Hextall Trophy Race 6 Sunday 16th August 2026

Starter and RO:- Ginna Gayner
Safety:- Vova and Edward and Victoria B-C
Safety and shore support:- Hannah Hull and Annabel Liebat
The race was won by Phoebe Peters, but she is not a member so wont take the winner’s points, after her’s and Hector Bennett’s results have been discounted:-

Race report by Red Johnson Course: CWBPN

For the final race in the Hextall Trophy we had the pleasure of a few visitors to Needs Ore. Mike Urwin and John Evans from the Royal Lymington came to drum up support for the Scow Nationals, which take place on 19/20th September in Lymington this year. We have participated in the past two events and it’s a competitive, fun and well-organised regatta. They have offered to help with access to boats and transport, and it would be great to have the BRSC well represented this year. Also visiting were Hector Bennett and his girlfriend Phoebe. More of them shortly.

It was a fine day for racing, with warm sunshine and light south-westerly winds. Ginna, as RO, made the decision that we would not race to Bucklers Wood, as we had found very little wind upriver when we left Gilbury.

Cleo decided that she would helm the final race, reminding me that her results in the driving seat had been considerably better than mine this series.

So, a windward start, and the fleet spread wide across the line; some favouring the tide mid-river and others the breeze at the platform end. The wind proved the better choice, with Charles, Phoebe and ourselves rounding Club House first. Through the reaches to Withies and Blackwater the fleet remained bunched, with boatspeeds fairly evenly matched.

Downwind to Pigs saw a split, with Jeremy Bennett opting for the Exbury side of the river and most of the rest of the fleet sticking to the west bank. Charles’s lead grew, while our assumption that second place was comfortable was challenged when we sailed into a small windless hole near the platform. By Pigs we had been passed by Phoebe, Hector, and then Karl and Zoey.

We looked across at Hector and Phoebe, who were smiling and so relaxed that we wondered whether they were racing at all.

After Pigs, a bunch of the leaders rounded Northbank together for the final beat to the finish.

Then the fun started. The breeze increased and the tacking duels produced multiple crosses and changes of position, with everyone trying to judge the optimum layline while allowing for the remaining tide. Charles was hard done by, losing a convincing race lead near the bank; Hector got his bow down; Karl and Zoey showed us how it’s done in the tacks; and Phoebe breezed through.

The first five across the line were Phoebe, Karl and Zoey, Cleo and Red, Hector, and Charles.

Later, during a delicious Pimm’s tea hosted by John and Carol Hackman, we discovered that Phoebe has been a championship sailor in the Optimist, Feva, Laser and 29er classes. Morale improved considerably.

421 Karl and Zoey Liebat
589 Red Cleo and Johnson
493 Charles Nicholson
485 Lucy Bennett
544 Jeremy Bennett
358 Andrew and Fiona Duncan
499 Sam Van Holthe
550 Lizzie Anders
348 Robert and Karen Rogers