The Buckley Goblets

Fifteen boats came to the start line at the Nass Beacon at West Mersea for the last race of the EAORA 2009 season, including new competitors, Alan Page with his Benneteau 44.7, Ko Ko Kai (Royal Temple Yacht Club) and Cracker (Stephen Heppell's IMX 40). There was a distinct autumnal nip in the air as Class 3 got away at 0700, with the Class 2 and Class 3 boats hot on their heels reaching out of the River Blackwater to the Colne Bar buoy with a 15 to 17 knot north-easterly breeze.

A fairly bumpy ride up the Wallet with sheets just cracked ensured that the highest rating Class 1 boats, including Ko Ko Kai, Heartbeat 3 (Judy and Jason Payne-James) and Assarain IV (Angus Bates' J133), soon pulled through the Class 2 and 3 boats to reach the North-East Gunfleet before the rest of the competitors. Alan Bartlett's Humphrey's 36 Inn Spirit, the lowest rating Class 1 boat, reached the mark ahead of most of the Class 3 boats, including Peter Ward's Highlander 28, McGregor III, and Richard Bailey's Dark and Stormy, which was being sailed two-handed. A special mention also has to go to the fleet's single handed competitor, Paul Brandt, on his Jeanneau One Design, Ninjod, who later arrived safely in Ostende after splitting his mainsail.

The fleet then bore away for the Long Sand Head buoy and then towards Ostende on a close reach, with the wind gradually building up to gusts of 30 knots across the North Sea. The wind was too shy to set asymmetric spinnakers so the bigger boats, including the Galloway's Elan 40, Titian, soon pulled out their lead. Ko Ko Kai took line honours, completing the 86 mile course race in under 10 hours, as did Assarain, Heartbeat 3 and Oz Privateer. The race was won overall by the Prima 38 Oz Privateer (Trevor Bassett) who took the prestigious Goblets at the prizegiving in the Royal North Sea Yacht Club on Saturday, with David Chatterton's Jeanneau 49, Resting Goose second and Titian third. McGregor 111 finished the race after 12 hours 36 minutes, winning class 3. Inn Spirit's overall 6th place ensured that she won the Libya Cup for the overall win with no discards as well as EAORA overall. The competitors then celebrated the end of the 2009 season by partying the night away at the RNSYC and EAORA's adopted night spot, the Cosy Corner.

The results were as follows:
Class 1: 1st Oz Privateer, 2nd Resting Goose, 3rd Ko Ko Kai.
Class 2: 1st Titian (Stuart Galloway), 2nd Double Trouble (Duncan and Beccy Hayley), 3rd Habernero (Christophe Clarke),
Class 3: 1st McGregor 111 (Peter Ward), 2nd Wam Bam (Eddie Clay), 3rd Dark and Stormy (Richard Bailey)