final tight kite reach down the harbour with a nice gap behind them, but Andy & Rob had their hands full with Pete & Hugh relishing the overpowered reaching leg. The two boats changed lanes, high and low, as the band of pressure were balanced against adverse tide and coming into the finish Andy & Rob has successfully managed the leg to take 2nd with Pete & Hugh 3rd, Pascalis 4th. Torquil Morrison also helmed his first 14 race, with his dad Kimball pulling the strings, to come in 5th!

International 14 Autumn Pint at Itchenor - photo © Robin Nott

An early call was made on Sunday's sailing with 45 knots forecast and the fleet voting for kiting / winging over hanging out in the club bar. The fleet also had their AGM which provided some exciting insights in to new initiatives for the year looking to drive new joiners, present the class to a wider audience, attending the dinghy show and preparing for our Centenary year and 2027 Euros!

So, George & Harry won the 2024 Autumn Pint on countback from Andy & Rob with Pete & Hugh in 3rd.

Overall Results:

The final event of the season is the Firecracker hosted by Itchenor SC on 2/3 November. Then we start to hunker down for the winter with the Perry Pot series which will run each Sunday at Itchenor until Christmas.

International 14 Autumn Pint at Itchenor - photo © Robin Nott