We’re looking forward to welcoming you all to Upper Thames this weekend.  Saturday’s races count towards the De May series for the vintage boats, but all boats are welcome to compete for the lovely Spade Oak Bowl.  Sunday is a river ST and Thames series day with the Allen Challenge Cup up for grabs.

Three races are planned for each day, starting at 11.00am and following the success of having an on-the-water judge last season at Hampton, we’re following this lead over the weekend with an RYA Umpire on the water on Sunday.

On Saturday evening there’s an early supper at 6.30pm, which leaves plenty of time for drinking afterwards in the bar.  Free camping is also available in ‘Sin City’ adjacent to the club and the galley will be open throughout the weekend.

To help the galley prepare, it would be a great help if you’d let us know in advance if you’d like to join us on Saturday evening.  Thanks.

Great to hear there are going to be judges on the water!! Hopefully there will be no rock and roll going on as a result!

Me and my crew are planning on being there for dinner on the saturday night!

We will be there both days but sadly we have a wedding also so will have to miss the evening frivolities.

It'll be great to have you with us.  After the comments following BEW we decided having a judge was the best way forward, but if the forecast is correct, it's unlikely there'll be any rocking and rolling.... but the yellow flag is ready and waiting for any offenders!

Looks like we're in for a fair breeze if the forecast is right!

Are there any results ?

I do, strangely enough know the answer to some of this one:

Saturday - Spade Oak bowl won by John and Katy Meadowcroft in Hakuna Matata, not too sure who was second, I think Mike Stephens sailing with Judy, and then Alex Jones and Jack Deung (I think - could have the crew wrong here).

The Vintage section of Saturday was won by Mike and Judy, with Pat and Jilly Blake in second and Martin and Jack Hunter in third.

Silver Tiller on Sunday - 19 boats, won by Fran (me!?) and Chris Dowhnam, second was Mike Stephens with Jodok Gerber, third Pat and Jilly Blake now in Why Ask rather than their Vintage one, fourth Andy and Phil Dalby, 5th....not too sure probably Alex Jones now definitely with Jack Deung or Alan and Alice Markham - both in the mix a lot.

A lovely days sailing, plenty of wind almost all of the time.  Shifty up down beat run courses.

Fran

Saturday is correct, Mike was second and also Martin Hunter with his son crewing was 4th.  Jack was crewing for me.

Sunday, I never actually checked my result in the end but I believe I was 5th.

Was a great weekend with some of the most consistent wind I have ever come across on the river at times...  Thanks go to everyone at Upper Thames for organising...

Thanks Fran for the post and to everyone who came to the open meeting.  A good turn-out on Saturday with 16 entries for the De May, 19 for the Spade Oak Bowl and 18 on Sunday for the Silver Tiller.

Second place on Saturday’s Spade Oak Bowl did go to Mike Stephens and Judy Fu and very embarrassingly, I got the third and fourth place for the ST wrong at prize giving yesterday.


The full results for the ST will be available shortly, but in the meantime, the results for the top ten places were...

1st   Fran Gifford and Chris Downham - Hot Totty.
2nd  Mike Stephens and Jodok Gerber - Flinkidink
3rd   Andy and Phil Dalby - General Lee
4th   Pat and Jilly Blake - Why Ask
5th   Alex Jones and Jack Deung - Make It So
6th   Alan and Alice Markham - Summit Fever
7th   Martin and Jacques Hunter - Quiver
8th   John and Kay Meadowcroft - Hakuna Matata
9th   John Bell and Chris Parker - Time Zulu
10th Laurie Smart and Vanessa Pilon - Tiercel

Apologies once again to Andy and Pat for getting their results the wrong way round.

You were sailing in a different wind to me on Saturday then Alex!! Mine was all over the place. Jo broke in the first race too which did not help and was partially why we were not there on Sunday among other things. You clearly had a good weekend though, well done. And well done to Fran & Chris too, if it was anything like Saturday it was quite a challenge.

Dear Fran, you won't have such an easy ride at Tamesis on October 14th...

Actually she didn't have an easy ride at Upper Thames Andrew! Fran did very well but only managed to win one race, my boat seemed to be the only consistent one near the top getting three 3rds...  but in every race there were different boats in front of me...

Seems the Make it So's were the boat to have this weekend! Both were going very fast on Saturday!

Not a problem Richard. Thanks for a lovely sail. The best lady won - she's going like a rocket in her new ship isn't she!

Your very welcome Andy. Thanks for coming.  I think with Fran having sailed quite a lot at UTSC in recent years, her local knowledge helped, especially in the final race.

Email quote from Antony who's been following this thread

"So:

Alex thinks you were inconsistent.
Jez thinks you had the wrong boat and that results prove a Make it So would have been better
Andy does not realise we own the boat together – and I am not sure if ‘The best lady won’ means he accepts you were better than the rest of them or that there were men better that did not win.
Richard P thinks you relied on local knowledge….. 

I am still resisting posting anything…………"

Funny old world.  I had a nice time.

Fran

You just posted didn't you? :-P  I was meerly pointing out that we didn't give you an easy time and let you run away with it hence the close finishes and the constant place changing going on at the front...

But despite us trying our hardest to stop you, you managed to pull it off so well done! :-)  Still a few more silver tillers this season to add to your collection!

Thats another thread really, but I would be very interested to see really how quick the Make it So's are in the hands of a top helmsman/woman.

Fran,
You missed out AH who thinks you only won because he wasn't there......

And having to deal with me!

Well done Fran.

And finally:

Thanks Deepy for carrying me.  You're amazing.
Thanks AH (and WP) for not turning up (!?) unfortunately I'm not able to do battle at Tammy.
Thanks Andy and Richard P for their kind words, and sorry to my co-owner for not formally thanking him for his sponsorship....

Surely we're done here.

Fran

Ahem - what about me for teaching you everything you know :0))

Let's hope for Fran's sake that's not true.........

Did that take a long time David ?

..... depends how you define 'long' Ben