Wanderer Nationals during Langstone Harbour Race Weekend

Wanderer nationals during Langstone Harbour Race Weekend © H2O Photography

Tim and Niamh Robertson win the 2013 Wanderer nationals © Saffron Gallagher

The 27th Wanderer Class Owners Association UK National Championships were hosted over the weekend of the 25th/26th May at Tudor Sailing Club as part of the 'Langstone Harbour Race Weekend' event.

Langstone Harbour Race Weekend is a joint effort by the three clubs on Langstone Harbour (Langstone SC / Tudor SC / Locks SC) over the Whitsun Bank Holiday weekend and Wanderers were very warmly welcomed at the event with their Saturday and Sunday starts counting towards the WCOA 2013 UK National Championship.

Approximately 50 dinghies took to the water over the weekend ranging from Lasers up to large RS asymmetric boats, so the fleets were divided into Fast, Medium and Slow groups with Wanderers having their own starts.

The weekend got under way on Friday evening with a warm welcome and briefing at Tudor SC, with time for all travelling competitors to rig their boats in the ample dinghy park. The weather was pretty windy and drizzly but better was promised for the weekend. After a good curry in the club house we all made our way off to various overnight arrangements ready to join battle in the morning.

Day 1

Saturday dawned bright with a gentle northerly breeze as late arrivals hurried to rig and ready themselves to launch. Tea was drunk, bacon and egg sarnies were munched and the fleet got away from the slip at around 10:15 to run gently over the flooding tide into the harbour and locate the committee boat. Fast and medium fleets got away first, with the Wanderers using the medium fleet start as our warning signal.

Race 1

As the harbour is so tidal and the wind was blowing from the north the race officer had difficulty setting a triangle and sausage course for race one, so instead we raced simple upwind / downwind legs in a gentle breeze that suited a light crew. The committee boat was unusually at the port end of the line with the pin to starboard and Wanderers got away cleanly from the start. Yeadon and Robertson broke right on the beat to try and take advantage of the flood in the channel but managed to sail into a wind hole that allowed the fleet to sail through. Neil Boyce sailing a borrowed Hartley W1624 for the first time (He usually sails an aged Mk2 Wayfarer) made a poor start but by tacking into the favourable flood tide managed to make up places on the beat and was first to round the windward mark, followed by Meadowcroft, Gilbert and Hamilton, with Yeadon and Robertson following for the first gentle spinnaker run. Taking advantage of sailing slightly higher than dead downwind to keep the genoa drawing helped gain places on the runs, and finding a good balance and helpful shifts up the beats paid off handsomely. After four laps Robertson managed to squeak ahead of Boyce on the final beat and hold the advantage to the finish, with Boyce in 2nd, Meadowcroft 3rd and Yeadon 4th.

Race 2

By race 2 the tide had risen enough to give room for triangles and sausages to be sailed. Robertson made a slow start, unable to find boat speed in the shifty breeze and dropped down to about 7th place by the end of lap three. Luckily the wind built slightly and lifted him on port tack toward the windward mark so he could lay it from the start finish line on the last beat and enabled him to find a balance with the boat flat and a neutral tiller. Using good boat speed he passed three boats by the windward mark, sailed high on the run under spinnaker to roll over Boyce and the fast non-spinnaker boat sailed by Mike Hamilton, dropped onto the leeward mark immediately astern of Yeadon in first place and as the breeze faded on the short beat to the line was able to use the advantage of a lower crew weight to just squeeze his bow ahead to take the gun in a nail biting close quarters finish. Yeadon was an incredibly close 2nd. Not far behind them Hamilton was approaching the line close abeam of and in the lee of Boyce but kept his nerve and with impressive boat speed managed to extricate himself from this difficult situation to finish 3rd leaving Boyce in 4th, trying to understand what had just happened.

With the tide now ebbing the fleet all sailed back to the clubhouse to de-rig and then decamped to Locks SC for a delicious BBQ and relaxed social evening in the evening sunshine near to the mouth of the harbour.

