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Nationals at Weymouth - 2006 |
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2006
National Championships at Weymouth & Portland National Sailing
Academy The 2006 Europe National Championships were held at the Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy over the weekend of 10th -11th June as part of a five class regatta. The Europe courses were shared with the Byte & International Moth classes. The Class Association organised two days of very successful training preceeding the Nationals, with 2005 national champion James Eynon & ladies champion Katie Mapplebeck coaching. All those taking part learned a lot from the two days, with starting practice, tacking & gybing and short course races covering the basics to more advanced techniques, with the top of the fleet competitors and newcomers alike catered for. The conditions worsened for the Friday with a constant 22 knots+, testing everyone's abilities to the max and providing a very enjoyable end to the training! Competitors were arriving thick and fast, with a huge spread of boats from various parts of the country. Three had made the very long journey from Scotland, six or so from the North and various others from all over the South. The best mode of transport definitely has to be taking two Europes on the bow of a yacht all the way from Bembridge on the IOW. The class chairman also brought his motor cruiser from Langstone, providing a very comfortable base for the couple of days. There was an increase in the numbers from 21 in 2005 to 28 in 2006, with new & old faces showing that the class is very much alive and kicking two years after the Olympic deselection! Day 1 It was an early start on Saturday for most of the fleet, with last minute tuning and much talk on the shore before the briefing. The wind had arrived with a brisk 18-20 knots, and the fleet headed out to the race course minus the International Moths who were held ashore (too much wind for the foilers!). A number of Europe sailors also held back, expecting the previous day's strong winds to develop, only to regret their decision as the wind dropped again while the fleet made its way to the start. But by the time the first race started the wind had dropped to a consistent 10 -14 knots with bright sunshine and a short steep chop! The need to get a good start with the consistent wind was very apparent, with Chris Gill and Dave Kent first to the windward mark followed by James Eynon, newcomer to the class Guy Revill and Ian Stow. The race finished with Chris first, James second and Guy, third. The fleet was very even, so all enjoyed good racing - whether or not you where at the front or the back. Despite not being on the circuit for a long time, Chris showed that he still knows how to make a boat go fast! The wind had dropped even further for race two with 6-8 knots recorded on the course. The fleet got away in perfect conditions, after the International Moths had decided to join us and the first race Europe drop-outs had rejoined! Chris led from start to finish showing good speed on the fleet, but some good performances from Dave, Ian and Guy meant that James was held back a little in traffic. As the race progressed, James passed Dave on a downwind leg and was able to close the gap on the last beat but Chris stayed ahead to win, with James second, followed by Dave in third. The third race started with James leading the fleet away from Chris. A drop in the breeze, a well-timed sail change by Katie and some very good downwind sailing got her past Ian to finish third, with Ian claiming his second fourth place of the day. The overnight standings had Chris leading with four points, James second with five, Dave was third with 14 and Guy, in his first Nationals, held fourth with 15. All Saturday's races were held on sausage-triangle courses. Day 2 Sunday dawned with a completely different outlook. The wind was very light and blowing from the south-west right over Chesil Beach. The racing was initially postponed to let the wind to settle down and build, and the fleet eventually got away on a trapezoid course. James knew he had to win the two races of the day to take the title again, but he got shut out at the committee boat end and had to duck the fleet. James then proceeded to chase Chris upwind, eventually reeling him in and passing him downwind. A number of the fleet not accustomed to being at the front did very well finishing in the top ten but with some of them OCS including Chris, the results changed slightly and James won with Gareth Williams, the class Inland Champion, second and Feargal Finlay third. The final race of the day showed that as with the first race, a quick tack out to the right would pay and with the pressure off James because of Chris' OCS, he got away cleanly. Knowing that he only needed to beat Chris on the water, James tailed him on the start but Chris collided with Richard Eagleton and had to dive away to the pin end. James had been loosely covering Chris upwind, and rounded the windward mark first, followed by Katie, Ian and Chris. Chris sailed through Ian on the run, but couldn't overhaul Katie leaving James to take his third win of the weekend, and with it the 2006 national title. Overall standings left James Eynon National Champion with 5 points, Chris Gill second with 7 points, Ian Stow third with 19 points. The Ladies National Champion for the second year running was Katie Mapplebeck in 5th, and the Junior National Champion trophy went to Kate Annan in 21st place. Dave Kent GBR390 Trophy Winners 2006 Rondar Trophy, British Open Champion: James Eynon Whiplash Trophy, UK National Champion: James Eynon Gill Bowl, Men’s Champion: James Eynon Best Newcomer Trophy: Guy Revill Junior National Champion: Kate Annan Roaring Forties Trophy, first veteran: Ian Stow New Glass Bowl Trophy, first lady: Katie Mapplebeck Manulife Trophy, best overall with no discard: James Eynon Full Results
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