The Battle of the Beaches returned this summer with three weekends of dinghy racing, hosted jointly by Lancing and Shoreham Sailing Clubs, and supported by Lady Bee Chandlery in collaboration with Marlow Ropes.
Raced on a shared course, equidistant between the two clubs, the series showcased a wide variety of classes, strong competition, and some outstanding seamanship — all capped off with prizes from Marlow Ropes who’s Excel Dinghy Range is available locally at Lady Bee Chandlery, Shoreham Port.
Round One – Sunday 29 June
The opening battle saw a dominant performance from Shoreham SC, who secured the top six positions.
Leading the fleet were Bill Whitney and John Shelton in their Wayfarer, followed by Peter Bennett and Andy Phillips, also in a Wayfarer. In third were Ross Jackson and Dave Reid sailing a Merlin Rocket. Fourth overall — and first single-hander — was Martin Walker in his D-Zero, who also won the first race of the day. The top-placed boat from Lancing SC was Pete Matthews in his Aero 7.
Round Two – Sunday 3 August
Only one race was sailed as the conditions where not conducive to being on the water. The win on the day went to Jonathan and Matthew Bailey in they 2000, with William Warren and Andy Prince second in their Merlin and third (and first single hander and Lancing SC boat) was Will Apps in his Aero 7.
Round Three and Overall
The wind for round three was even less favourable than for Round two and the overall podium finishers were the unstoppable Wayfarer teams of Bill Whitney & John Shelton (1st) and Peter Bennett & Andy Phillips (2nd), with Richard Bradshaw a well-earned 3rd in his ILCA.
View the Battle of the Beaches results.
Lady Bee Chandlery/Marlow Ropes Awards
Each round, a bag of Marlow Ropes goodies is awarded at the Race Officer’s discretion, recognising standout performances or acts of seamanship:
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Round One: The prize went to Alfie in his Topper 4.2 (small rig), who showed impressive skill and determination racing among larger and faster boats — not to mention the long sail to and from the race area. Well done Alfie!
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Round Two: Awarded to Will Apps from Lancing, who, during racing, diverted course to alert the Race Officer about a capsized boat, showing outstanding sportsmanship.
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Round Three: Due to no racing the Commodore of Shoreham SC exercised his discretion to award the third prize to Race Officer Roland Whitehead, who managed the first two events. His calm and expert handling of such a diverse and large fleet was essential to the event’s success.
Message from Our Sponsor
“Lady Bee Chandlery and Marlow Ropes have worked carefully to install a suitable selection of sheets, control lines, halyards and shockcord from the Excel Dinghy range for sailors local to Lancing and Shoreham, all available in-store at Shoreham Port. We hope this and our prizes prove handy for all those competing in this year’s Battle of the Beaches. Good luck everyone!”
— Rob Henderson, UK Sales Manager, Marlow Ropes