Andy Rice

There’s something about the spirit of dinghy sailors that never fails to inspire, whether it’s Olympians clashing at Corinthian events or being thrown to the lions at the ‘Concrete Colosseum’

Idon’t know about you, but I think learning the Racing Rules of Sailing is quite boring. Despite the best (and mostly very good efforts) to simplify the rule book but still beat them provided we stayed within our 4-point age advantage. Strangely this was the only one of our five matches that we won, a straight 1-2-3 victory against the Oxford over the past couple of decades, for incumbents. Then two draws which entertainment it’s just not quite up we lost on tiebreak, and two losses. We there with Netflix. However, I wish thought we’d actually sailed quite well,

I’d been up on my rules a bit more but it certainly didn’t show in the results. for the Oxford and Cambridge Age proved not to be an excuse either,

Generation Game at Farmoor as the slightly-older-than-us team,

Reservoir near Oxford, a trip back in Cambridge Early Eighties, won outright, time to team race in Fireflies. There’s winning on the water without needing nothing quite like team or match to bring their handicap advantage racing to make you actually want into play. Considering one helm, Rob to swot up on the Racing Rules. Plummer, had scarcely stepped into

I have scarcely done any team a sailing boat for 30 years, it was an racing since the mid to late Eighties impressive achievement. Truly they were when I went to Cambridge University to read Classics. Truth ‘I LOVE LUKE AND STU’S masters of the Concrete Colosseum. It’s the Concrete Colosseum that be told I studied about as much Greek and Latin as Ian Walker who was there a couple of years later to ENTHUSIASM TO COME BACK FROM THE OLYMPICS AND will see the final event of this year’s Selden Sailjuice Winter Series play out, with the Oxford Blue on 19 February. read Geography. That said, I think Ian’s multiple circumnavigations in the Volvo Ocean Race have HURL THEMSELVES INTO GRASSROOTS SAILING’ The Series kicks off with the Fernhurst Books Draycote Dash, 20-21 November, and there’s a total since improved his knowledge of of nine events, the most we’ve run the planet! Any enhancement to my knowledge of Ancient since starting up the Series in 2009. With only the Datchet Flyer

Rome, on the other hand, has been limited to viewings of running last winter due to Covid restrictions, we’ve brought

Ridley Scott’s sword and sandals big-screen epic, Gladiator. in more events to hedge our bets. As I write, it seems we are

One of my favourite Russell Crowe quotes is from when his emerging out of the woods, and there are many reasons to character, Maximus Decimus Meridius, is dropped into the be optimistic about getting in a full series. If not, hopefully

Colosseum along with a bunch of fellow slaves to be put up there will still be enough events to make a decent series. against the might of some well-armed gladiators in chariots. I’m hoping we’ll see a few of our Olympians make an

“Whatever comes out of these gates, we’ve got a better chance appearance. It’s great to see the likes of Luke Patience of survival if we work together. Do you understand? If we showing up for the Endeavour Trophy, even if the margin stay together, we survive.” That’s what it felt like being thrown of victory along with super-crew Mary Henderson was a to the young lions at university who eat, drink and sleep little bit rude. Three boats were OCS in race one, two of team racing in the way that I did more than 30 years ago. them being Luke along with his former silver medallist

So it was in a spirit of trepidation but with a sense of ‘we’re 470 team mate Stu Bithell crewed by Jessica Hammett. in this together’ that me and my fellow ageing team mates However, the difference opened up between the Olympians entered the concrete arena at Oxford Sailing Club. Nick after that with Luke and Mary winning four of the five

Rees, Amanda Hampson, Helena Ellis, Pete Allsop, Claire next races while Stu and Jessica added more letters to their

Gribben and myself - in at the deep end. We knew what we score with a BFD and some results outside the top 10. had to do - some of it. The rest we would have to make up. I love Luke and Stu’s infectious enthusiasm to come

Helena had our T-shirts printed up with: “We were faster in back from the stresses of the Games and hurl themselves the 80s...”, and so it proved. We did our best to stay together, straight back into grassroots sailing again. As Stu jested but somehow the spirit of Maximus didn’t quite see us through. with me when I saw him at the Southampton Boat Show,

This, even with a handicap leg-up of a point per decade since winning the Olympic gold medal with Dylan Fletcher in PHOTO SUE PELLING leaving university. Here’s an example: if we were up against the current Oxford or Cambridge team, they would be on scratch points while we would get a 4-point advantage. We could finish across the line in what would normally be a losing combination the 49er was merely the warm-up for the Merlin Rocket Nationals. Less than two weeks after flying back in BA First Class from Tokyo, Stu was at East Lothian Yacht Club, lifting the trophy with crew Tom Pygall. What a legend.

ABOVE

Stu Bithell and Jessica Hammett take a break between races at the Endeavour Trophy

ANDY RICE As a sailing journalist and TV commentator Andy has unparalleled knowledge of the dinghy sailing scene, from grassroots to

Olympic level