Stokes Bay Win Turk Trophy

On a sunny Saturday morning, an assortment of dinghies gathered at the top of the slipway to form the now legendary Stokes Bay Turks Team 2022. One of the first steps for Stokes Bay World Domination.

The Turks Trophy is an annual “friendly” event between local clubs along the central/east north coast of the Solent. The trophy itself, the Turk Cup is shrouded in mystery as it has been known to disappear and resurface every few years and is currently kept under local guarded lock and key. This year, the host club was Lee on Solent Sailing Club

Primed with a photo of the suspected “Lee” course, two ILCA7s and a Europe set off for a leisurely drift down to Lee on Solent Sailing Club with the tide (and not much wind!) shortly followed by an RS700 and three Musto Skiffs. Craftily, in an attempt at sabotage, LoSSC had only released the SI’s 3 days before leaving little time to decipher. Our Vice Commodore signed us on for “Turking”* via phone call to Lee and to confirm the raid was on. *Not to be confused with “twerking”.

The course was, indeed a “Lee” course and I quickly learnt what that meant – with a short inshore upwind leg and two broad reaches with the tide underneath. Another part of Lee’s dark and mischievous plan seemed to be to have sound signals only audible from the knee-deep shallows and flag signals from somewhere, not on the start line. Despite all the tricks, two mass start/ mixed handicap races were completed in 7, building to 12knots of wind and glorious sunshine. Our skiffs flew round in athletic style, while our sit-down single handers balanced the big hikes with the small downwind transitions.

One the last boat had finished, the team re-grouped for the long beat back upwind – a long time to ponder on if it was all worthwhile. There was a distinct feeling that our epic expedition may have all been for nothing… and my gosh did I have sore legs!

In the evening, WhatsApp was pinging constantly as the eager sailors tried to speculate how we did as individuals or as a team. Only the top 5 boats from each club would be in the mix and having entered with a team on only the fastest and the slowest on handicap, nearly all of Lee’s entries fitted in between on handicap, making it particularly difficult. The swarm of rhino like RS400s did look like they were well handled throughout but were they quick on handicap too? There was a query on whether they remembered they were supposed to be racing as a team, rather than against each other.

We knew the prize giving was the following day and they did seem keen to ensure we attended – Was this to act as if we had won and then whip the trophy from us, declaring themselves as the winners as we climbed up to the podium? Our spies had heard rumours that Team Stokes had sailed really well…. But what does that mean??

Sunday dawned with a 30knot wind and rain from the east (how’s that for pathetic fallacy) and no clear indications were coming from Lee. The team re-grouped again at LOSSC’s beautiful new clubhouse with the general consensus that our post-sailing wind-whipped look felt a little underdressed!

After a small tour of the clubhouse and bar, the cat slipped out of the bag… Stokes had truly ran away with it. 1st to 6th were all Team Stokes Bay so the mischief had been well and truly managed!

Stoke Bay Sailing Club look forward to the challenge of Lee on Solent SC, Hardway SC and Royal Clarence next year.