Europe National Championship at Dabchicks Sailing Club

Andy Harris, 2015 Europe National Champion © Dabchicks Race Team

The Europe class returned to Dabchicks SC for this year's nationals, sharing the race course with the OK open meeting fleet. Although numbers were down the competition was still keen with three different race winners across the six race series. As usual with the Europes, (and only with the Europes) - another fifty/fifty gender split!

Saturday provided champagne sailing conditions of warm sunshine with 10 knots of breeze which built a little through the afternoon, after giving PRO Peter Fitt a headache by shifting through 45° between the first and second races. Mike Wallis enjoyed the variable conditions taking the first two races, while Andy Harris improved with the increasing wind to take race 3.

Both fleets gathered at the club for a curry on Saturday night with any guilt about over-eating assuaged by a windy forecast for the following day.

Sure enough Sunday morning found a solid force 4 blowing, accompanied by grey skies and a chilly feel to proceedings. The seas in the Blackwater estuary were a little lumpier and the tide was running stongly.

Lucy Boreham made a good start to race 4, covering Andy as they sailed out to the far right corner of the first beat. Finding less tide there they opened up a good lead with Lucy taking the race win. Positions were revesed for Race 5 with a further win for Andy, Mike having been temporarily slowed by a broken toestrap.

The top three places were still wide open going into the final race. As Andy sheeted in for the starting gun his mainsheet parted, leading to his retirement while Lucy chased Mike around the course. She was within stiking distance at the final mark, catching Mike up as he broached exiting his gybe, but had to round up beneath him. This left him in a good position to cover Lucy along the final reach to win by half a boatlength.

Andy had assumed that his chances had vanished with his retirement but once the results were computed he was amazed to discover he had won the event by a single point from Mike and Lucy. Lucy became Ladies Champion and Richard Eagleton took home the Swinging Sixties masters' trophy.

The class would like to thank everyone at Dabchicks for putting on a great event which ran like clockwork.

Overall Results:
If you took part in the Europe nationals then enter your Gear Guide information here