Royal Thames YC Trophy

The Royal Thames YC trophy sailed for by National Twelves at Ranelagh Sailing Club was, once again, fiercely contested.  This time five visitors joined two local boats on a perfect January afternoon.  A Northerly force 3 and glorious sunshine ensured no-one felt the cold as the race proved to be as hectic as usual.

With all seven boats putting huge efforts into staying the correct side of the startline for the four minutes following the preparatory signal, when the start finally went, there were boats pointing in all directions with Christopher Edwards and Katy Meadowcroft being the cleanest away.

By the first leeward mark, Graham Camm and Zoe Ballantyne had taken the lead but turning into a strong tide the fleet came together and sailed seven abreast tucked close to the southern shore, all the way back to Putney Bridge.  Frances Gifford and Sophie Mackley took the lead prior to heading back towards Hammersmith, with Camm and Ballantyne in second.

The subsequent four laps saw lead changes between Gifford/Mackley and Camm/Ballantyne throughout with both David and Caroline Croft and Edwards/Meadowcroft never far behind.  The practising Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race Crews just about managed to stay clear of our race, they might note that we don’t practise sailing during their big race.

Five laps and approximately two hours later, Camm and Ballantyne had stretched ahead just enough to relax and win the trophy with a good few boatlengths to spare, from the Crofts who had snuck past Gifford and Mackley. 

Another fantastic January day sailing on the river.

1^st – 3492 Babelfish, Graham Camm and Zoe Ballantyne

2^nd – 2935 Closer to the Edge, David and Caroline Croft

3^rd – 3431 Zippy, Frances Gifford and Sophie Mackley