Event Report - Typhoon Trophy 2021 - Full Report

Last weekend there were lots of 29er sailors happy to be making the trip to Grafham Water for the 2021 Typhoon Trophy. This was the first major event since lockdown ended and 34 boats turned out for the weekend.

Saturday was a lovely summer’s day but sadly not much wind for sailing. The racing was postponed by 3 hours, giving plenty of time for sailors to practice their rugby and football skills whilst the adults topped up on tea and coffee and made the most of the sunshine.

We were all relieved to see the D flag go up and get on the water. After a drift to the start area the wind filled in as predicted and the first race got underway. The wind was shifty and patchy all afternoon and linking up the pressure was challenging, making it easy to make large gains or losses.

The committee boat also had a challenging time with a big wind shift at the start of the second race resulting in the race being abandoned with 1 minute to go! The course was quickly reset and racing resumed. With the conditions as they were, light and shifty, the starts where an integral part of the race. We found as a pair that the race was pretty much won or lost on the starts meaning you had to be on your toes and be ready to nail the start. However some of the pairings managed to find small gains in pockets of wind, this made for exciting racing as nobody was ever too far away from the next position change.

Despite the tricky conditions the race committee managed to get race 2 and 3 completed. However with the wind dying and the clock ticking a decision was made to finish for the day. Large wind shifts and variable wind strength made it extremely difficult for the race committee who did a great job to get 3 races in on Saturday.

Nick Evans and Sam Webb (2788) did a fantastic job with 2 wins in the first 2 races, followed by a 6th, which put them in the top spot and first Junior team. Tom Storey and Ben Willett (2982) sailed 3 consistent races, with a 2nd, 5th and 4th, giving them second position. Emily Mueller and Florence Brellisford (2743) were the top girls with 10th, 3rd and 1st, which secured them third place overall.  Fourth and fifth positions were hotly contested, with both boats on 18 points. Sam Cox and Will de Jaeger (2121) narrowly beating Leo Wilkinson and Sam Jones (2966). Sixth position and 2nd female team went to Sian Talbot and Madeline Bristow (2753), helped by their excellent 2nd place in the 3rd race. Third girls and tenth overall were Emma Hutchings and Amelie Curtis (3007). First mixed was Issy Leetch and Solomon Wilby (2292) at ninth with second mixed Monique Vennis-Ozanne and Jack Lewis and third mixed Tom Stratton-Brown and Eliza South (1220).

The race committee made an early call on Sunday to cancel racing with the winds remaining around 2 knots all morning and no sign that it would pick up.  Although we were disappointed not to be going sailing it was good to have an early decision and meant we could all pack up and head home in good time. Despite the lack of wind it was a really enjoyable weekend, with lots of sunshine and ice cream, and a relaxed reintroduction to racing.

Thanks are due to everyone involved for a great event, including our hosts, Grafham Water Sailing Club; Typhoon for their sponsorship and prizes; the Class Association, Race Committee and support staff for a well run event, despite the lack of wind; and all the sailors (and their support crew) for making the most of the challenging conditions.

Click here to view photos from today's racing on Grafham Water SC's website.

By Sam Cox and Will De Jaeger