RS200s at the Waldringfield Easter Egg

RS200s at the Waldringfield Easter Egg © Alexis Smith

RS200s at the Waldringfield Easter Egg © Alexis Smith

With the ease in lockdown restrictions coming in to play, Waldringfield SC were able to run their annual Easter Egg event over Good Friday and Easter Saturday. A cracking turnout of seventeen RS200s took part, all WSC boats, as the Club had sensibly decided that running an Open event was not an option.

Good Friday arrived cold, grey and blustery with 16-18 knots of breeze, and the prospect of 2 x back-to-back races over a rising tide. Race Officer Geoff Sinton set a "M" shaped course, using all of the available space upriver from the Clubhouse... the course also benefited from a lack of moored yachts parked on the race track! Race 1 got away cleanly and it soon became apparent that the Videlo brothers - Stephen & Chris (1447) - were on excellent form, pulling out an impressive lead to take the win from Uni Students Archie Penn & Alex Bell-Jones (1179) and Ed Harris & Archie Goodhead (1340).

Race 2 saw a slight increase in the breeze, producing some exhilarating downwind legs. Several teams found they were badly out of practice when it came to gybing and tested the temperature of the Deben, sometimes multiple times! Uni students Harry Chatterton & Tim Crossley (1673) were faultless with their downwind boat handling and tactics to win from the Vid brothers, with Penn/Bell-Jones in 3rd. While the teens and twentysomethings were locked in battle at the front, a little further back there was equally tight racing between the Fifty-something helms, with Andrew & Daisy Nunn (1182) and Tom & Char Stewart (1350) locked in combat - some serious aches and pains were felt that evening!

Easter Saturday was rather more welcoming with a slightly warmer temperature and slightly less breeze than the day before. With a similar course set as Friday, Alan Krailing & Isobel Stewart (1576) found their form and led for a couple of laps but ultimately the Videlo brothers proved unstoppable and took Race 3, and with it the overall win with a race to spare. A consistent performance from Tom & Char Stewart saw them take 3rd, to move them up the leaderboard.

Race 4 was a much lighter affair, and with the overall winners already decided it was all down to the wire to see who could grab 2nd overall. Tom & Char Stewart nailed the pin at the start and led for most of the race, until a navigational error took them to the wrong leeward mark, losing them several places. Ed Harris & Archie Goodhead seized the opportunity and grabbed the win from Ian & Alyson Videlo, who were finding the lighter conditions much more to their liking. This gave 2nd overall to Ed & Archie on countback from Harry Chatterton, (now sailing with sister Faye) who finished 3rd overall.

So it was great to see such an encouraging turnout for the first competitive racing of 2021 at Waldringfield SC, which has become one of the fastest-growing RS200 fleets in the country. All credit to the Race Management Team, Safety Team and the COVID Committee at WSC for running a highly professional event in a safe environment.

Overall Results: