Race Report 26th September 2026
OOD: Leona Shepherd/Andy Ross
South Bank Safety Boat: Chris SBSC & Lennart SGSC
Weather: Sunny, with fresh Southerly winds gusting from 15-20mph
Course: A – 80th Anniversary Celebration Race
Start: 14.45 HWKB:16.03 Wind Sth 10-20mph
8 boats launched: 5 from Strand on the Green Sailing Club – with Patrick Lane-Spollen in Ellie (Laser); Chris Greenwood and Felicia Biekarck in Distant Thunder (Leader); Tamir Gottfried in Tango (Solo); James Armitage and Xanthi/Keiran Biekarck in Zephyr (Enterprise); Rob Adams and Von in Big Polly (Enterprise). Our 3 guest boats were Alex from Ranalagh SC, in Snapper (laser); Eric Morgan and Ellie Osborne from South Bank SC, in Faith (GP14); Olivier Benech, South Bank SC, on Super Nova aka Fulham Pier (laser).
After a few last minute issues with the SGSC safety boat, notably its failure to start, the marker buoys were rapidly transferred to the SBSC safety boat, skippered by Chris, who was joined by Lenny. The race start was delayed by 15mins while the buoys were deployed (in hindsight slightly far apart) and all 8 boats were circling ready for the delayed start at 14.45.
As a (almost) founding member of the club we were honoured to have Paul Williamson sound the starting horn demonstrating his 79yrs & 6months of SGSC experience 😊.
With 8 boats vying for the best position and a gusty, southerly wind, the start was very tight. Distant Thunder immediately took an honourable penalty returning to the start, having been just overline as the gun was fired. Thereafter the race settled into a predictable rhythm. Thanks to the gusty winds Alex on Snapper was able to demonstrate his agility and skill by re-righting his laser on several occasions!
The Spring tide rising rapidly, the gusty winds and the quirky wind gullies of an A course made the downstream section particularly challenging. In the meantime James & Xanthi/Kieran on Zephyr maintained an early lead despite Alex, on Snapper, being a strong competitor throughout the race.
The lead boat, Zephyr, crossed the finish line after 4 laps (56mins 13s). Snapper also completed 4 laps (1h 4mins 53s). Distant Thunder, Tango and Big Polly completed 3 laps each. SuperNova/Fulham Pier, Faith and Ellie eventually escaped the downstream challenges, each completing 1 lap. Despite the course complexities everyone said they had really enjoyed the sailing, the race and the camaraderie. After handicaps, the ranking was Zephyr (1st), Snapper (2nd), Distant Thunder (3rd ) Tango (4th), Big Polly (5th), SuperNova/Fulham Pier (6th), Faith (7th), Ellie (8th).
Back at the club we were honoured to be joined by founding member Martha Armitage, some social members, as well as a number of young, hopefully future sailors.
Compliments and much gratitude go to Mary Short who had masterminded (with Chris’s pre-race assistance) a fabulous BBQ and Keith who, though unable to join us, sportingly provided a delicious and much appreciated soup. Felicia handed out the awards for the first 3 boats and everyone promised to come back again next year. Many thanks also to the pre-start cake baker (?).
Great photos by Andy are already posted to the SGSC WhatsApp group.
Leona & Andy (OODs)