Class Captain’s Report, Eastern Ajax Fleet, 2022

It was a busy full programme this year with entries of about 10 for most series – average turnout per race 5.5.

There were some traditional lunches at RHYC early in the year – the exact number eludes me but it might have been 2.

Spring series: This attracted 12 entrants overall and was marked by a battle between Dionysius and Hermione both finishing with the same score. Dionysius won on countback.

In May the white sail short sharp series attracted 9 and provided 6 very competitive races overseen by OOD Joe Hunt. Hermione won with Guillemot second, proving that skill is much more important than age.

In June the Prosser plate was sailed with a popular win for Storm Petrel and Jackie McKellar .

OOD George Finch kept us very busy in this short sharp series which this time included spinnakers.

In the meantime The Spring series was finishing and the National championships were held in Dovercourt Bay, based in of Shotley Marina. It isn’t recorded who amongst the 12 entrants went aground leaving the marina but someone did.

Tom Dixon, OOD, managed the awkward conditions for us with great skill. Sometimes the weather and sea state was awful causing a retreat to the Stour. At others we had to wait for the mildest of breezes. Orwell VI sailed by Richard Merriweather and Co won with Pegasus a close second Congratulations to the all lady crew in Pegasus.

The Summer series attracted 13 entrants with a nail biting conclusion where Polly Oliver won after the last race was a windless abandonment. Teal was poised to pounce and defend her title but came second. The harvest precluded significant entries from the farming community.

We hosted the Varsity march over three days in July. This was a very enjoyable spectator sport with no significant boat damage despite gloomy predictions. Cambridge won the Open event, to the delight of the scribe, though Oxford won everything else.

Wednedsay and Thursday evening white sail events were successful again with 9 entrants overall and some balmy evenings interspersed by the occasional storm. Dionysius won.

The RHYC regatta was popular with 11 entrants. Prometheus showed bursts of speed arriving at the windward mark first in 3 out of 4 races only to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. It was won by Orwell V1 with Thunderer, sailed by the team Williams second.

The Autumn series has been less popular with fewer entrants. The harvest was safely gathered in allowing Hermione to win with Thunderer second.

The Dovercourt Bay weekend sailed in September was full of incident with 6 starters. It was windy and a mostly downwind course in the first passage to Shotley race saw us flying with the occasional mini broach. We then (by consensus) went out to sea where the gusts and sea state combined to make for challenging racing. It was difficult to keep a firm footing in the boat some of the time and the odd foot did leave a boat. No one ran aground coming out of the marina on Sunday!

Nigel Waller (OOD) set windward/leeward course but on the first Run Storm Petrel did a windward roll to be swamped and towed back by the OOD and Peter Cockayne in Wagtail to bail out in calmer waters. The race was abandoned and the vague attempt a passage race home started but petered out. Orwell V1 won the Merriweather Trophy with Hermione second.

In the “All In” race Polly Oliver was 4^th though the rest were down the pecking order.

There were club house social events accompanying the Nationals and the Regatta with two more offsite events. One was fine BBQ with Graham and Liz Aubrey at Erwarton and the other Pizzas at Sunnyside on the Sunday void following the Pin Mill regatta.

Tim Archer