Grand Prix Report - Draycote Water 23/04/2022

Unusually for an ILCA event at Draycote, there was a hive of activity in the race office from the very start of the event as competitors arrived and saw thar the forecasted 20 gusting 30knot wind was probably understated and that the thoughts of their capabilities overstated, so those that could, swapped down from the ILCA 7 to the ILCA 6.

This left a fleet of twenty one ILCA 6 and six ILCA 7s to try their best.

For the morning races the race team, lead by PRO Dave Rowe, set the now traditional outer loop course with reasonably long (1400m) windward/leeward legs with nice length (500m) reaching legs.

This meant that we were able to enjoy the clean air coming from the east and on all four legs of the course tactics were key.

It very quickly became apparent that there were entrants young, strong and talented enough to work with the waves being created across the expanse of water and those that quite simply; weren't.

The 1st race didn’t get off the most auspicious of starts with two boats a little too keen at the start but turned into an epic across the fleet as entrants got to grips with the course and breeze which at points was brutal…. The race was won by George Colquitt from West Kirby SC who gave everyone else a Master Class and winning by a clear 6 boat lengths but behind it was a very different story with true ILCA style elbows out single class racing with Great Grand Masters  competing against Under 16s!

There was a quick turnaround between races and it got away cleanly, but this time George didn’t have it all his own way with Carsington’s Joe Scurrah taking the win followed closely by George Colquitt and Edward Baker.

The fleet then had a well earned lunch: bowls of hot soup for those needing to warm up a bit and probably something more nutritious for the more athletic amongst us.

For the afternoon race, the Race Team set an inverted P course, I mean what could be better than two screaming reaches followed by a dead run in winds gusting mid 30knots? Add into that an even longer beat, oh joy…… and we got to have three laps of this epic.

Many entrants, having called upon the services of the ever present professional Safety RIBs, decided enough was enough the call of Wherry in the bar was too strong and elected to ease their kickers and retire to the bar. Meanwhile at the front George, Ed and Joe continued with trade punches with George winning, Ed 2nd, Joe 4th and Carys Attwell (Rutland) gatecrashing the party with 3rd.

The forth and final race saw only 15 entries,  George with his two wins and a second had secured the Overall win but 2nd place was still to be finalised between Ed and Joe with the victor taking the 2nd step of the podium, this eventually turned out to be Ed.