IOCA Winter Championships 6 Dec 2009

A few of our hardy Otters braved the elements and entered the IOCA Winter Championship National Event at Datchet Water the weekend of the 28th/29th November. There were just under 200 entrants from all over the country, the Saturday results determining Gold and Silver flights for the Sunday races.

I was not there but reports of the conditions, especially on the Saturday, were not good. Only about half the fleet sailed on the Saturday with bitter winds blowing up in the 30 knot mark making even launching difficult and James has the bent rudder pintles to prove it!

Thomas Johnson, Hamish Eckstein and James Hutton-Penman all made Gold Fleet for the Sunday and all three sailed a very good regatta. Final positons were James 23rd, Thomas 33rd and Hamish 63rd.

Performance of the weekend though, given everything, was young Arthur Brown who came 4th in Silver Fleet. That in itself a great result; however he sailed and finished all three races on the Saturday in horrible conditions, one of the few in Silver Fleet to do that.

Other Otters competing included Sterling and Chay Taylor who finished 25th and 43rd respectively in Silver Fleet (their positions affected by going shopping rather than sailing on Saturday – I will reserve my thoughts boys for next year’s prize giving, so be prepared!)

Well done guys, good results and the fact we have Otters so high up in both fleets, which are full National Events of a very competitive class, is a credit to you.

Happy Christmas and a healthy New Year to all.