Falmouth Championships

SUNBEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS, JUNE 2009

Three Solent Division boats, Mystery (Viv and Anna Williams and Simon Willbourn), Danny (Roger and Jacky Wickens) and Penny (Julian Money with Richard and Sarah Pearson), were trailed down to join a dozen local boats to celebrate the Falmouth 85th Championships.

Danny winning comfortably
Danny, Roger and Jacky Wickens, Winning the Championships (Photo Ian & Sue Kay )

The programme at Falmouth included normal evening sailing on Friday, a 6 race series over Saturday, Sunday for the Championships, a working boat experince on Monday and team racing on Tuesday.

We were blessed with just about perfect conditions for racing, never over force 4 and never less than 3.
Falmouth Bay and Falmouth Harbour were beautiful.

As well as the full and quite demanding racing programme livers were tested with dinner at the Royal Cornwall on the Friday, a barbque kindly provided at Ray and Jane's home on the Saturday, a party over at Commodore Bomber Holm's house at St Mawes on the Sunday, Flushing Sailing club pasties on the Monday and a full blown prize giving dinner back at the Royal Cornwall for a Tuesday night prizegiving.

Roger Graffy and his staff provided a warm welcome at Mylor.We were not only able to enjoy the company of those currently racing but the parties provide opportunities to meet many old friends, such as Dougie Chaffin, Brian Crockford, Jerome and Liz O'Hea, David and Mary Bevan-Thomas and Peter and Janey Clementson. Once a Sunbeamer.......

Ray and Jane Stedman were perfect hosts, quietly organising probably the best ever visit from the Itchenor Division.

Falmouth Start

Ian Kay Writes

To help celebrate 85 years of Sunbeam sailing in Falmouth, three intrepid Itchenor boats, Danny, Penny and Mystery made the long way down by road to Cornwall.

With the efficient support of Mylor Harbour all three boats were quickly launched, and there then followed a period of head scratching as everyone tried to remember how to rig the Kitty gear on their boats.

The Itchenor boats joined in with Friday evening’s club racing to ease nerves and get familiar again with the black art of handling the Kitty gear.

Saturday dawned bright, if a little chilly with a reasonably constant 3 to 4 breeze. Three windward-leeward races were sailed in the bay outside the harbour; there then followed a spectacular display of Sunbeam sailing by Danny with three first’s in a row. This gave her an unassailable lead in the championship that was never challenged over the rest of the event.

Sadly not all the Itchenor fleet had such a good first day and Penny caught a runner round a spreader on the second race which immediately broke the mast bracket.

However, with the aid of Mylor, ‘Team Itchenor’ found a bracket on an old broken mast, removed it, and replaced the damaged one. A feat of luck and determination in itself, but this was all achieved on a ladder with the mast still up.

Falmouth Misty Morning
Photo Ian & Sue Kay

Competitors were greeted on Sunday morning with heavy sea mist seriously reducing visibility and forcing the first two races to be run in the harbour.

The previous day’s effort to repair Penny’s mast was rewarded when she took first place in the first race by a clear margin, surely a fairy tale result.

Danny did not have things her own way, but still managed two third’s giving her the Championship.

A ‘friendly’ series of three team races was arranged for the following Tuesday between the two fleets. Falmouth boats were short of crew so Itchenor sailors were pressed to help out. Itchenor emerged as the winner in a good natured fun days racing in perfect conditions. Rumours of the pressed Itchenor crews trailing buckets on ropes were found to be completely unfounded.

Thanks must go to our friends in Falmouth for their kindness and hospitality which made the event so memorable for everyone. No doubt they are already planning to return to Itchenor for our 90th celebration to get revenge; they will be made most welcome, we hope we can come close to giving them as good an event.

Ian Kay

Falmouth Mark Rounding