Day 2

Sunday was if anything even sunnier than Saturday, and there was a good breeze from the north west. The fleet launched an hour later to allow the tide time to flood and sailed slowly over the flood tide under spinnaker to find the committee boat moving around in the harbour trying to set a course. The fast fleet got away after some mark moving, but unfortunately immediately after the fast fleet start the wind began to swing strongly round between north west and south west, probably influenced by the sea breeze building on a such a sunny day. The race officer called a delay one minute before the medium fleet start to prevent a downwind start under spinnaker and then had to wait for the fast fleet to complete their race, shortened to one lap, and for the wind to settle down before relaying the course to the freshening breeze now firmly settled in the south west. After a delay of over an hour the medium fleet got their start sequence, only to have a general recall, leading to further delay, before eventually the Wanderers had their turn in what was now a solid force 4 breeze that was kicking up a bit of a chop in the harbour.

Race 3

Robertson again converted a good position on the line into a poor start and had to fight back up through the fleet. Behind Hamilton at the windward mark he went for a quick spinnaker hoist but steering with the tiller between his knees and distracted by the excitement of a spinnaker launch he made contact as Hamilton luffed up from below him. Climbing clear and acknowledging he would need to do turns Robertson got ahead under spinnaker and gybed onto port to run down to the leeward mark only for Hamilton to take his wind and bear down on him on starboard from astern. Robertson mistakenly luffed and Hamilton made contact with his stern, swinging him round before breaking free. Not realising Hamilton was on starboard Robertson called for him to do turns, then, realising his error he proceeded to do his two sets of 720o turns at the start of the next beat. Paul Yeadon sailed clear for a strong win with Meadowcroft and Boyce behind, Robertson recovering to 4th.

Race 4

With scores now so finely balanced, Robertson had to finish ahead of Yeadon to secure the series win and Meadowcroft was hoping for a race win and for Yeadon to beat Robertson to allow him to defend his title. A tightly bunched start with Wanderers combined with the Medium handicap fleet to save time saw Meadowcroft, Robertson and Yeadon all in close company with the committee boat at the starboard end of the line. A very crowded line eventually saw Meadowcroft win the start and sail clear with Robertson overlapping and attempting to cover Yeadon tack for tack. In the livelier conditions Yeadon proved to have better speed and was able to sail lower and faster to clear ahead of Robertson by the end of the first beat. David Davies and Andy Peter in W318 began to come into their own in the heavier air and followed Meadowcroft round in second.

Boyce decided not to follow the majority inshore from the start line but instead tacked away onto port hoping to make use of the strengthening ebb tide in the channel setting towards the windward mark. This tactic paid off resulting in a gain of several places. Unfortunately for him though, while employing the same tactic on the second lap he got caught out by a gust during a tack and capsized, dropping him down the fleet to recover to an eventual 7th place finish. Robertson didn't fly his spinnaker in the early laps as the conditions were a little too lively and he hoped to keep in touch with Yeadon downwind due to having a lighter crew and being able to plane under genoa and main only. However by the final beat Yeadon was clear ahead of him in 3rd behind Meadowcroft and Davies and looking to challenge Meadowcroft for the series win, before an unseen Laser on starboard intervened and required him to do turns. Robertson hung on up the final beat to round the windward mark a few boat lengths ahead of Yeadon and then braved a last gasp defensive spinnaker run down to the leeward mark to score a lucky 3rd and overall win.

On recovering to the clubhouse Richard Barnes of Tudor Sailing club presented the prizes:

• Endeavour Trophy – Crew that completes all races and places last – David and Jake Clausen W1079
• Ted Shepherd Trophy – Crew most improved over series – David Davies and Andy Peter W318
• 1st Non-Spinnaker Boat – Mike Hamilton and David Oates W992
• 3rd Overall – Paul Yeadon and Liz North W1282
• 2nd Overall – Philip Meadowcroft and Adam Wickenden W1542
• 1st Overall – Tim and Niamh Robertson W1038

Thanks to the following event supporters who donated prizes for the weekend; Sailstyle, Force 4 Chandlery, Flew Sails, Chris Hornsey Chandlery, Marine Superstore & H2O Photography.

Overall Results:
If you finished in the top ten at the Wanderer nationals then enter your Gear Guide information here