Volvo Gill Optimist British Nationals at Pwllheli - Overall
by Sophie Sellers 9 Aug 2015 09:57 BST
26 July - 2 August 2015
Volvo Gill Optimist British Nationals © Peter Newton Photography
Pwllheli is peaceful again after 470 young Optimist sailors descended on Pwllheli Sailing Club in North Wales for the 2015 Volvo Gill Optimist British Open & National Championships which came to a close on Friday 31st July.
With unpredictable weather conditions were the young sailors had a challenging event on their hands and lots of competition from an overseas presence with squads from countries including USA, The Netherlands and Ireland. Many other countries were also represented, including sailors from Spain, Malta, Belgium, Hong Kong and New Zealand.
Sailors participated across 5 fleets: Senior and Junior Main Fleets; Transition Fleet, Regatta Coaching Fleet and Mini Racers with all fleets demonstrating a very high standard of sailing.
There are about 160 competitors in the senior fleet, with the entry dominated by overseas competitors who account for over half the entries. Most of these overseas sailors have been selected to represent their countries at the upcoming Optimist World Championships in Poland later in the summer, so they're using the British event as for event preparation and making it a really competitive event.
Sunday was the first scheduled race day, so after a short delay the race team set out with strong winds from the south west and rain, heavy at times. The fleets tallied out and waited on the beach for the launch signal, but the visibility reduced and the race team decided that racing would not be possible, with visibility reduced to less than half a mile. The race team returned to harbour and the sailors made their way back up the beach to dry out and take advantage of the stunning new sailing base at Plas Heli.
Three races were completed on Monday, in fresh conditions - south westerly 17-21 knots with occasional rain showers - at Pwllheli a south-westerly means big waves and plenty of excitement - throughout the fleet, there are stories to tell of endurance, exhilaration and near wipe-outs!
For Tuesday, the winds decreased slightly, averaging around 16 knots with gusts of up to 24 knots and coming initially from the north west, but moving round to south west as the day progressed. However, it wasn't just a matter of protecting the left hand side of the course, as the shifts coming off the land sometimes went right for quite a few minutes. With wind against tide for the first two races of the day, there were quite a few black flag disqualifications as sailors misjudged the tidal effect, but after four races on the day, seven in total, and a discard available, the best sailors have risen to the top of the fleet.
Wednesday was a well-served rest day and the fleet now splits into gold and silver for the next two days of racing. The top five places are currently held by overseas sailors, but the points are still close, and Rhys Lewis and Milly Boyle closed behind in sixth and seventh places.
The final day of racing on Thursday saw some sunshine finally make the apperance everyone had been waiting for and sailors performing at their best to secure their results:
- Senior Gold - Lalia Louise Van Der Meer (F) 15 Frisia Sailing Club
- The Netherlands Senior Silver - Lily Hofman (F) 13 Famed Club
- The Netherlands Junior Gold - Richard Schulthesis (M) 10 Malta Young Sailors Club
- Junior Silver - Finn Rogers (M) 12 GBR 6214 St. Catherines Sailing Club, Jersey
- Transition Fleet - Finlay Craigen (M) 11 GBR 6336 Royal Southern Yacht Club, Southampton
- Regatta Coaching Fleet - Oliver Hughes (M) 11 GBR 5062 Papercourt Sailing Club Surrey
- Mini Racers - Freya Alsop (F) 8 GBR 5947 Burghfield Sailing club Reading
Overall Results: