Gul National 12 Burton Week at Brightlingsea Sailing Club

Gul National 12 Burton Week at Brightlingsea Sailing Club - Day 3

by Fiona Brown 23 Aug 2016 08:24 BST 20-23 August 2016

Gul National 12 Burton Week at Brightlingsea © Fiona Brown

2016 marks the 80th anniversary of the launching of the first National 12 and the 75th time the class has raced for the prestigious Sir William Burton Cup. Burton Week 2016, which is the British National Championship for the National 12 Class and incorporates the very special Burton Cup race, is being hosted by Brightlingsea Sailing Club from 20 to 23 August.

Today's second day of racing featured two races, race three of the national championship points series followed by the special Sir William Burton Cup race, which is sailed to rules laid out in its historic deed of gift.

The boats left the launching ramp in a strong westerly that was periodically gusting up over twenty knots which made for a hairy reach to the race area and an even more spectacular race. The first attempt to get racing underway had to be recalled, but on the second time of asking the fleet was away and powered up the first beat in style. The course was a compact triangle/sausage format and the first reach was an absolute white knuckle ride. As the boats came into the gybe mark a number elected to wear round rather than gybe, although even this proved problematic for a number of these infamously tippy little boats.

By the second lap of the race the wind was starting to drop down into the mid teens making life a great deal easier for the crews, although there were still plenty of thrills and spills to entertain the spectators who had come out to watch aboard Steve and Carole Heppell's 108 year old Brightlingsea built Kidby fishing smack My Alice. From the outset Steve Sallis and Katy Meadowcroft sailing Catbert from Hykeham SC looked impressively controlled throwing in confident gybes and never being unduly troubled by the short steep chop which could have been designed to make National 12 sailing as tricky as possible. Nick Copsey and Steve Carver sailing All Tide Up from Stokes Bay SC kept the pressure on the leaders but couldn't catch them, while Tom and Robert Stewart sailing Whitebait from Fox Marina YC took third, John and Mandy Thornton sailing The Full Monty from Burghfield SC fourth and overnight regatta leaders John and Ollie Meadowcroft sailing D B Cooper from Upper Thames SC were fifth.

Gul National 12 Burton Week at Brightlingsea - photo © Fiona Brown

For the big Burton Cup race the deed of gift calls for a triangular course with each leg being 1 mile long, a minimum of 12 miles must be sailed and the race must finish upwind. Race Officer Dave Charlton and his team set up the course to those specifications and got proceedings underway again. The fleet got away at the first time of asking with an individual recall signalled. Neal and Freya Lily-white sailing Indecision from Burghfield SC were over the line but failed to return so were scored OCS. For the remainder of the fleet it was to be a gorgeous race in bright sunshine and a breeze which went from mid teens at the start of the race to circa ten knots by the finish.

Tom and Robert Stewart got a nice start and took advantage of the relatively clear air to pick their way up the beat just ahead of the chasing pack. John and Ollie Meadowcroft slotted in behind them and the pair spent the rest of the race slowly extending on the rest of the pack as the Meadowcrofts did all the could to get past the Stewarts, whilst the Stewarts defended impressively.

Gul National 12 Burton Week at Brightlingsea - photo © Fiona Brown

On the line it was Tom and Robert Stewart who claimed the right to add their names to one of British yachting's best known trophies. The Meadowcrofts took second with Kevin Iles and Andrea Downham sailing Snagglepuss from Thorpe Bay YC third and Jeremy and Luke Hartley sailing Dead Cat Bounce from Stoke Bay SC fourth. In fifth place and winning the Coronation Cup for the highest placed husband and wife team were defending champions Graham Camm and Zoe Ballantyne sailing Very Hungry Caterpillar for Burghfield SC.

The Burton Cup race also counts towards the series points and in the overall standings John and Ollie Meadowcroft continue to lead the fleet with four points. Today's third and second places move Tom and Robert Stewart up the leaderboard into second place, four points behind the leaders and a single point ahead of third placed Steve Sallis and Katy Meadowcroft. Just one more point back in fifth are Nick Copsey and Steven Carver, while Graham Camm and Zoe Ballantyne and Jeremy and Luke Hartley both now count twelve points overall with Camm taking sixth on count back.

Gul National 12 Burton Week at Brightlingsea - photo © Fiona Brown

Going into tomorrow's final day its all still to sail for with up to three races technically possible, although a combination of a 14.00 last race start time and a forecast for very light winds make achieving all three unlikely.

After sailing the fleet gathered for it's Annual General Meeting, followed by a beach BBQ and fun and games set against the backdrop of a spectacular sunset.

