What a Day on the Water for our Staunton & Melbourne Event last Sunday!
Published 00:00 on 1 Nov 2025
Wow what a way to wrap up our final major cups of the season! It was a wet, windy, and wild day out there, with gusts catching plenty of us off guard especially around marks 6 and from 12 to 10. Definitely a day for the brave (and the well-balanced)!
Even a Committee Boat malfunction couldnt stop us. Our ever-resourceful OOD, Lol, got a tow to his chosen spot, dropped anchor, and made sure racing went ahead right on time.
Courses & Conditions
With the Committee Boat challenges giving little room for manoeuvre, all three races began at D with some slight changes to take into account slight overall win shifts during the day:-
Race 1 - C(p), 6(p), 1(s), 10(s), G
Race 2 - C(p), 6(p), 12(s), 10(s), G
Race 3 - C(p(, 4(p), M(p), 13 (s), 10(s), G
Sailors seemed to 'like' the courses and got stuck in to some seriously competitive racing.
Conditions were brisk and chilly with the wind base at 10-13 knots and constant spicy, shifty gusts topping out at around 23 knots. Bobble hats and lots of layers were the order of the day with the temperature around 7 degrees.
Staunton Fleet Highlights
Race 1 - The Fosketts in the Scorpion led from start to finish on the water, managing to keep upright and fast whether the spinnaker was flying or not! But it was Steve Graham (Solo) who took the win on handicap sailing a brilliant race to finish just 20 seconds ahead.
Race 2 saw the Fosketts out in front again, but this time Becky and Ella in the Mirror snatched victory on handicap by 26 seconds a fantastic sail in such testing conditions!
Race 3 was another cracker. Pete Goodyear and Tim Saunders (Scorpion) powered ahead early, keeping the Fosketts at bay until the final lap when they slipped past at mark 10. Just when it looked like it might be the Fosketts race, the ILCA 7s of Martin and Maris turned up the heat. The pair traded places all the way round, until Martin caught the perfect gust down to 12 and pulled clear to take the win. On handicap, Martin came first, Maris second (28 seconds behind), and the Fosketts took third, just 20 seconds adrift. Tight, exciting racing all day long!
Melbourne Fleet
Over in the Melbourne Fleet, John Robinson and Pierre-Antoine Sis (GP14) showed real mastery in the heavy weather, taking a clean sweep of bullets and the win iverall. Zac and Amy, racing an RS200 for the first time, were close behind in each race a great effort and well-deserved second place!
Shout outs for some superb sailing from Lynne (Topper) and congratulations to Sam (Topper) who was our first Junior!
Overall
Across the fleets 19 boats battled through the gusts and waves, giving the safety teams plenty to do. Multiple capsizes and a few retirements were all part of a great days sailing in true autumn conditions.
A Big Thank You
Thank you to everyone who joined us for the final big event of the year. Huge thanks to our race team for keeping things running smoothly despite the challenges, and to our galley crew for a hot lunch that hit the spot perfectly.
Stay tuned for our next post, where well share all the highlights from the Series Prizegiving and our post-race social the perfect way to celebrate a brilliant days sailing and a great season!
For the full results please click here.
Last updated 20:43 on 12 November 2025
