Over the weekend, Rutland Water Sailing Club hosted it's annual Catamaran Open, welcoming sailors from across the country over the traditional mid-May slot.

While numbers were lower than expected, 29 boats sailed at the event, including the A-Cats, F18s, F20s, Shearwaters, Catapults and a lone F15, an F16 and a Dart 15, sailing two separate courses.

Saturday had promised pretty light North-North-West winds.

"A nice direction for Rutland," event organisers explained, "as it comes from the dam end and tends to be less shifty than in some other directions at this venue."

The two courses were set up in what is known by the club as 'The Big Lake' area, up at the Eastern end in the direction of the dam and the opposite direction from the Rutland's famous Osprey nests.

First start was due at 12.55pm, but the winds were not playing, and on both courses, the postponement flag was limply flown. The left side course, the Northerly one was for the Slow handicap fleet, ie the Catapults, the lone Dart and the Shearwaters, who always arrive like the circus in town and seem to have a fun party culture like few other classes.

Organisers said: "Their course was the triangle and sausage, so it made sense to put them on the left side. The bigger fleet of the Fast Handicap had their Windward Leeward course set to the South, near the Normanton Church landmark."

Despite fair winds, the team managed to squeeze in three races on the Saturday, Gareth Ede, John Terr and Eamonn Cotter each taking turns in winning a race on the Slow Course.

Over on the Fast Course, the positions in the classes were very fluid, other than the Nacra 20 where Nick Elmore ruled supreme, no sailor won more than one race making it rather fun for them all in this tactical minefield. Then it was back to the club, for a lovely hog roast and a live musician in the bar.

A spokesperson for Rutland Sailing Club laughed: "And of course, the wind had arrived and yet again, made the sail back to the shore the best sailing of the day. Plus Ca Change.

"Sunday was promised to be better. Cats don't really do light airs. Those big double bed trampolines just encourage lounging rather than racing when it's minimum wind conditions and requires inordinate amounts of concentration. Their manoeuvring is more laboured, and the crew have to sit in weird places in order to try and minimise the hull drag, particularly at the sterns."

Indeed, Sunday was so. The wind stayed reasonably constant most of the day. But this time, unusual for the venue with this wind direction, it was the centre and left that offered the best outcome for a change. 

On the fast course, the A-Cats are first to go and get a chance to play with their blistering upwind pace and were pretty much up towards the top of the course when the boats carrying laundry were set off. Leading their pack was Hugh MacGregor the current European A-Cat number 6. He was closely chased by the GWSC Commodore, Mark Rushton, who managed to stay in touch.

The F18s and the big F20s were then let lose. Leading their pack is a close battle between Nick Elmore, Kev Dutch and Tony Stokes on their massive Nacra F20s. Then moments later the F18s arrive with Jon Sweet and Tim Neal battling for the honours.

The club added: "Over on the Slow Course, the Catapult Gentlemen had settled into some sort of order, led by Gareth from John in conditions they enjoyed. The lone Dart didn't appear on Sunday. The Shearwater partyboats were also having great fun chugging around. Full of character and Old Skool charm, these boats have a lineage going back to nearly 80 years, and a couple of years before that other famous open class design, the A-Cat!

"No fancy asymmetrics for them, their 'proper' spinnakers need deploying in real fashion, from a big trunk, with poles, giving the crew something interesting to focus on. Shaun Allen was unlucky as his jib halliard failed in the first race, removing him from the show for the duration. So, Pete Jary was the victor, with three bullets on his lovely former RYA Dinghy Show Concourse d'Elegance winning boat, and Mark Norman battled him for second."

The results were as follows:

• 1st A Class - Mark Rushden
• 1st Catapult - Gareth Ede
• 1st Dart 15 - Stephen Sawford
• 1st Shearwater - Peter Jary
• 1st F18 - Tim Neal
• 1st Nacra 15 - Finn Caddy
• 1st Nacra 16 - Paul Warren
• 1st Nacra 20 - Nick Elmore

Rutland Sailing Club was also back on form, their new caterers on the ball offering a great BBQ and bar for those who arrived on Friday, and their hog roast on Saturday.

The club concluded: "Thanks go to Brenda and Richard, the two race officers and their teams, and to Mikey Vernal who pulled it all together. Hopefully you will sample the delights of the biggest water in the smallest county in May 2025."

Full results can be viewed online.