Thames Valley Challenge at Upper Thames SC

This Saturday just gone saw two teams of the Reading’s Youth and Junior competing in the annual Thames Valley team racing event.  The racing was in RS Fevas with Reading A consisting of helms, Ben, Joe and William, with Sophie, Jemima, and Bea as crews. Reading B’s helms were Edward, Louie and Rhys with Thomas, Rory and Katie as crews. Although Reading A had the more experienced helms, the crews were all optimist juniors for whom this was their first team racing event (this is an important point for the defence as you will see later!).  Along with the assorted parents, Karen and Hugh were there as team managers/coaches and Monica kindly turned up as well,  as additional support.  

10 other teams were also competing with teams from Claire’s Court, Desborough, Dorchester, Goring, Maidenhead, Silverwings and Upper Thames.   The event was hosted at Upper Thames SC, a very nice location just outside Marlow, but being on the river presented the Reading teams with a couple of new challenges. The first one being the course layout, the start line in particular. The committee boat was stationed hard up on the right bank, which meant that a standard starboard start was only possible if you fitted wheels to the Fevas and were prepared to tack through the conservatory of one of the riverside homes !  The other challenge was the current, both teams took some time in understanding these are not just of the bun variety, but are also an important aspect in river sailing.  Although there was a reasonable Force 2  breeze coming down the river there was a very definite bias against the starboard tack.  The wind and current  took the hold of the bows and crabbed the boats sideways down the river, into marks, in particular the ODM.  The other challenge were the other river users, rowers, motorboats and gin palaces, all of whom seemed to have a knack of turning up on the start line just 30 secs before the off.  The Upper Thames race team however were clearly well used to this and managed this all with aplomb and quick to postpone a start so that the line could be safely cleared. 

Over the course of the day all teams sailed 8 races. Reading A won 3 of their races beating Silverwings B, Dorchester, and Goring A.  Reading B beat 5 teams including  Silverwings B, Dorchester, Desborough, Goring A,  and Reading A !  The Reading A & B race was a true local derby, consisting of siblings from the Day , Harrison, and Primrose families across both teams. Loyalties on the bank were truly divided –  the Montague and Capulets had nothing on  this.   Joe upheld the honours of the A team by coming in first, but he was followed by the the 3 boats of the B team, with Ben and William bringing up the rear and the excuses !  The truth is that actually both teams were very well matched, and the senior helms in the A team did very well in shepherding their novice crews, for whom this was their very first experience of team racing, if not being in a big boat.  In fact we think that all helms had at least one first place over the day.