Sir William Burton Cup Results:

Pos	Sail No	Helm	Crew	Boat Name	Club	Pts
1	3544	Tom Stewart	Robert Stewart	Whitebait	Fox Marina Y C	1
2	3543	John Meadowcroft	Ollie Meadowcroft	D. B. Cooper	Upper Thames S C	2
3	3527	Kevin Iles	Andrea Downham	Snagglepuss	Thorpe Bay Y C	3
4	3519	Jeremy Hartley	Luke Hartley	Dead Cat Bounce	Stokes Bay S C	4
5	3530	Graham Camm	Zoe Ballantyne	Very Hungry Caterpillar	Burghfield S C	5
6	3548	Nick Copsey	Steve Carver	All Tide Up	Stokes Bay S C	6
7	3526	Sophie Mackley	Charlotte Stewart	Catch The Sun	Shoreham & Waldringfield	7
8	3431	Tom Ballantine	Rebecca Bines	Zippy	Salcombe Y C	8
9	3546	David Conlon	Sarah Bines	Shades Of Grey	Brightlingsea S C	9
10	3531	Steve Sallis	Katy Meadowcroft	Catbert	Hykeham S C	10
11	3437	Chris Mayhew	Nicole Mayhew	Worth Its Weight	Royal Harwich Y C	11
12	3477	Bruce Johnson	Rebecca Johnson	Clandestino	Royal Harwich Y C	12
13	3445	Nigel White	Chris White	Capriccio	Burghfield S C	13
14	3514	Ed Storey	Tom Storey	Elise	Yorkshire Dales S C	14
15	3428	Ryan Bush	Phil Bush	Big Issue	Bristol Corinthian Y C	15
16	3515	Geoff Camm	Amelia Camm	Happy Hour	Warsash S C	16
17	3532	Gavin Willis	Toby Dawkins	F’ In Boat	Bristol Corinthian Y C	17
18	3513	George Finch	Lucy Homer	Silver Lining	Royal Harwich Y C	18
19	3438	Tom Jefferies	Hannah Wickenden	Little Miss Chatterbox	South Cerney S C	19
20	2935	David Croft	Rosemary Croft	Close To The Edge	Royal Yachting Association	20
21	2993	Chris Troth	Maria Gidley	Bouncer	Olton Mere S C	21
22	3443	John Thornton	Mandy Thornton	The Full Monty	Burghfield S C	RTD
23	3537	Mike Hoyle	Zoe Whittaker	Lola	Salcombe Y C/ R H Y C	RTD
24	3271	Neal Lillywhite	Freya Lillywhite	Indecision	Burghfield S C	0CS
25	3450	Richard Williams	Lindsey Iles	Carbon 12	Shotley S C	DNC
26	3540	Jon Ibbotson	Rachel Smith	Atomic Kitten	Burghfield S C	RTD
27	3529	Antony Gifford	James Gifford	Cat In The Hat	Royal Harwich Y C	DNC
28	3528	Alex Jackson	Rachel Alder	Blue Kangaroo	Hampton S C	DNC
29	3545	Tom Lee	Jenefer Bugge	A Wood And A Sheep	Burghfield S C	DNC
30	3502	Patrick Hamilton	Ellen Storey	Carbonara	Burwain S C	DNC
31	3525	Ian Gore	Alex Gore	Mog	Up River Y C	DNC
32	3538	Richard Elston	Duncan Mcgoldrick	Glass And A Half Full	Royal Harwich Y C	DNC
33	3203	Tim Gray	Wendy Gray	Skylark	Staunton Harold S C	DNC
34	2620	David Peacock	Lesley Iles	Fair Lady	Arden S C	DNC
35	3473	Rosie White	Naomi Bilton	Max Factor	Oulton Mere S C	DNC
36	3405	Derek Mayhew	David Thompson	Denouement	Royal Harwich Y C	DNC
37	3231	Angus Beyts	Tanya Copsey	Mr Bill	Newburgh S C	DNC
38	1833	Ed Willett	Isobel Stewart	Water Nymph	Cramond Boat Club	DNC
39	2403	Paul Turner	Christine Preston	China Doll	Trent Valley S C	DNC
40	2531	Vincent Phillips	Alex Phillips	Invasion Ii	Yorkshire Ouse S C	DNC
41	3547	Dare Barry	Will Sunderland	The Ultimate Pudding	Royal Victoria Y C	DNC

Results after Day 3:

