West Kirby Warriors crowned Team15 champions
by Imogen Stanley 21 Sep 2015 19:36 BST
19-20 September 2015
West Kirby Warriors win the RYA/UKWA National Windsurfing Championships at Grafham Water © Paul Wyeth / RYA
Olympic medallists and rising talents rubbed shoulders at this weekend's RYA/UKWA National Windsurfing Championships, where over 190 sailors were in action at Grafham Water (19-20 September).
Light winds on the opening day saw racing delayed and eventually cancelled, but as the wind filled in on Sunday morning all fleets completed at least four races on day two of the Championships.
The National Windsurfing Championships are open to all, however the top two Team15 teams in each region were eligible to compete for the Champions Cup. The teams were invited based on their performance at regional events that took place earlier in the year.
West Kirby Warriors proved they are the team to beat after being crowned Team15 Champions Cup winners for the third year in a row, with Oliver Lloyd winning the 5.8M fleet.
Axbridge Animals dominated the 3.5M fleet taking all three podium spots. Toby Dawkins won four of the six races to win the event with Guy Owen and sister Ruby in second and third respectively.
Oscar Shaw, from Academy Allstars, began the day with a starting penalty in the 4.5M fleet but a hat-trick of race wins and two seconds secured him first overall at the conclusion of racing on Sunday. Arun Brunskill (West Kirby Warriors) led the chasing pack in second with Charlie Bennett (Pugney Pirates) just one point behind Brunskill in third.
In the 5.8M fleet, Oliver Lloyd's (West Kirby Warriors) six consecutive scores inside the top three secured him the overall win, Aoife Calnan from Oxford Zoomers won the final races of the day and finished second.
Joshua Carey topped the Techno 7.8 fleet, with a clean sweep of race wins whilst Ben Tweedle took the Techno 6.8 honours.
In the Techno Team15 fleet, Molly Howell (Hollingworth Hunters) and Julian Tait (Oxford Zoomers) battled it out on the 7.8, with Howell taking the final advantage to win by just a point from Tait. Josephine Spencer from Siblyback Water Warriors finished third Team15 windsurfer while first Team15 Techno 6.8 was Izzy Adcock from Academy Allstars.
In the RS:X 8.5 fleet, which also doubled up as the second event of three for the RS:X class in the RYA Olympic Classes National Ranking Series, the British Sailing Team's Bryony Shaw won three of the four races to win, closely followed by ISAF Youth Worlds member Daniel Wilson, who was also first Youth boy, and Izzy Hamilton in third. Emily Hall finished as first Youth girl and fifth overall.
British Sailing Team Podium Potential sailors Kieran Martin and Joe Bennett finished first and second respectively in the RS:X 9.5 fleet. Finally, in the Raceboard fleet, which includes Masters, Veterans and Super Veteran sailors, Mark Kay came out on top, closely followed by Tom Naylor in second.
Chris Blackburn, RYA High Performance Manager for the North and Midlands said: "This year's windsurfing nationals was a huge success. It's great to see British Sailing Team members competing alongside new windsurfers at their very first event.
"Once again, operations ran smoothly combining the Champions Cup and Windsurfing Nationals and I am looking forward to next year's event."
At the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, sailors were on the water for the second of three Olympic National rankers. The weather was shining on WPNSA throughout the two day event (18-19 September), and although winds were light and shifty, seven races were completed.
The British Sailing Team were out in force, Dylan Fletcher and Alain Sign won the 49er ahead of Podium sailors John Pink and Stuart Bithell, James Peters and Fynn Sterritt finished just a point behind in third.
Kate Macgregor and Stephanie Orton won the 49erFX class, closely followed by Charlotte Dobson and Sophie Ainsworth. Winning half the races in the Finn fleet put Ben Cornish's name at the top of the scoreboard, while Megan Pascoe won all put one of the 2.4mR races to end her weekend in first.
Tim Riley and James Taylor won the 470 fleet on countback from Jess Lavery and Eilidh McIntyre.
Racing concluded on Saturday to make way for participation in Bart's Bash on Sunday 20 September.
The third and final event in the RYA Olympic Classes National Ranking Series will be held at WPNSA from 17 – 18 October.
Results for National Windsurfing Championships here and Team15 Champions Cup here.
Results for Olympic Classes National Ranker here.