Noble Marine Laser Spring Qualifier at Stokes Bay Sailing Club

This weekend, 14–15 March, the second Laser Spring Qualifier was held at Stokes Bay Sailing Club. Nick Thompson, Alex Mills-Barton and Elliot Hanson had all been training in Rio, so the front was a little less contended than usual. However, every year a name from the past rocks up to Stokes Bay to relive the dream of the venue that was once a Mecca for Laser sailors – this year the new Laser Podium Potential Squad and National Youth Squad coach James Gray got back in the boat to test the lads.

The forecast was a NE 12–14kts with a pretty bitter 6 degrees air temperature, making for blue-lipped, finger-numbing racing. Race 1 had the current running left to right across the course, making for some fun at the pin end where boats sat way below the layline hoping they would be able to make the pin by the gun. Race 1 saw the lead jump around up the first beat with Martin Evans eventually leading at the windward and Lorenzo Chiavarini close behind. The reach was such that the breeze increased the closer to the wing mark you got, resulting in the fleet spreading out rapidly, with Evans and Chiavarini stretching out a huge lead over the rest of the fleet. Evans led the last downwind, but Chiavarini played his trump card and paced it past in some pressure to take the win. Henry Wetherell took third and Tom Scott of Brightlingsea took fourth.

The second race (embarrassingly for the boys in blue) saw James Gray leading round the course with Evans and Chiavarini chasing. By the final windward, Evans had managed to squeeze past Gray with Chiavarini hot on his heels. Big pressure differences on the last downwind allowed Evans to sail away and Chiavarini to get the better of Gray, giving Evans the win, Chiavarini second and Gray third.

Race 3 had Henry Wetherell leading at the first mark with a big bunch behind. The reach was deep and variable making the lead a really tough place to defend. Evans managed to take the inside on the wing and opened up a comfortable gap around the course, eventually taking the win. Henry held second place from his brother, Jack, with Chiavarini in fourth.

Sunday was much of the same conditions, though slightly warmer, with shifts and pressure taking priority over the tide. Race 4 saw Jack Wetherell show his form in the shifty conditions, making a healthy jump on the fleet from a good start and playing the right of the pack to lead around the windward. Micky Beckett chased him down on the reach and took the lead. Wetherell battled back on the second upwind and held on to take the win, Beckett was second, Evans third and Chiavarini, coming from deep but storming the final downwind, took fourth.

Race 5 saw Chiavarini and Beckett lead the pack around the windward and wing. Evans was taking places consistently along the reaches, making the most of a big puff on the bottom reach to move into second place. Evans and Chiavarini battled the second upwind with Evans leading round the top. A win for Evans in this race would see him take the regatta with a race to spare, but again, Chiavarini turned up the gas and passed him on the downwind to take the win with Beckett in third, leaving the regatta down to the last race.

Evans had a two-point lead over Chiavarini and a third as his discard, meaning Chiavarini had to win the race and Evans come third or worse to take the regatta. The boys in blue congregated at the pin, but soon after the start a right shift came in and held up most of the beat. James Gray led around the windward comfortably with many new faces from the Youth squad packing round behind him. Chiavarini, Jack Wetherell and Evans were all deeper and caught in traffic. Gray sailed away to stretch his lead. Chiavarini chased down the youngsters to move in third whilst Evans battled around the reaches and second beat, moving into fourth. Sam Whaley of Swanage held second. On the downwind, Chiavarini took second and Evans third, meaning that Evans would take the overall win in this position. There was no catching Gray, so that is how the results finished – Evans taking the overall win and leading the overall ladder, Chiavarini in second and Jack Wetherell in third.

Big thanks to Stokes Bay Sailing Club, Ken Falcon, Dot Beadsworth and their teams for putting on another great Stokes Qualifier. A shout should also go to Nick Stoten of Mounts Bay, who came in hot to the final gybe mark of the second race and just clipped the buoy. He took his penalty in a breezy gust even though it would mean losing a place to the only boat behind him and crossing the line last – a shining example of honesty and sportsmanship on the course.

Overall Results: (top three)

1 Martin Evans, 9pts
2 Lorenzo Chiavarini, 10pts
3 Jack Wetherell, 18pts

Full results can be found here.