The Round Mersea Island Race is a unique race taking place in Essex, which sees sailors carry their boat across the Strood in order to complete the course (find out more here), and last month we spoke to Tim Wood about the history of the race and his hopes for the 2023 race. Fast forward to September, and Tim says: “The race went very well – 48 entries from a wide variety of boats, and I’m delighted to say that I won in my Wayfarer!”
This remarkable achievement means that Tim has won the race three times now – in 1994, 2003 and now – twenty years later – in 2023, each time in a Wayfarer. He is only the second person to achieve this feat, the other being Doug Seaden, a local sailmaker and Flying Dutchman sailor who was an Olympic triallist with Keith Musto in the 1960s and 1970s. This year, Tim was crewed by 17-year-old Connor Redfern, from Mersea, who has been crewing for Tim in the Wayfarer on Sundays during the season. Whilst Tim has sailed the race almost every year since it started in 1971, it was Connor’s first Round the Island race, and he was delighted to get a win on his first time ‘Round the Island’.
Tim said:
“I’m 69 years old, Connor’s 17, and Sonny and Joel Simpson, the two lads who were second overall, sailing an RSFeva XL, are 14-year-old twins – grandsons of one of my Club friends. In what other sport could people of an age disparity like that compete together, and then have a drink and chat as friends afterwards? Third overall was an ILCA6, well sailed by Mortimer Mastin, another 14-year-old.”
Whilst the race usually involves boats being carried across the road to the island (The Strood) – on this race it was one of the biggest tides of the year following the “blue moon” earlier in the week which meant that competitors could simply float their boats across, rather than carry them.
Tim made it round in a time of 2 hours, 12 minutes and 33 seconds, giving him and Connor first place on corrected time and the Coconut Trophy, which was donated in 1970 by the late Paddy Hare, a sailmaker in West Mersea – the trophy having originated in Africa some years previous, described as “a nutty trophy for a nutty race”.
Over 50 years since its inception, today the race is one of the most successful and well-known races in the Club’s calendar.
More information can be found here https://www.merseasailing.com/event/round-west-mersea-island-race
For more information about how to get out on the water in the East Region, visit www.rya.org.uk/startboating.
