420 CurraDinghy End of Season Championships at Grafham Water SC

Ben Hazeldine and Rhos Hawes with Marcus Lawson at the 420 CurraDinghy End of Season Championships © Mike Riley

Sarah Norbury and Mari Davies with new Class Chairman Marcus Lawson at the 420 CurraDinghy End of Season Championships © Mike Riley

Over forty 420s arrived at Grafham Water Sailing Club for a chilly 2013 End of Season championships over the weekend of 23rd and 24th November. Joining the established teams were a number of class newcomers, new pairings and some local club members, along with the welcome return of a number sailors who had recently moved on from the class. The event was also used as an indicator for the 2013/14 transition squad, with squad coach Jonny McGovern in attendance along with his note book.

With an 8 to 10 knot North North Westerly breeze forecast, the fleet launched in time for an 11:00 first race, with a pleasantly short sail out to the start area. Being perhaps a little overeager, the first start was, as expected, recalled and a black flag followed. Everyone was well behaved at the restart, and the fleet got away cleanly in about 6 knots of wind. Sailing an outer loop, the race order was quickly established, with Tim Riley and James Taylor leading from Morgan Dibb and Rosie Watkins, with Milly Pugh and Amy Sparks in third. After around 45 minutes of racing, they finished in the same order. The second race started pretty promptly, all clear, and Ben Hazeldine and Rhos Hawes established an early lead that they never relinquished. They won the race, followed by Tim and James, with Scott Wallis and Luke Burywood third. Race three saw Max Clapp and Joe Burns surge to the front of the fleet in some style, securing a win from Ben and Rhos, with Sarah Norbury and Mari Davies in third place. The wind picked up a little and had a bit of a shimmy to the left for the start of race four, and after a recall the fleet got away. Max and Joe showed that their previous victory was no fluke, with another great performance, Scott and Luke were second, followed by Dan Whiteley and James Clemetson in third.

With four good races in the bag, the fleet returned to shore and focus shifted onto the evening's colourful Rubik Cube party organised by Lily and Rhos. We believe that a good time was had by all, but sadly the paparazzi were banned so we have no idea just what went on, and the next day there was no evidence to be found.

Day two dawned grey, with a couple of knots more wind that was nearly due North but shifty enough to keep the mark laying team busy throughout the day's racing. The fleet launched promptly to get out to the race area, and Race five got away, cleanly, right on time. This time there was enough breeze for some flat wiring, and Max and Joe picked up where they had left off the previous day, Ben and Rhos were second, and Martin Wrigley with Mathew Shorrock in third. By the start of Race six the breeze was rising but not yet enough to see flag "O". Max and Joe led the fleet for the first two laps, but unfortunately had not seen that an extra lap had been included in the building breeze. They headed for the finish only to watch the fleet head back upwind, giving away a good chance of another win. Their misfortune was others gain, and Ben and Rhos were victorious, Sarah and Mari were second and Tim and James third. Finally the "O" flag appeared briefly for the seventh and final race, which got under way after a short postponement, a general recall and finally a black flag. This was a great race, particularly at the front with plenty of opportunity for gains and losses. Scott and Luke were early leaders, with Ben and Rhos playing the left side of the beat and sneaking ahead by the second windward mark. At the second leeward mark Ben and Rhos went left up the beat, whilst Tim and James headed right for more pressure. That worked, and they rounded the last windward mark in the lead, with Morgan and Rosie behind. Ben and Rhos rounded in third, and then sailed a superb final run, hooking into a band of pressure and sailing right through the others to go on to win the race. Tim and James were second with Dan and James sneaking into third.

So, with everyone back ashore, prizegiving could take place. In fourth place, and top ladies, were Sarah Norbury and Mari Davies, whilst in third were Tim Riley and James Taylor. Second place went to Max Clapp and Joe Burns, and the convincing winners were Ben Hazeldine and Rhos Hawes. The prize for the most improved pair of sailors between the Nationals and the End of season Championships went to Catriona Wallace and Charlotte Ashworth. The class and sailors thanked the club for putting on such a great event, and all of the volunteers for their help. One notable partygoer was mentioned in dispatches during the prizegiving, and the dedication of the class safety officer was particularly noted, after he took (maybe one too many) steps to personally test the safety team (and his inflatable life jacket) on the Saturday. Our thanks also go to the sponsor of the event CurraDinghy.

It may be winter now but there's plenty of class activity in the next few weeks, with training events as far afield as Scotland and the South coast. We look forward to the announcement of the new 420 Transition Squad shortly. The RYA TS Squad are escaping school to go to the Imperia Winter Regatta in Italy and there are also a couple of other good international regattas during the holidays for those wanting something a little warmer. Closer to home, don't forget the classic winter pursuit race events that always have a good 420 following.

Overall Results: