Felixstowe Regatta 2010 - Saturday 3rd & Sunday 4th July
Official Sponsors – Haven Gateway Partnership
Regatta Report
On Saturday, the racing was sponsored by Fox’s Boatyard & Chandlery, when more than fifty boats enjoyed a day of light weather racing off Felixstowe in fine and warm weather. A northwesterly force 2-3 slowly backed during the course of the day to southeast 2-3, with an intervening period of calm in the middle of the day. The multihulls are a new class for the regatta, and three Dragonfly 920s enjoyed the light conditions, with Ischnura winning both races. The cruiser classes sailed two offshore courses around the buoys, with honours shared between Juniper of Ore and Iskareen.
The IRC classes and the J80s sailed windward/leeward courses, with the third race of the day providing the steadiest wind and best competition. In Class 1 Richard Matthews in Oystercatcher XXVI led the way round, but after handicaps were worked out, race winners were Kiss and Xwaves before Oystercatcher prevailed in the third race. In Class 2 Red Macaw took the first race and then Double Trouble won the second and third. In Class 3 it was Hullabaloo XV all the way, and she was looking good for the overall IRC competition. Class 4 honours were shared between Stolen Kiss, Scallywag and Aubie Too.
Seven J80s turned out for one design racing, with Exess winning the first and third races and local star Nigel Theadom winning race two in Double Jeopardy. Race Officer Ewen Stamp and his team patiently rotated the course as the wind shifted round with the mark laying crews always kept busy keeping up with the numerous changes in wind direction
Sunday racing, which was sponsored by Musto, opened with a westerly breeze that shifted more to the south and increased during the morning, providing at times some testing conditions and some quick decision making for all the crews in wonderful sunny weather. In the multihull class, Ischnura produced a clean sweep and Juniper of Ore again held off Iskareen to take the Cruiser Class.
Again the IRC and J80 classes sailed windward/leeward courses, with 2 races today rounding off the regatta with Nigel Theadom in Double Jeopardy taking the J80 East Coast Championship. Honours in the IRC classes were split in class 1 with Oyster Catcher XXVI and Fatjax both getting a 1st place, Class 2 saw Blue Beeste posting 2 wins, Hullabaloo XV and Eclipse were both Class 3 winners and Scallywag and Polaris III each winning a race in class 4.
Overall winner of the IRC classes 1&2 was Fatjax, a X37 sport, sailed by Iain Kirkpatrick of Haven Ports Yacht Club and the overall winner of IRC Classes 3&4 was Hullabaloo XV, a Hustler 32, sailed by David Evans of Walton & Frinton Yacht Club. Haven Ports Yacht Club won the Baltic Trophy in the Team Challenge and 16 year-old Will Harvey of Haven Ports Yacht Club was awarded the Hutchison Ports Trophy for a great effort in his first regatta, sailing Pandemonium, his Pandora International.
Haven Gateway Partnership have continued to support this increasingly popular regatta and along with Day Sponsors, Fox’s & Musto, there was additional support from Bruntons Propellers, Suffolk Yacht Harbour, Adnams, Quantum Sails, Dolphin Sails & Raymarine, all of whom helped make this regatta one of the highlights of the East Coast sailing calendar.
