Around eighty young sailors spent the day racing in teams against each other at Maidenhead Sailing Club on 2nd July.   This was the third time the Thames Team Racing Challenge event has been run.  Teams from Black Swan Sailing Club, Goring on Thames SC, Maidenhead SC, Claires Court School, Abingdon School were joined by teams from Upper Thames Sailing Club, and Queen Mary Sailing Club.

In total twelve teams of six competed against each other during a day of almost continuous racing, in sunny testing light wind conditions.

Racers found the light wind very tricky, giving the race team some difficult decisions.  For many racers, this was the first time they had team raced and for some junior racers it was the first time they had raced. The race format sets a team of 6 sailors in three boats against another team so that each race has six boats in it. Twenty-four races were sailed in this way.

Maidenhead soon found itself in battle with local rivals Black Swan who sail similar Thames Valley waters. Upper Thames also showed off their light wind canniness with all three clubs finishing well.

Raphael Conte of Maidenhead, one of the youngest competitors, described the racing as “the best day”. Karen Smailes of Black Swan said “..a fantastic day. The kids thoroughly enjoyed themselves ..” and Mrs Keenlyside, also from Black Swan said “They’ve loved it. Each Race they’ve come back running across saying: When are we going back out?”

Live result reporting made the event easy to understand for spectators and competitors alike with marshals and the race management team making sure that everybody knew which boats they had to be in for each race.

The event was sailed in RS Fevas, a class of racing dinghy supported by the RYA Youth Development programme. RS Sailing generously supported the event by loaning three new boats.

Results

(1) Maidenhead ‘A’
(2) Black Swan ‘A’
(3) Upper Thames ‘A’
(4) Maidenhead ‘B’