Final Day Report by Team Brightlingsea
With an early start planned for the final day of the ACO Musto Skiff World Championship in Carnac, sailors arrived at the club in a relaxed mood following the previous evening’s festivities. Traditional Breton weather greeted the fleet, with light drizzle reminding the British sailors why they go on holiday. The wind was light, sailors were feeling the effects of a long week, and racing was postponed.
With points still to be won throughout the fleet and plenty of mini battles for final positions, race 12 eventually got underway. As had become standard practice throughout the week, the first start ended in a general recall. Andy “Turbo” Tarboton (RSA) brought his blue badge for the committee boat parking space, and finally the fleet got away cleanly.
The fleet split upwind, with roughly half heading left and the remainder going right. The right-hand side paid, leaving overall leader, Rob Richardson (GBR), and second-placed, Ben Clegg (GBR), stranded on the left with work to do. Eddie Bridle (GBR) led for most of the race until Euan Hurter (RSA) edged past just before the finish to take the win, extending his lead in the battle for top Scottish & Northern Circuit sailor ahead of Jamie Hilton (GBR).
Rob Richardson fought back brilliantly to secure fifth place, which was enough to secure the World Championship. Massive congratulations to him after an epic week of seriously impressive sailing.
Race 13 got away with a clean start in even lighter breeze. There was still plenty to play for as Eddie Bridle and Ben Clegg continued their Brightlingsea battle for second and third overall.
A special mention goes to Turbo, who, despite carrying an injury from earlier in the week, managed to get a strong result in the first race of the day and was going well before calling it a day part way through race two. The pin end of the line proved popular with Andy Whittle (GBR), David Annan (GBR), Karsten Groth (NED), and Andy Rice (GBR). David showed excellent pace, leading this group out to the left-hand side of the course.
“Speedy” Eddie once again demonstrated that light winds suited him perfectly, securing victory in Race 13. Jamie Hilton, unwilling to give up the fight for top Scottish honours, stormed down the final run after a bold move to the left side of the course, finishing second.
Originally, only two races had been scheduled for the final day. However, following Monday’s strong winds, one race remained to complete the full series. With a determined race officer keen to ensure all 14 races were sailed across the five days, Race 14 got underway.
Rob Richardson decided to finish the week exactly as he had started it, leading comfortably from start to finish and winning the final race to put an exclamation mark on his World Championship victory.
The rest of the fleet were perhaps a little too tired to provide detailed accounts of the racing, but the final results told the story. Following a breakfast (or dinner) wager agreed the night before, the Brightlingsea boys were locked in battle throughout the final day. Eddie Bridle secured second overall, closely followed by his clubmate Ben Clegg in third.
Euan Hurter claimed fourth place, just ahead of Scottish teammate and competitor, Jamie Hilton, in fifth. Dan Vincent (GBR) finally broke his “seventh place curse” by finishing sixth overall. A shoutout also goes to Brennan Robinson (RSA), who finished tenth overall to secure his first top ten result at a Musto Skiff World Championship, and won the Grafham-off against David Annan.
Back ashore, some sailors packed up while others delayed until the following day, but everyone was ready to celebrate a fantastic week of racing in a truly special venue. A huge thank you goes to Yacht Club de Carnac for hosting a first-class week of racing and social events.
With one third-place finisher booked on a tight ferry crossing, the prize-giving was conducted promptly, with local dignitaries joining the celebrations. The fleet then soaked up the last of the sunshine and wine at the clubhouse while treating the volunteers to a series of memorable belter karaoke performances. Rob Richardson may well deserve the World Title for his sailing, but his karaoke skills might still need some work…
For those not rushing to catch ferries, the celebrations continued with a group dinner at a local restaurant and a final Crepe before heading to the bar. The true spirit of the fleet was on full display, with festivities carrying on well into the early hours.
With ferries booked and long drives ahead, the fleet finally waved goodbye to Carnac – until next time. Big smiles, happy sailors, and a few sore heads departed, already looking forward to doing it all again next year in Lake Garda.
The final results can be accessed via the following link: Overall Results.
A Final Day Gallery can be viewed, featuring stunning images captured by © Antoine Dujoncquoy.
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