2000 class Nationals at South Caernarvonshire Yacht Club - Overall

It was dull, grey and misty on the beach on the last day of the 2015, LDC and Noble Marine sponsored, 2000 National Championships hosted by South Caernarvonshire Yacht Club.

The wind as we launched was 2-3 knots, but it picked up to 10-12 as we sailed out to the start, and then to 15-18 knots for the first race. The choice on the beat was to the left for less adverse tide, up the centre playing the small shifts, or to the right for slightly more wind and a better route into the first mark. The leaders all came from the left, with Rob / Sarah Burridge leading from Richard / Ian Hudson who were showing some great extra speed at the end of the week.

Fergus Barnham / Serena De Nahlik were taking things easy on the first lap, as they just needed a result, but on the second lap they turned the speed on and sailed back into the lead as the wind picked up a little, while Simon Horsefield / Tom Bernal powered through to 3rd, but lost a place to Matt / Clare Sargent on the short reach to the finish line.

The second race was slightly delayed, partly by a wind shift causing a biased line / beat, and partly by the fleet pushing the line too much and needing a general recall and black flag! Rather than 3 laps, the Race Officer (Malcom Blackburn) set just two laps, but he also extended the length of each lap - the windward mark looked (for those who could see a mile upwind from a small bouncy dinghy!) a long way away against the tide. The wind had risen to 20 - 22 knots, creating a lot of tired legs! Fergus / Serena sailed off into the distance from the pin end of the line, chased closely on the left by Rob / Sarah Burridge and Chris / Gill Jordan. After 10 or 12 minutes on one tack (legs!), a 5 degree shift was enough for them to tack back and cross the rest of the fleet into the first mark.

A great sleigh ride downwind with the waves was enjoyed by everyone, especially Simon Horsefield / Tom Bernal who once again powered through into 2nd place. The second beat (and the last beat of the week) seemed even further, and allowed the heavy weights to make up for their slightly slower speed down-wind. The final run caught a number of people out on the gybes as the wind was peaking at around 25 knots, but Matt / Clare Sargent steamed through into 3rd place, although they were later DSQ for a different incident, allowing Rob / Sarah Burridge to claim 2nd overall behind the all-conquering Fergus Barnham / Serena de Nahlik. Fergus following his parents (Jasper / Laura Barnham), who were National Champions of the 2000 class 2 years previously.

Winners Fergus Barnham & Serena De Nahlik with the Commodore of South Caernarvonshire Yacht Club during the 2000 class Nationals at Abersoch - photo © Chris Jordan

Overall Results: