Yachts & Yachting – August 2019

CLUBS & CLASSES

Eight races were held in champagne conditions for 18

J/70 teams for their Southern Area Championship in the

Solent hosted by the Royal ames YC. 2017 national

champions, Ian Wilson and Marshall King's Soak Racing,

scored all podium nishes including ve bullets to win the

regatta. “To be honest, the results attered us,” commented

Wilson. “e J/70 UK eet are getting faster and smarter.”

In second was John Greenland's Jdog, ying the colours of

the Royal ames and racing one of the J/70s owned by the

RTYC, while Graham Clapp's Jeepster (Royal Southern)

started the regatta with a bullet and went on to score two

more podium nishes to claim third overall.

Fowey River class championships

e Fowey River class championship provided a

postcard display of colour as 19 gunter rigged

wooden clinker boats competed over an eight-race

series organised by POFROC and hosted by Royal

Fowey YC and Fowey Gallants SC. Light breezes

and tricky conditions saw three winners from

three races on the opening day, with a bullet apiece

going to Andrew Dellow aboard Iota, Philip and

Sian Henson’s Zethar and David & Alison Rundle’s

Kittiwake. It was all about to change on day two,

however, which had a much stronger breeze and

saw all three race wins going to Kittiwake. e

nal day then dawned with a gentle breeze and

Kittiwake won race seven to achieve an

unassailable overall lead, while Zethar was in rm

second. In the minor placings Andy and Suzy

Matthews’ Kingsher took a one point lead into

the nal race from Iota - and took o up the river

to lead from start to nish, winning the nal race

and claiming third overall.

e Noble Marine Streaker Nationals
proved to be a game of two halves from
which a new champion emerged to end
Tom Gillard’s seven-year reign.
irty-two Streaker sailors competed
at Weymouth & Portland National
Sailing Academy over three races on the
opening day in a south-easterly gusting
over 20 knots.
Even in Portland Harbour there were
good waves to surf down and Gillard
claimed a 1,2,1, leaving everyone in awe
of his recovery from gear failure in race
two, which saw him capsize to re-tie his
main halyard at the top of the mast
before continuing the race.
Beaver SC’s Penty, however, was right
up there too with a 2,1,3, and when the
next day dawned with a light, shiy
westerly, added a 1,1,2 to claim the title.
Steve Blackburn (West Lancs) also
sailed extremely consistently on both
days to claim second overall with a string
of podium nishes, with Gillard
(Sheeld Viking), who has won the
championship every year since 2012, just
a point further back in third overall.

Streaker shock

JANE WALKER

East Lothian YC’s annual regatta saw

more than 110 dinghies making the

journey to North Berwick to compete

across 11 classes on two courses, the

event supported by Dalgety Bay and

Largo Bay sailing clubs, Rooster Sailing

and sponsor North Berwick Gin. e

Stewart Brewing RS400 Scottish

Championship saw Mike Simms and

Keith Bedborough (Carsington) sailing a

perfect regatta with ve rst places, with

Philip Murray/Neil Schoeld

(Tynemouth) second and Jon Gay/

Amanda Henderson (Lochaber) third.

In the Ski eet, the Northern and

Scottish Musto Ski Championship title

went to Dan Trotter (Derwent Reservoir)

ahead of Jono Shelley (Largs) and Ian

Trotter (Derwent Reservoir) in second

and third overall respectively.

and some pretty tired Scottish titles settled
sailors by the end of the
day. Olly Cage-White (BSC),
fresh from winning the Men
of Kent at Downs SC, won
overall. Second was Pierce
Seward (BSC), and Max
Hunt (WYC) took third spot
to stop the young guns
from dominating the
podium. Leading 4.7 was
Harry Newton (WYC) in
ninth.

J/24 Summer
Cup provides
Parkstone prelude
to 2020 worlds
The three-day J/24 Summer
Cup at Parkstone YC
completed all 10 scheduled
races with wind, sun, close
racing, good banter and a
friendly dolphin oΠthe
start line. The stunning
location and conditions set
the scene for when the club
hosts the J/24 worlds next
year. On this occasion, two
local teams emerged at the
top of the leaderboard,
with Chaotic (Nick Phillips,
Tom Montgomery) taking

an overall win ahead of

Madeleine (Duncan

McCarthy, Steve Phelps).

Also on the podium was

Legal Alien (Alan

Harris-Guerrero and

Paul Williams) from Royal

Fowey YC.

Scottish Solos battle

unstable breeze

Andy ‘Taxi’ Davis delivered

a training day at Largo Bay

SC ahead of the HD Sails

Scottish Solo champs in

perfect breeze and glorious

sun on the Costa del Fife.

The racing then opened in a

biting cold north-easterly

which proved tricky to read

as it bounced over the hills.

A 30 degree shift during the

start sequence resulted in

congestion at the pin

resembling Cairo in rush

hour, with a collective crash

tack onto port seeing just a

few spat out the front.

Day two then saw a decent

6-8 knot south-westerly for

two more races, with Davis

(Blithfield) claiming the

overall win.

DEREK BRAID WWW.BRAIDIMAGE.CO.UK]

LOUAY HABIB/J70UK

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

J/70 southern champs

August 2019 Yachts & Yachting 81