14s set for an exciting Prince of Wales Cup
by Dan Holman 23 Jun 2015 14:58 BST
27 June - 3 July 2015
Next week, thirty International 14s will be heading to Abersoch for the Prince of Wales Cup, one of the oldest and most coveted trophies in dinghy racing. The sand gets everywhere, so I am told, and after last year's 50 miler, the fleet will be hoping for a shorter but equally epic race. Who's most likely to be at the front after this six lap test of stamina?
2012 champions McGrane/Hughes are having a gap year, but there are still many classy teams with the talent to win on the right day. And to be honest quite a few more who could fluke it if they emancipate themselves from the shackles of textbook championship conservatism and pile all of their chips in one corner (and then don't choke when they start to feel the hot breath of the fast boys down their necks).
And so can be summed up the romance of the winner-takes-all International 14 national championship trophy, gloriously bucking the trend of "amphitheatre" style modern high performance race courses since way back in 1927. Many of the great and the good of international dinghy sailing through the generations are embossed proudly into glistening stainless plaques around the flank of the historic Prince of Wales Cup, including Douglas Pattison...
Douglas Pattison & Mark Tait in Pamela are past POW winners, and bossed an audacious pin end flyer in last year's endurance race. However, rumour has it that their new Lennon Sails are missing Pamela's trademark poledancer graphics. Will this be their downfall, or allow them to focus more on the task in hand? Certainly ones to look out for in the lighter breezes.
Glen Truswell & Sam Pascoe in Scrumpet are the reigning World Champions. Their new boat has hit the water literally within a fortnight of the championships. Will they be rampant, winning at will as they were at the worlds, or on the beach in a sticky mess of epoxy, sand and tears? A new i14 will require approximately 254 hours of sailing before all the splices are in the right place and everything is working properly, but this will not be just any i14. Glen's reputation for perfect boat preparation is at stake. Rumours abound that Glen has sunk more man hours into this boat than were spent to erect the Golden Gate Bridge between San Fransisco and Berkeley. And Hadrians Wall. Also watch out for their World's winning boat, Crumpet, now in the capable hands of Andy Peake & Graeme Oliver.
Four time world champion Archie Massey & Harvey Hillary in George 1st have sprung back from defeat at the Worlds with renewed determination, a stiffer mast and potentially even tighter, more heavily branded clothing. Dominant so far this year in the absence of some of their stiffest competition, but always very fast and consistent, and with more experience and brainpower at the back of the boat than most to keep on top of things if it gets tricky. Moreover, both men have more miles under their belts as new fathers, and may be starting to chip into the sleep deficits, so could be on imperious form come the championship.
Katie Nurton and Nigel Ash may claim to be competing for the title of first-lady-helm-of-a-black-boat-with-a-bald-crew, but they know how to win races, particularly in the lighter airs. They have also adopted perhaps the most progressive approach to clothing and accesorisation in the fleet, with Cougar-skin truckers caps (Katie) and wispy jihadi beards (Nigel, of course) being used to disorientate and intimidate their opponents.
Andy & Tom Partington in Penguin Juice and Andy Fitgerald & Rich Dobson in Smash It! will be racing not only for the Prince of Wales Cup but also for the coveted title of first Helmsman Over 50. In a breeze, Julian Pearson & Nick Martin in Beast 2 could snatch it from under their noses...
The battle of the youth is likely to be equally tense, and contested at the very front of the fleet as well as in the bars and boutique clothing outlets of Abersoch. The main contenders are Cowes week X boat champ Andy Shaw, sailing with Adam Lees, and Neale Jones sailing with the far taller, and indisputably more handsome/less shouty progeny of Andy Fitzgerald. In a somewhat liberal, almost gallic arrangement facilitated by their employers, Magma Structures, these young chaps have been sharing a boat (and goodness knows what else) for the last 6 months, so POW will be the first time they actually meet on the water. Will the well worn, accommodating familiarity of the red Magma boat allow Shaw/Lees to prevail? Will Jones/Fitzgerald follow in the footsteps of their class legend fathers, or will picking up a new custom carbon race boat mere days before a championship end in heartbreak and very loose rigging in no particular order? Will seeing their old ride first hand, being driven recklessly hard by their mates erode their composure, or strengthen their resolve? More importantly, whose liver is the most robust?
Dark horses are Hugh MacLean & Ed Dyer, whose frankly risible approach to boat maintenance, and strategic performance at the final pre-POW meeting, will ensure they enjoy the comfort a 250m exclusion zone around them throughout the race.
The Battle of the Female Crews is possibly the most hard-core contest of the week. Immi Smith, Izzy Hartland, Kathy Sherratt and Simona Saccani will be fighting it out on the water while keeping their helms under strict control and off the sauce in the evenings.
A one-race championship like the Prince of Wales Cup rewards the fearless, and occasionally the stupid. Any one of fifteen boats could win and there are several newcomers who could shake things up. This year's POW Week is also a European championship, with visitors from France, Germany, Italy and that well known Eurozone (or should that be Eurovision?) superpower, Australia.
Racing starts on Sunday 28th June, with the Prince of Wales Cup scheduled for Tuesday. Watch this space for daily updates.