RYA and BUSA Ladies' Team Racing Nationals - Preview

Firefly fleet on the Marine Lake at West Kirby Sailing Club © Tom Churchill

This coming weekend, 22nd and 23rd February, the RYA & BUSA Ladies' Team Racing Nationals 2014 will be taking place at West Kirby, a place synonymous with Team Racing. Until this year Spinnaker Club, at their Ringwood base, was the regular host to this event, so this will be a first for West Kirby Sailing Club.

The Ladies is the one major Team Racing event that West Kirby has never held and so the Club is looking forward to creating an enjoyable and successful weekend.

The Commodore, David Taylor, who is also Umpiring, and Race Officer, Adam Whittle, are hopeful of good racing conditions over the weekend after some appalling weather recently across the whole country.

During what is now known as the Big Storm, the boatyard was seriously flooded and much collateral damage was done around the Club. However, all the Team Racing boats are in good order and ready to go. Not so lucky was the famous Caravan used by Race Control; it became one of the Big Storm's casualties and has been replaced by a slightly smaller model!

Of the 16 teams entered this year, 14 represent Universities which is similar to last year. The teams can expect a full on weekend's Team Racing and the competitors can expect in excess of 150 races, the wind Gods permitting. The first start is at 10am on Saturday and, as ever at West Kirby, will provide spectators and passers-by on the Promenade and Lake wall with an excellent view of some exciting and close racing.

This year's competing teams:

• Birmingham: Amy Yeoman, Siobhan Orr, Toni Duffy, Isabel Scruby, Abigail Griffiths, Elizabeth Hubbard
• Bristol 1: Charly Capon, Mary Fenton Jones, Imogen Smith, Emma Spruce, Abbie Page, Molly Frost
• Bristol 2: Raffy Quinton, Isobel Mitchell, Philie Hollinghurst, Ella Hubbard, Sophie Norman, Layla Coe
• BUSA Ladies: Sarah Moulder, Pippa Horne, Kirstie Urwen, Celina Love, Emma Lombard, Kate Robinson
• Cambridge Pink: Maude Gibbons, Sarah McCuskee, Gina Curwen, Katherine Sammes, Helmi Burton-Papp, Sophie Jackman
• Cambridge Blue: Lilly Carlisle, Katie de Lange, Francine Counsell, Dawn Wilkinson, Esther Sidebotham, Sarah Lombard
• Cardiff: Harriet Black, Cath Lloyd, Emily McDonald, Emily Wiltshire, Helen Armstrong, Becky Diamond
• Glasgow Girls: Emily Robertson, Emma Watson, Caitlin Ross, Elizabeth Jones, Lindsay Kerr, Emily Harold
• Manchester: Lucy Storey, Harriet Griffiths, Suzy Powell, Hannah Golton, Mabel Lim, Iona Deacon
• Oxford: Georgia Trapp, Kathryn Tremlow, Penny Weiser, Amy Sharkey, Melisande Besse, Catherine Cherry
• Plymouth 1: Evie Clemance, Jess Slater, Eileen Clancy, Nicola Green, Hannah Hayward, Bethany Hayward
• Plymouth 2: Kat Colvin, Meg Adams, Eleni Morus, Georgie Mothersele, Lucy Dalton, Emily Mulligan
• Rutland Raiders: Fiona Tylecote, Kit Stenhouse, Sarah Kemp, Lori Hodson, Sophie Smith, Elysia Dooley
• Southampton: Emily Nagel, Hannah Jones, Hannah Tilley, Annabel Vose, Imogen Dingham Price, Kerry Worsfold
• Swansea: Paula Forscarini, Jaimie Whiteby, Libby Fox, Lea Wulfes, Kat McEwan, Gabriella Irving
• West Kirby SC: Nicole McPherson, Ruby Riggs, Octavia Owen, Katy Norman, Hollie Marston, Isabella Martindale