Snowflake 2025 Concludes in Chilly Sunshine
Published 18:51 on 16 Mar 2025
The Chichester Yacht Club Snowflake Race 7 & 8 took place under ideal yet brisk winter sailing conditions. A fresh north-easterly breeze of 10 to 18 knots swept across the water, bringing with it a biting chill. However, the bright, cloudless sky provided a welcome contrast, making for an excellent day of racing.
Race Officer Steve Kelsall set a trapezoidal course, with the committee boat positioned just off the entrance to Birdham Pool and the windward mark placed between the marina and Copperas. The high-pressure system appeared to have delayed the rising tide, prompting the race officer to postpone the start while patrol boats ensured there was sufficient depth for all boats to safely complete the course.
Once underway, the first race began cleanly, with only one boat over the line early. The offending crew quickly returned behind the start and rejoined the race without issue. The RS400 fleet found the conditions well-suited to their asymmetric spinnakers, enjoying some exhilarating reaching legs that allowed them to plane across the course at speed. Meanwhile, the Merlin Rockets relished the tight competition, with one lead boat opting to perform a 360-degree turn to rejoin the downwind leg alongside its closest rivals.
Throughout the races, several capsizes were witnessed, but all sailors recovered swiftly without outside assistance. Some competitors even remarked that the water was not as cold as they had anticipated.
The fleet was divided into Fast and Medium classes, each with 12 boats, while a lone Mirror, the only representative in the Slow Fleet, opted to start alongside the Medium Fleet. Despite this, the Mirror sailed an impressive race, and on corrected handicap time, would have claimed victory in the first race.
In the Fast Fleet, Tim Saxton and Holly McArthur took victory in Race 7 aboard their Merlin Rocket, closely followed by Christian Birrell and Sam Brearey. The second race saw Birrell and Brearey reverse the positions, securing the win in Race 8. The competition among the Merlin Rockets remained fierce, with Chris Gould and his crew also achieving strong results.
The Medium Fleet saw excellent performances from the 2000 class boats, with Rob and Gemma Burridge taking the win in both races. The 2000 fleet was closely contested, with strong showings from Bill Dawber and Claire power and from Iain and Sarah Yardley, as well as good results from James Gerwat in his Supernova and Alex Butler in his Solo.
The Chichester Yacht Club's Snowflake Series concluded with strong performances across both the Fast and Medium Fleets. In the Fast Fleet, Chris Gould and Livvy Bell/Sophie Mackley, sailing a Merlin-Rocket (3803), secured first place with a consistent set of top finishes, counting just six points after discards. Tim Saxton and Holly McArthur, also in a Merlin-Rocket (3807), finished second with ten points, followed by George Yeoman and his crew in another Merlin-Rocket (3777), who took third place with 23 points. The fleet saw competitive racing, with Richard Sharp in a Finn and Matt Johnston in a Phantom rounding out the top five.
The Medium Fleet was dominated by Rob and Gemma Burridge in a 2000 (2458), who claimed first place with a total of just five points after discards. Alex Butler in a Solo (5781) finished second with 13 points, followed closely by Iain and Sarah Yardley in another 2000 (2204), who placed third with 16.5 points. The GP14 of Nicholas and Biddy Colbourne and James Gerwat in a Supernova completed the top five in this category. The series showcased a range of dinghies and close competition, with multiple classes performing well under the PY rating system.
The Slow fleet was won by Ted and Ian Dobson in their Mirror with a perfect score of 4 points after discards.
