Results / Noble Marine UK National Championships Hayling Island SC - 06/09/2012

54 boats descended on Hayling Island Sailing Club for the 2012 Noble Marine National Championships. 

Greeted by bright sunshine over the sandy shores, sailors had time to catch up and swap stories whilst the wind was building.  There were plenty of old faces returning to pit their skills once again including several former champions and seasoned pro's.  Racing was postponed for an hour giving people time to practice their bat and ball skills or top up the sun tans from Garda.

Race 1 eventually got underway just after 2pm, following several general recalls leading to an inevitable black flag.  The conditions were light with winds shifting consistently by as much as 45 degrees.  It was Nick Peters and Caroline Wilkinson who were in the lead at the bottom of the first run and headed out left up the second beat followed closely by Laurie Fitzjohn-Sykes and Dan Allin.  The race officer had opted for 2 long laps and wisely moved the windward mark for lap 2 giving people a chance to really work the shifts. Frances Peters and Nicola Groves used this to their advantage and didn't put a foot wrong up the second beat, they led at the next windward and held the lead to the finish with Stevie Wilson and Harvey Hillary in second and Nick and Caroline in third.

With the tide pushing hard over the line, Race 2 had several general recalls before the fleet finally got away with the race officer being generous with the start.  Again Frances & Nicola flew away from the fleet but Pete Barton and David Steed took the lead at the bottom of the final run to take the gun.

Lighter winds prevailed on day 2.  The relaxed mantra of the fleet fits well with Mediterranean conditions and one o'clock starts.  Race 3 got underway following a general recall with a steady 8 knot breeze across the course.  The majority of the fleet opted to head out right with a couple of boats also escaping to the left from the pin end of the line.  With a long course it was hard to tell which side would pay, however the top three boats eventually came in from the right, Stevie and Harvey led at the first mark followed by Tim Saxton and Claire Lasko in second.  Laurie and Dan leading in from the left and rounded in fifth.  It was all about getting in the right breeze downwind with 5-10 degree shifts and small gusts leading to gains across the course.  There were little place changes through the final lap, Stevie and Harvey won with Laurie and Dan sneaking up to second followed by Tim and Claire in third with Justin and Emma Deal in fourth.

The wind was dropping by the start of race 4 as the high pressure that has been prevailing started to move overhead.  After a general recall the fleet got underway with a clean start under the black flag.  Once again the fleet was split down the middle left and right up the first beat. With the 6 knot breeze starting to ease it was about holding your nerve and keeping the pace up as the two sides converged towards the windward mark.  The leaders came in from middle left with Laurie and Dan in first and Justin and Emma in second.  The race officer did a good job of resetting the course as the dying breeze swung 40 degrees to the left.  The final lap was a game of snakes and ladders with the lead changing several times.  Laurie and Dan managed to get back to the front by the final windward mark to lead narrowly from Andy Jeffries and Ally Ody.  The wind dropped right off for the final run with big holes appearing across the course. However the top two places remained unchanged.

The forecast is looking a little shaky for tomorrow so the 800 sailors are already getting in to the spirit of the rubiks cube themed night.  Plenty of beers are being sunk with the sun setting over the mainland, there may not be much wind Hayling Island is certainly a great place to relax with good company!

Stevie Wilson and Harvey Hillary finished second in the first two races Sunday to extend their lead, and an eighth in the final race confirmed the title. Second overall were Peter Barton and David Steed of Netley SC with Rob Watson and James Hughes from Shoreham third. - GN