West Sussex Schools & Youth Sailing Association Regatta 14th-15th September 2002

Arun Yacht Club and Arun Youth Aqua Centre jointly hosted the West Sussex Schools & Youth Sailing Association Annual Regatta. Five Open Sea Races were organised for the three fleets; Toppers, Slow Handicap and Fast Handicap. Avoiding the Arun River and launching off Littlehampton's East Beach adjacent to the coastguard tower with Marquees for changing the event was blessed with superb conditions and worked extremely well.

With two days of excellent racing in a breezy and shifty North-East wind Race Officer Richard Dobson (AYC) set a long "P" course for the first race which was proved too much for some of the slower boats who did not finish within the time limit. However, Simon Kitchen in his Optimist and Adam Cockerill in his fast lap Laser Radial dominated their fleets, as they were to do all weekend.

A shorter course for Saturday afternoon produced closer racing for races 2 and 3, with the Toppers producing exciting racing throughout the fleet. Low water on arriving back meant a long haul up the beach at the end of a long tiring day for the competitors!

Similar conditions for races 4 and 5 on Sunday livened up when the leading fast handicap assymetrics came through the gate just as the large Topper fleet started. Big wind shifts at the end of race 4 prompted the Race Officer to re-lay the course, but no sooner was race 5 away than the wind reverted to its previous direction, giving a rather lop-sided beat. This did nothing to affect the quick guys, who stayed at the top of their respective fleets.

Thanks to the beach master Terry Hortin and crew who ensured the tally system was enforced and that youngsters avoided the perils of the "road train" running along the beach promenade, the support ladies who ensured the lunches were brought over from AYC and the AYAC team who provided the majority of the safety cover…………….. Nick and Biddy Colbourne obviously could not stay away and brought a Chichester YC RIB to bolster the safety fleet (or was it to look after their Optimists???) thanks! The total entry was sixty-eight, and there were nearly eighty young sailors competing, ably supported by many team managers and parents, who towed the boats in from various parts of the county, helped rig and launch them, and then formed a panel of experts on the beach, not that they could see much this year!!

Race Results