4000 UK Series at Weston Sailing Club
by Richard de Fleury 25 Jun 2014 09:01 BST
21-22 June 2014
Ten boats turned up at Weston SC for the next round of the UK Series and were greeted with a light northerly and glorious sunshine. It was good to see a mix of new and old sailors with some past 4K sailors re-entering the class as a result of the revamp. Steve and Sarah Cockerill were also sporting the new sails which were first seen at the Easter Grand Slam at the same venue but, this time there was more competition with this being part of the 4000 UK Series. In addition to the new sails a few more 4000s were sporting the new logo thanks to Rooster.
Racing soon got underway after the B14's and Cherubs got off cleanly. It was quickly clear that there was a lot of competition for the top spot, although there were also many good battles throughout the fleet. Jason and Scott arrived at the windward first but, an ambitious hoist before the spreader mark saw them in the drink leaving an opening for Richard and Jo to seize the lead. They held the lead till the leeward gate of the last lap where a costly error, shooting out of a gust, dropped them to 2nd. Steve and Sarah took the win by a few boat lengths and Geoff and Bernice coming in 3rd.
Race 2 was all set to go but, in the last 10 seconds, the wind swung and shut off, forcing the race officer to put up a short postponement while the wind settled again. Take 2 and the race was away with Geoff and Bernice running out in the lead, hotly pursued by Jason and Scott who kept it up-right, to steal the win on the last lap. Further down the order an ambitious move saw Neil and Jo, on Port, trying to cross David and Charlotte on starboard to get to the other side of the leeward gate – Alas, it was not to be, leaving carnage at the gate for the following boats to find a path through.
Race 3 saw a fresher breeze kick in for a shorter 2 lap race, where missing the gusts was an expensive mistake. Steve and Sarah, Geoff and Bernice and Jason and Scott had a battle-royal at the front followed closely by Marc and Matthew who posted their best result of the weekend. Further back John and Ian broke the mast putting an end to the day for them but, a hasty trip home to get the spare saw the boat out for day 2.
Day 2 saw similar conditions to the previous day with close racing continuing and it all to play for. In Race 4 Scott and Jason kept it all pointing the correct way to record a win, with 3rd, 4th & 5th place boats crossing the line within seconds of each other after 3 laps – One design racing at its best!
Race 5 and the Race officer set a tighter start line. Richard and Jo took the advantage off the line squeezing through on Port much to the surprise of the fleet who thought it was not possible on the tight line. Jason and Scott battled into the lead only to bin it at the leeward gate leaving them in second! Surely they have washed the boat sufficiently by now, or were they making sure it was a close finish?!
Race 6 saw another line with a port bias appear in the last minute tempting 2 boats to the port end however, the fleet was wise to this and ran the line leaving Steve and Sarah no hole to go through and a penalty to boot! This left them with 2 laps to try and win the race to take the overall win despite a great effort it was not to be, with them only getting to 3rd and finishing 2nd overall.
Great to see Martin and Tom making massive improvements in the boat and starting to get to grips keeping it upright and sailing faster. They were particularly pleased with their upwind improvement over the weekend - Keep it up guys! It was also fantastic to see Ian at an event even if it was a little hectic for him breaking the mast on day one and having a different crew for day 2. Alex and Rob also had a great event and are starting to show signs of good results to come.
Thanks to Weston SC and all their helpers for a great event – we look forward to our next visit. Also thanks to Matthew Amiss for the photos.
Next up the Europeans, Campione Del Garda, Italy – already 12 UK boats registered - Anymore?
Not long after that we have the next round of the UK Series in Lymington.
Association News
This weekend also marked a significant change in the class with a new constitution voted in and the class formally adopting the new name "4000 UK Class Association" following the change in class name and change of official supplier to Rooster Sailing Ltd. Along with the new constitution a few minor updates to the class rules have been voted through aimed primarily to improve safety and reduce costs. The Class has also reconnected with the boat designers Derek Clarke and Phil Morrison who have helped with the current revival and updates to the boat, in particular the new sails, and want to see the fleet grow once again.
Have you got a 4000? Have you joined the class association? Join now for £10 per boat! See the association website for more information www.4000.org.uk
See you in Garda!
Overall Results:
| Pos | Sail No | Helm Name | Crew Name | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | Pts |
|---|
| 1st | 4532 | Jason Kirk | Scott Dawson | ‑5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 |
| 2nd | 4190 | Steve Cockerill | Sarah Cockerill | 1 | ‑5 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 11 |
| 3rd | 4266 | Geoff Holden | Bernice Holden | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ‑7 | 4 | 13 |
| 4th | 4572 | Richard de Fleury | Jo de Fleury | 2 | 4 | ‑6 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 20 |
| 5th | 4343 | Neil Heffernan | Jo Morrison | 4 | 3 | 8 | (DNF) | 5 | 2 | 22 |
| 6th | 4568 | David Marchant | Charlotte Heffernan | ‑6 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 22 |
| 7th | 4080 | Marc Watts | Matthew | 7 | ‑9 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 33 |
| 8th | 4600 | Alex Cramp | Rob Reed | ‑9 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 36 |
| 9th | 4480 | John Reynolds | Ian Laidlam | 8 | 7 | (DNC) | DNC | 8 | 9 | 43 |
| 10th | 4467 | Martin Burgess | Tom Burgess | (DNF) | DNC | DNC | DNC | 10 | 10 | 53 |