Clubs & Societies
windward legs, both against the tide in the shallows either side if the Solent. A great sailing challenge. Some were quite pleased to see Peter who stuck on a sand spit for a moment. Great fun was to be had tacking close to the shore line, keeping an eye on other competitors and of course the depth of water under the keel. The first two yachts over the finish line were judged not to have crossed the start line so the event was won by Peter Leggett and his crew, closely followed by John Jennings and his. Great controversy! The evening meal at the Island Sailing Club was attended by all the matelots on the week and we were
very pleased to be joined by Martin and Bernie Godfrey, Peter Hetherington and Sarah and of course Brigadier Johnny Walker and Sue. There were awards for bravery, gallantry and fine sailing. The Tony Pendry Cup going to Max Bird and the Navigation Challenge to Dominic Taffs. The week ran extremely smoothly due to the careful, detailed planning by our Secretary, Anthony Frankford, and the high quality skippers and mates on board. Many, many thanks to all.
Graham Nicholls Commodore
2014 Arrow Trophy Report
members. However, it guaranteed us a top four slot and the chance to take on Winchester, Bradfield and Abingdon in the match racing. An evening dinner at RORC watching England go out of the Rugby World Cup was a distinctly unusual way to celebrate a good day’s sailing but our enthusiasm for the challenge ahead was bolstered by the chance to succeed where England had failed! A bright and breezy Sunday morning dawned and we duly set about sailing a round robin against the three other schools. Bradfield and Winchester both have specialist match racing helmsmen but Mark was up to the challenge. Unfortunately our sailing of the boat just wasn’t up to scratch. In match racing it only takes one mistake to lose precious yards and it’s then difficult to win back lost water. We lost to Bradfield and Winchester but beat Abingdon in the round robin. This meant sailing against Abingdon again in the 3rd and 4th place sail off. Winning one race each then meant that it was all to play for in the third and final race. Despite incurring a penalty we created a good lead and attempted our penalty turn around the final upwind mark but unfortunately didn’t have quite enough of a lead to do it successfully. An irate umpire and a lost lead meant going down 1-2 and a 4th place overall to win the Radley Shaker. A top four place in a regatta of this quality is an exceptional result and one that many schools can only dream about. We continue to maintain high standards and continue to give OAs old and young the opportunity to take part in some exciting and challenging yacht racing. We continue to be extremely grateful for the generous donations of Society members which enable us to continue to participate and to assist younger crew members.
Whilst being competitive in the Arrow Trophy requires consistency and the ability to fill key positions, it’s very satisfying to bring new sailors on board and new members to the Alleynian Sailing Society. This year we “blooded” three new Arrow sailors; Bobby Proctor, brother of Jason and a university undergraduate; Ben Tomkins, a Lieutenant Colonel in the army and a committed bowman and Harry Tinker a Boys Sail Training Week regular and undergrad who commuted down from Liverpool. Unlike 2014, there was a steady 15 knots of breeze on the Saturday and we sailed steadily if a little erratically as we felt our way through a succession of spinnaker drops and gybes. Mark Richmond always puts us in contention on the start line but our ability to sail the boat well makes the difference between winning and losing. In a fleet of 22, finishing 4th, 5th, 4th and 2nd was an impressive effort given that we were missing both Charlie Lowe and Conrad Manning, two of the more experienced crew
Alastair Capon (73-80)
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