FF Northerns
By admin. Filed in Race reports |
Flying Fifteen Northern Championships
June 27 and 28 – Ullswater Yacht Club
THIRTY-NINE Flying Fifteens enjoyed five great races at the Northern championships held at Ullswater Yacht Club, despite a less than promising weather forecast.
The weekend forecast was a race officer’s nightmare – light easterlies on a North-South lake surrounded by hills.
With entries from all over the country, there was disappointment when race one on Saturday had to be postponed and all the boats returned to shore after drifting around the lake in no wind for more than an hour. It was good practise for the shore team who were rapidly perfecting their ‘high speed launch and recovery’ technique at the one-slip club.
But race officer John Robson’s patience paid off and later in the afternoon there was enough breeze from the top of the lake to set a traditional Olympic triangle/sausage course. So the boats launched again for race one. The winds were fickle and unpredictable and several ‘superstars’ found themselves stuck down the fleet.
Race two followed in the late afternoon and consistency paid off for Flying Fifteen gurus Steve Goacher and Phil Evans of Royal Windermere Yacht Club who were overnight leaders with two thirds. First places went to Dave McKee and Chris Hewkin from Dovestone SC and Mike Hart and Richard Rigg from Port Dinorwic SC.
Sunday brought more of the same easterlies and the fleet spent some time following the committee boat up and down Ullswater waiting for the wind to settle. This was an opportunity for newcomers to see more of the lake with its magnificent views to the south towards Helvellyn as well as wondering whether three back-to-back races would be possible.
Race three finally got under way with a windward/leeward course which saw Mike Hart take another first place. But that blue, white and yellow spinnaker was still up there and even though conditions were better suited to slightly more sylph-like crews, the Goacher/Evans team took a second place to keep them in the running.
The wind freshened a little although it was still very unpredictable but Steve Goacher managed to find his way around the holes and shifts and won race four and five, both traditional Olympic courses, to take the championships.
His Royal Windermere clubmates Nigel and Gavin Tullett sailed consistently all weekend to take second place. Veteran Fifteen sailor John Hardisty of Derwent Reservoir Sailing Club, crewed by Roger Errington, showed the ‘youngsters’ the way round by coming third.
The sun had come out, the shore team’s boat recovery was slick, and an afternoon tea of sandwiches and home made cakes and scones rounded off a great weekend’s sailing.
This was Ullswater Yacht Club’s first Flying Fifteen open event and could not have been possible without the help of dozens of volunteers from other fleets in the club who gave up their weekend’s sailing to make it a success.
Full results can be found on the UYC website at www.ullswateryachtclub.org
Results:
1. Steve Goacher and Phil Evans, RWYC, 7 points.
2. Nigel and Gavin Tullett, RWYC, 15.
3. John Hardisty and Roger Errington, DRSC, 18.
4. Jeremy Davy and Dave Lucas, Draycote Water SC, 20.
5. Terry Crumpton and John Mathie, DRSC, 21.
6. Mike Hart and Richard Rigg, Port Dinorwic SC, 23.
1st UYC boat: Dave and Sue Giles, 8th, 32.
1st Classic: Graham Lamond and Scott Train, Ripon SC, 10th, 41.
1st Silver: Andy Clark and Nadia Melnikova, Datchet Water SC, 13th, 53.
Sue Giles