Fireball Fleet take the Trophy from the Youth and Juniors                     21 June 2009

There was close competition at Draycote Water Sailing Club’s third Inter-Fleet Championships where the question was could any of the other five fleets take the OnBoard Trophy from the club’s talented Youth & Junior fleet who had been victorious in both previous years? More than 100 club members took part during the day racing in 6 Laser Vagos, 6 Fireflys or 6 Picos in a 6 to 10 knot west / north-westerly breeze which was more to the liking of the senior fleets than the light winds of earlier events.

Continuous racing from 11.00am until 4.00pm with a short break for lunch enabled a record 39 races to be held with no discards and a running scoreboard showing the cumulative positions. However a protest in race 28 going to the mediation panel added to the suspense and the winners were only announced at the prize giving. After a strong surge in the latter stages the Fireball fleet had done enough to overhaul the Youth &Juniors taking the OnBoard Cup with 117 points compared with their 121.5 points, with the Solos in third on 135 points followed by the Menagerie, Miracle and Flying Fifteens fleets.

The Inter-Fleet Championship was held in place of the usual club Sunday racing and was combined with a day of family entertainment both on and off the water including a stilt-walking juggler, a circus skills workshop, a face painter, junior and tiny tots fun runs, have a go sailing and windsurf sessions and catapulted water bombs.

The fleets wore coloured bibs and had a minimum of 10 sailors but no maximum enabling anyone to jump in and have a sail on the day. The 10 minute races were held near to the shore and so from the start of the day there was ‘lots interest’ in the close racing and much encouragement from the club’s patio. With slick change-overs and only 3 minute start sequences there was always some racing and an occasional capsize to watch.

Malcolm Lewin the event co-ordinator commented: ‘Today’s format once again proved very popular and attracted a huge number of people to the club giving an opportunity for friends and families to come along and enjoy the club’s facilities and entertainment; it was a good opportunity for club members to mingle with all the other fleets and enjoy some friendly, fun rivalry’. 

Once again the event was generously sponsored by Draycote Water’s own sailing and windsurf chandlery OnBoard and local dinghy repair specialist Branfibre with grateful support from Rugby School and Warwick University who supplied the Vagos and Fireflys for the day.

Great interest was shown in the sailing and windsurfing joy rides. The club runs training for all ages and abilities and can be contacted on 01788 811153 or visit www.draycotewater.co.uk and windsurfing tuition is available from OnBoard on 01788 816777 or www.onboardsurfandsail.co.uk

Many thanks to the organisers and their helpers