Elan Regatta 2008
Elan Regatta at Gosport Marina
On Friday evening those boats that had not already found their way to Gosport Marina (some with more difficulty than others!), took their berths before meeting in the OnDeck classroom for the skippers briefing.
All in attendance were given their over flowing goody bags, sponsored by Elan, Harken, Mount Gay, Premier, Musto, and TecSew before being welcomed by Premier's Sales Director Julian Gowing and then briefed by The Royal Naval Sailing Association who kindly organised all on water activity for the event.
Unfortunately the briefing was slightly tarnished by the weather forecast with a rather large low predicted for the weekend and winds up to and possibly over gale force 8. This was met with a few concerns from both competitors and organisers with several already thinking it might be a white sails only game!
Competitors were then dispatched from the briefing to go and find some food before joining the Gosport Berth Holders party, held in an onsite marquee with live music, raffle and auction all in aid of the RNLI.
Early on Saturday morning all staff and competitors gathered again in the marquee for a bacon roll and cup of coffee kindly cooked and served by Premier staff before being sent off for the first race start due at 10am.
There was some trepidation as the 14 boats, now only 12 (one deterred by the weather and another due to a non sailing related injury), headed out into the Eastern Solent under the fast moving clouds, watching the horizon closely! The winds at this stage were below the predicted 5-7 and occasional 8 and our 12 eager boats headed out enthusiastically if not a little hesitantly!
The first race saw much reefing and some minor damage, but undeterred the boats continued with one returning to the marina for a quick repair job before heading straight back out. One or two others did return to the marina without heading back out, deciding it was safer to keep their one result and boat and crew all in tact rather than risk any breakages - understandable really when you're crew are 4 and 6!
The sea state was moderate going to rough depending on which side of the Solent you were. The start line was always quite rough but that is Gilkicker point for you! The racing was quite challenging with the larger heavier vessels having a distinct advantage over the smaller ones, being better able to cope with the choppy seas and strong winds gusting to over 30 knots.
Two starts per race and three races later, those who had managed to survive and brave the whole day headed home - a few repairs to be done but with the help of the Premier/Elan shore team, all problems were resolved and Pimms was served on the terrace as a warm up for the party!
A true Caribbean evening with guests arriving to the sounds of the tropics, donned with their leis and grass skirts and presented with Mount Gay Rum Punch on arrival - the evening began. A great time was had by all with live music, DJ, hog roast, limbo and piñata and of course a prize giving sponsored by Raymarine, Azure Dragon and Harken, followed by a raffle with all proceeds (£300) going to the event charity, Sail 4 Cancer.
Sunday started much the same as Saturday (with a little less sleep and a few more hangovers!) accept this time the teeth sucking and face making were being done by race control and safety boat drivers. The committee arrived and confirmed what we all thought, "racing cancelled". The announcement was made and greeted by a mixture of relief and disappointment but no surprise. The wind was even stronger than the day before with no sign of letting up - the aim was to have a fun event and we all wanted this to remain the case.
So once bacon rolls and coffees were finished, the Best Dressed Boat was judged - some great efforts with Nyleptha coming in full evening dress and Captains uniform with all flags flying, several Caribbean themes with parrots and palm trees flying from Elan rigs and themed music coming from down below and of course the Al Capone Impression 514 - with bullet holes in the hull and boom and duck tape sideburns - it was a fantastic site to see the boats lined up having made such great effort.
Only the prizes to be done. Best Dressed Boat had to go to Nyleptha, with prizes for all that had made the effort and due to the lack of racing on Sunday, Saturday's overall winner became Elan Regatta Winner, Elan 333, One More Knot, owned and skippered by Phil Duff. Taking away his Azure Dragon trophy and Elan Skis.
The event was a great success, especially given the weather! Much effort was made not only by the competitors but also by all Premier staff involved. A special thanks must go to event sponsors, Raymarine, Harken, Mount Gay, and Elan and of course to the Royal Naval Sailing Association who made the racing possible.
If you would like further information on owning an Elan or taking part in next year's Regatta (it is intended to run another given the success and comments from all who took part!) please contact Lucy Thomson on 01489 884077 or lucyt@premiermarinas.com.
For full results list, images and further information, please contact Lucy Thomson on 01489 884077 or lucyt@premiermarinas.com.
