Results / Crewsaver End of Season Datchet Water SC - 09/11/2013

I’ve only sailed at Datchet once before – Lark Inlands 1984, nearly 30 years ago, before the days of X-Box, tablets and social media. My main recollection is of my crew calling Mark Rushall a ‘tw*t’*. Mark had tacked under our lee up one of the beats and my crew gave it both barrels. That is Mark Rushall, sailing legend and, if I remember correctly, fresh back from 2nd place at the Fireball Worlds. On second thoughts it might have been ‘to**er’**. Ever the gentleman, Mr Rushall apologised profusely, I would not like to say at this remove whether any rule had actually been broken, and all was (almost) forgotten.

Just as I started to berate my crew for the use of such profane language a 747, freshly taken off from Heathrow, happened by and all was lost in the deluge of noise. If only it had taken off 30 seconds earlier, red faces would have been saved all round.

Also etched in my memory is the colour of Mark’s boat – decks the colour of coffee that thankfully never caught on. They were the colour of that bathroom suite you always find in the first house you buy and the first thing you replace, along with the carpet that looks like its come from an Indian restaurant and the kitchen cabinets with plastic doors. And the 1970s fireplace.

So back to the present and there I was happily reminiscing on the way to Datchet with a soundtrack of the same era (Squeeze’s Greatest Hits if you must know) and hoping that the forecast hadn’t put too many people off. 1984 was also before the days of windguru and reliable forecasts so people just turned up for an event and took what came. Actually we’re still before the days of reliable forecasts, or guesses as I like call them, so it was good to see a reasonable size fleet turn up to this event.

Saturday morning was horribly wet and virtually windless so there was a lengthy postponement to wait for more propitious conditions. It might not have been Love Circles but the small breeze was certainly showing those tendencies as we started race 1. Actually, most of us started but Marcus Flint was unfortunately OCS, was he using an Hourglass for the countdown? It was anyone’s guess who would come out on top after the crawl up the first beat but eventually it was Tim Keen coming in from the right ahead of Steve Bolland picking up a useful lift from the M4 on the left. Positions remained the same for the remainder of the one lap race with Don ‘The Godfather’ Skinner drifting in to 3rd place ahead of John Moore.

Race 2 was run in very slightly more breeze but it could hardly have been riveting entertainment ashore. This time Bolland took the gun from Harry McVicar who just needed any sort of breeze to have filled in on the final run to have got through. Mark Riddington took 3rd and Keen 4th.

Overnight you will be relieved to learn that there was no Slap And Tickle, not where I was staying at least. I could have done with some Black Coffee in Bed come Sunday morning but it was up and about for a 10am start. It was definitely Cool For Cats, though, with the increased wind giving a distinct autumnal chill to the air.

Race 3 and Bolland again showed the way home to McVicar with Keen and Riddington again finishing off the top spots.

McVicar looked like he was going to go one better in race 4 but getting caught up with the Fevas, with whom we were sharing a course, at the leeward mark really left him Up The Junction. This left Bolland to take the win from Keen, Pete Ellis and Skinner.

Race 5, what looked like a port-biased line, me the furthest boat towards the pin end, then a 40 degree right-side shift as the beat progressed. This felt like Another Nail In My Heart. Discussions on Saturday night had revealed that Skinner doesn’t drink and doesn’t know the offside rule so definitely not one to be trusted. He does know the way up a beat though and the Godfather came in from hard right to lead the fleet. I doubt very much it will be the Last Time Forever he does this.

I had somehow managed to wriggle my way up to 2nd and was Tempted to go to windward of him down the second reach. Sanity prevailed, however, and while Skinner was attempting to frighten the kids in the Fevas up the second beat both Bolland and Keen managed to slip by. Bolland pulled clear on a gust on the run and it was a case of Goodbye Girl. Behind Bolland at the finish it was Keen, Skinner and Riddington.

The final race saw the fleet headed by four boats from Aldenham SC at the first mark. Is That Love I wondered. Ellis had pulled out a huge lead and he seemed certain to take the win. Trust Me To Open My Mouth as it was a case of Take Me I’m Yours as he allowed McVicar to come through. At the finish it was McVicar, Ellis, Keen and Riddington.

While the rest of us packed up and made ready to depart, John Moore launched again to take part in the afternoon club races. There’s clearly No Place Like Home for some.

Next event is the postponed Winters at Aldenham in early December. With an exceptional turnout from Aldenham boats this weekend the Winters should be a well-attended event.