National 12 Burton Week 2014 at Pevensey Bay Sailing Club - Overall
by The Stewart Family 29 Aug 2014 13:13 BST
23-26 August 2014
After stormy Monday, which saw no racing the 2014 Gul National 12 Championships 2014, concluded on Tuesday.
The Race team had three different forecasts to choose from, varying from South West 12-18 knots sunshine, to North East 0-5 knots with rain. As it turned out all forecasts had an element of accuracy. The traditional 4 laps and a beat of a triangular course with one mile legs for the Sir William Burton Cup Race were set. As the start gun went, the wind shifted right by 40 degrees and after a pause for thought the race was abandoned to be restarted. Unfortunately the wind switched off, swung northerly and a series of rain showers ensued. Two hours later the wind finally returned to its original South Westerly direction.
The race started and the rain arrived. Out of the gloom, Tom Stewart and Andrea Ralph arrived at the first mark with Steve and Joanne Sallis hot on their transom.
The pair of boats duelled for two laps with Tom and Andrea covering hard to gain enough ground up wind to survive the Sallis team's superior downwind speed.
On the third lap, the wind began to swing back to a more Northerly direction giving the fleet a fetch followed by a run and then a tight reach. Multiple Burton Cup winners Graham Camm and Zoe Ballantine began to charge. They stormed down the reach climbing to third and looked like a good bet to catch the leaders.
The race team did a great job in resetting the course and despite the marks and the fleet briefly disappearing in a rain squall, they got the job done.
Tom and Andrea enjoyed the reset course and pulled out a comfortable lead, Graham and Zoe got past the Sallis team to finish an epic if not a classic Burton Cup race in that order. The leading non winged rudder boat was Nigel and Chris White who revelled in the lighter conditions. The top Admirals cup (non double floor) boat was Matt Reid and Emily Fardell who finished 11th.
With the time limit reached for starting more races on the final day, the boats headed home to be greeted with free Pimms.
Overall Results:
If you finished in the top ten at the National 12 nationals then enter your Gear Guide information here
1st Tom Stewart and Andrea Ralph, N3544
2nd Steve and Joanne Sallis, N3531
3rd Graham Camm and Zoe Ballantine, N3530
4th John and Ollie Meadowcroft, N3543
Non winged rudder
1st Nigel and Chris White, N3445
2nd Jeremy and Luke Hartley, N3474
Admirals Cup
1st Matt Reid and Emily Fardell, N3404
2nd Marcus and Douglas Wheel, N3503
Vintage
1st Brian Kitching and Olivia Stodiek, 1657
2nd Alex Pausey and Jacques Hunter, 1777