RYA Eric Twiname Championship - Overall
by Matt Carter, RYA 11 May 2014 20:51 BST
10-11 May 2014
It was the RYA South East Zone who reigned triumphant at Rutland Water this weekend as they were crowned 2014 RYA Eric Twiname Champions as the regatta came to an exhilarating finish on the final day of racing.
Having endured testing conditions with strong squalls yesterday (Saturday 10 May), the concluding day of the Championships bought with it similar conditions for the 241 competitors at the event, with spells of sunshine, short showers but more manageable gusts of 20-25 knots.
As a result the three dinghy classes completed three races while the four windsurfing classes managed two allowing the young sailors to get some scores on the board after a lack of racing on day one.
In addition to the 2014 RYA Eric Twiname title, the RYS South East Zone also won the Eric Twiname Dinghy Trophy, awarded to Zone with top overall dinghy, while the RYA South Zone got their hands on the Eric Twiname Windsurfer Trophy, awarded to the Zone with top overall windsurfing score.
The RS Feva XL, the only class to complete one race on the opening day of the regatta, were the first to finish their three races today. Overnight leaders Iain Bird and Jake Hardman from the South East Zone were in scintillating form and added two bullets and a second to their scorecard to secure Championships honours, while second and third place also remained the same with South West siblings William and James Cunliffe taking second and Welsh sailors Thomas and Amy Bale sealing the third step on the podium. The South East Zone was the overall top RS Feva XL Zone.
It was South Zone sailor Alex Mcfarlane who ruled the waves in the Topper fleet today as the Castle Cove Sailing Club youngster took a clean sweep of race wins to take event honours in emphatic style. Northern Ireland's Luke Mcilwaine enjoyed the breezy conditions to finish seven points behind in second whilst Welsh sailor Zac Orehawa rounded his regatta off in third. South East Zone sailor Molly Sacker did enough across today's three races to clinch the female title by a single point ahead of South West sailor Eleanor Poole. For a second consecutive year the North Zone was awarded the prize for the top Topper Zone.
Two wins and a sixth for West Zone sailor Drew Gibbons saw him claim overall Optimist class triumph while a race win for Welsh sailor Emily Hall in the second race of the day was enough to give her the second step on the podium and the overall female title. South East Zone's Zac West was made to settle for third on countback. The top Optimist Zone was awarded to the South East.
With the windsurfing fleets only completing two races across the two days of competition, Welsh sailor Jake Chase had an impressive day on the water with a 1-2 to clinch Championships honours in the 4.8 rig. Izzy Adcock was unstoppable cementing her position at the top of the 5.8 leaderboard while in the 6.8 rig, Ben Teeme who was crowned 2013 champion in the 4.5m rig at last year's event had a solid day with 3-1 to claim event honours. A consistent 2-2 for South Zone sailor Chay Tudburry in the largest 7.8 rig was enough to give him the title by a single point over Galahad Wisbey from the South East.
The top RYA Zone in the 4.5m rig went to Wales, the 5.8 and 7.8 titles went to the South while the South West clinched the 6.8 top zone.
Mark Nicholls, RYA Youth Racing Manager, commented: "We have had a fantastic day of racing here today at Rutland Sailing Club which made up for the shortage on day one of the regatta. What looked like a great forecast at the beginning of the day turned quite challenging when the breeze kicked in towards the end of the day and everyone involved did a fantastic job in ensuring racing was completed by all classes.
"I have been really impressed with the young sailors this weekend, their attitudes have been fantastic and the standard of racing across the seven junior classes has been excellent in some very tricky conditions. A huge thanks must go to Rutland Sailing Club who have done an immense job over the two days of racing and of course to the Eric Twiname Memorial Trust for supporting the regatta for the consecutive 28th year."
The second part of the selection process for the 2014 RYA Laser 4.7 National Junior squad is also taking place alongside the Championships, with results from Rutland used in conjunction with those from further indicator events later in the season. Overnight leader Ross Banham from Bewl Valley Sailing Club took event honours by mirroring his results from day one with a further two race wins and a second. William Bedford sailed a striking series to finish 12 points ahead of third placed George Ford.
For the full list of results from the 2014 RYA Eric Twiname Championships visit www.sailingresults.co.uk
For further information on the Eric Twiname Trust visit erictwinametrust.org
For further information on the RYA Eric Twiname Championships visit www.ryaracingevents.org.uk