Results / Itchenor SC - 10/05/2025

2 x 1 day Events on the Sailing Chandlery EaSEA Tour

Saturday Sprint Series

The RS200 fleet returned to Itchenor Sailing Club for one-day of sprint racing packed with exciting, fast-paced racing. With six short back-to-back races and a breeze that kept everyone guessing. With an offshore breeze, staying consistent was key to success.

The wind delivered variety in full measure—plenty of gusts, big shifts, and unpredictable lulls that kept sailors on their toes. Chichester Harbour’s trademark tide added another layer of complexity, rewarding sharp positioning and quick decisions. It was the kind of day where heads-out-of-the-boat sailing made the difference.

A full schedule of six races was completed efficiently by the race committee. With only the one discard, consistency was key—though many teams found at least one race challenging in the volatile conditions.

🥇 1st – Ian Martin & Emma Hivey (RNSA, Sail No. 1702)
Absolutely dominant—six wins from six races. A display of boat speed, calm under pressure, and flawless execution in a range of conditions. They wrapped up the event before the final race even began.

🥈 2nd – Rob Henderson & Rebecca Videlo (HISC/FPSC, 629)
Fast and tactical, Rob and Rebecca bounced back from a tough Race 1 with a string of strong finishes, showing great resilience and clean boat handling under pressure.

🥉 3rd – Oliver Evans & Zoe Nieveen (HISC, 1716)
A tough Race 2 was offset by consistently strong results across the rest of the day.

From front to back, the racing was competitive. There were tight mark roundings, quick-fire tactical decisions, and fast transitions in the gusty reaches. Mid-fleet battles were particularly intense, with just a handful of points separating several boats by day’s end. Many crews rose to the challenge of the shifting breeze and tidal push, making for a day of proper, satisfying racing.

Huge thanks to the race team and Itchenor SC volunteers for a slickly run day afloat. The RS200s delivered a full-on day of racing that left everyone buzzing—and reminded us all why this fleet remains one of the most exciting on the circuit.

Ollie Evans

Sunday Series

Itchenor Sailing Club seemed to have managed to order the perfect conditions the two one-day series on the Sailing Chandlery EaSEA Tour. With temperatures of up to 25 degrees and the breeze equally as high, 22 keen RS200s made their way down to the sunny South coast to enjoy the Sailing Chandlery sponsored event. 

Arriving at the racecourse on Sunday, following the Sprint Series on Saturday, it was clear that an intense day of racing was in order. Gusty conditions, 30-degree wind shifts, and a rapidly changing tide left everyone scratching their heads. This included the PRO, who had a tricky day of course laying ahead of him. The course was laid swiftly, and everybody was ready to start at 10:55 am, the first scheduled warning signal. But alas! The postponement flag flew high, allowing for the late-running HISC boats (Jamie!) to join the keen and patiently awaiting Itchenor fleet. 

On to the racing. 

Race 1 was underway, with a few boats over due to some keen starters at the pin. Tom Ahlheid and Bee Nee lead the way round the course for the first 2 legs, only to bottle it on the last downwind. Ollie Evans and Zoe Nieveen managed to stay in the gusts downwind where Tom and Bee couldn’t, taking a well-deserved win. Rounding out the top 3 were Alex Smallwood and Kate MacAdory in 3rd.

Race 2 was equally as gusty. Tom and Bee, back in the lead for the first 2-ish legs, again managed to bottle it, allowing for Ian Martin and Emma Hivey, the previous day’s Sprint series winners, to take the win. Tom and Bee followed in at 2nd and Mark and Jess Oakey snuck into 3rd. 
With the tide swinging and rushing out, the PRO decided to lift the anchor and take the RS200s for a leisurely stroll further down the channel.

Race 3 - The gusts remained punchy, despite the base dropping off. This created plenty of passing lanes both upwind and downwind, making for tight racing. Lee and Anne Sydenham came out on top, favouring the left upwind, with Ian and Emma staying consistent in 2nd and Rob Henderson and Rebecca Videlo in 3rd.

By the last race, it was clear that Ian Martin and Emma Hivey were the favourites to win the Open. However, with a discard kicking in, the win was still up for grabs

Race 4 was underway. A silence fell over the fleet as a second horn sounded and the individual flag was raised. The fleet pushed on, though a few turned back. The top 5 contenders, however, held their nerve - and an exciting battle with plenty of snakes and ladders ensued.

Rob and Bex took the win to place them second overall, whilst Ian and Emma took second to finish the event in 1st place. Tom and Bee managed to hold on to 3rd place with a 6th in the last race.

A huge thank you to the event organisers for putting on such a fantastic weekend of racing, and also to the PRO, who did an amazing job managing the changeable conditions, delivering 4 cracking races.

Tom Ahlheid and Bee Nee