Pos	Sail No	Helm	Crew	Boat Name	Club	R1	R2	R3	R4	Pts
1	3543	John Meadowcroft	Ollie Meadowcroft	D. B. Cooper	Upper Thames S C	1	1	5	2	4
2	3544	Tom Stewart	Robert Stewart	Whitebait	Fox Marina Y C	4	5	3	1	8
3	3531	Steve Sallis	Katy Meadowcroft	Catbert	Hykeham S C	5	3	1	10	9
4	3548	Nick Copsey	Steve Carver	All Tide Up	Stokes Bay S C	2	9	2	6	10
5	3530	Graham Camm	Zoe Ballantyne	Very Hungry Caterpillar	Burghfield S C	3	4	9	5	12
6	3519	Jeremy Hartley	Luke Hartley	Dead Cat Bounce	Stokes Bay S C	9	2	6	4	12
7	3527	Kevin Iles	Andrea Downham	Snagglepuss	Thorpe Bay Y C	6	7	14	3	16
8	3443	John Thornton	Mandy Thornton	The Full Monty	Burghfield S C	7	6	4	42	17
9	3431	Tom Ballantine	Rebecca Bines	Zippy	Salcombe Y C	10	13	7	8	25
10	3526	Sophie Mackley	Charlotte Stewart	Catch The Sun	Shoreham & Waldringfield	13	15	8	7	28
11	3515	Geoff Camm	Amelia Camm	Happy Hour	SWaCr’ssashS C	16	11	10	16	37
12	3428	Ryan Bush	Phil Bush	Big Issue	Bristol Corinthian Y C	12	20	12	15	39
13	3546	David Conlon	Sarah Bines	Shades Of Grey	Brightlingsea S C	21	16	16	9	41
14	3514	Ed Storey	Tom Storey	Elise	Yorkshire Dales S C	18	26	13	14	45
15	3437	Chris Mayhew	Nicole Mayhew	Worth Its Weight	Royal Harwich Y C	17	21	19	11	47
16	3537	Mike Hoyle	Zoe Whittaker	Lola	Salcombe Y C/ R H Y C	19	17	11	42	47
17	3532	Gavin Willis	Toby Dawkins	F’ In Boat	Bristol Corinthian Y C	29	14	18	17	49
18	3477	Bruce Johnson	Rebecca Johnson	Clandestino	Royal Harwich Y C	24	23	17	12	52
19	3445	Nigel White	Chris White	Capriccio	Burghfield S C	26	19	20	13	52
20	3513	George Finch	Lucy Homer	Silver Lining	Royal Harwich Y C	25	24	15	18	57
21	3450	Richard Williams	Lindsey Iles	Carbon 12	Shotley S C	11	12	42	42	65
22	3540	Jon Ibbotson	Rachel Smith	Atomic Kitten	Burghfield S C	15	8	42	42	65
23	3529	Antony Gifford	James Gifford	Cat In The Hat	Royal Harwich Y C	14	10	42	42	66
24	3438	Tom Jefferies	Hannah Wickenden	Little Miss Chatterbox	South Cerney S C	27	27	21	19	67
25	2935	David Croft	Rosemary Croft	Close To The Edge	Royal Yachting	30	28	24	20	72
26	2993	Chris Troth	Maria Gidley	Bouncer	AOlstsoonc iMateiroen S C	42	29	23	21	73
27	3528	Alex Jackson	Rachel Alder	Blue Kangaroo	Hampton S C	20	18	42	42	80
28	3271	Neal Lillywhite	Freya Lillywhite	Indecision	Burghfield S C	31	30	22	42	83
29	3545	Tom Lee	Jenefer Bugge	A Wood And A Sheep	Burghfield S C	22	22	42	42	86
30	3502	Patrick Hamilton	Ellen Storey	Carbonara	Burwain S C	23	25	42	42	90
31	3525	Ian Gore	Alex Gore	Mog	Up River Y C	8	42	42	42	92
32	3538	Richard Elston	Duncan Mcgoldrick	Glass And A Half Full	Royal Harwich Y C	34	31	42	42	107
33	3203	Tim Gray	Wendy Gray	Skylark	Staunton Harold S C	28	42	42	42	112
34	2620	David Peacock	Lesley Iles	Fair Lady	Arden S C	32	42	42	42	116
35	3473	Rosie White	Naomi Bilton	Max Factor	Oulton Mere S C	33	42	42	42	117
36	3405	Derek Mayhew	David Thompson	Denouement	Royal Harwich Y C	35	42	42	42	119
37	3231	Angus Beyts	Tanya Copsey	Mr Bill	Newburgh S C	36	42	42	42	120
38	1833	Ed Willett	Isobel Stewart	Water Nymph	Cramond Boat Club	42	42	42	42	126
39	2403	Paul Turner	Christine Preston	China Doll	Trent Valley S C	42	42	42	42	126
40	2531	Vincent Phillips	Alex Phillips	Invasion Ii	Yorkshire Ouse S C	42	42	42	42	126
41	3547	Dare Barry	Will Sunderland	The Ultimate Pudding	Royal Victoria Y C	42	42	42	42	126