Noble Marine Laser Radial Spring Qualifier at Stokes Bay Sailing Club

by Hannah Snellgrove 22 Mar 2017 13:04 GMT 18-19 March 2017

The two previous Noble Marine Worlds and Europeans Laser Qualifiers had got the 2017 season off to a gentle light-wind start, but the 79 Laser Radials who had entered the third Qualifier of the season at Stokes Bay were promised a much livelier time from the weekend's forecast.

The eastern Solent delivered some great sailing conditions on the Saturday, as the fleet launched into a fresh 20kt south-westerly breeze ready for three exciting races on a trapezium/sausage/trapezium course.

The tide was with the wind for the first race and most of the fleet tacked onto port straight after the start to get inshore and into less adverse current. However, it was Ali Young, Milo Gill Taylor and Jordan Giles who were the top three to the windward mark having made the most of the biased pin end and got into good port lanes. A capsize from Gill-Taylor allowed Giles and Ellie Cumpsty to overtake him.

The wind really blew up and created close to survival conditions for the second lap with the downwind legs becoming a case of holding on for most competitors! Giles slipped to ninth and Gill-Taylor to fifth, credible results considering some further swimming that occurred for both sailors. The experience of Laser legends Steve Cockerill and Jon Emmett shone through as they took third and fourth respectively behind Young and Cumpsty.

In the second race, the tide began to turn and the wind eased a little, creating some more complicated decisions for the sailors. It was the group who launched off the biased pin end who were first to the windward mark, with Young leading the way from Gill-Taylor and Ben Elvin.

Young and Emmett extended away on the first downwind and held on until the finish, with Hannah Snellgrove sneaking past Gill-Taylor at the last mark to take third, having taken a lower route on the final reach.

With the tide now carrying the fleet over the line at some pace, the black flag came into its own and caught out a handful of sailors in the first attempt at starting the third race, although it meant that they did, at least, win the race to the warm showers!

The fleet were understandably more cautious on attempt two, with the windward mark leaders nailing the timing down on their approach to the biased pin end, before tacking and crossing the fleet.

Snellgrove led at the windward mark from Emmett and Young, and she held them off for the first lap and a second upwind, before Young's impressive downwind speed overhauled Snellgrove and saw her take her third bullet from three. Emmett completed his consistent day by holding off Elvin to take third.

With an even fresher breeze on Sunday, which was steadily increasing and gusting over 35kts, racing was abandoned and the results from Saturday stood. Young's perfect scoreline handed her the event victory, with Snellgrove tied on points with Emmett but taking second place on count back.

Overall Results:

Pos	Sail No	Helm	R1	R2	R3	Pts
1	202411	Ali YOUNG	1	1	1	2
2	209188	Hannah SNELLGROVE	12	3	2	5
3	207462	Jon EMMETT	4	2	3	5
4	210614	Ellie CUMPSTY	2	5	5	7
5	211870	Milo GILL‑TAYLOR	5	4	7	9
6	210982	Steve COCKERILL	3	9	12	12
7	208663	Ben ELVIN	8	BFD80	4	12
8	207571	Georgina POVALL	6	6	6	12
9	210560	Jordan GILES	9	7	8	15
10	201175	David SAUNDERS	7	10	11	17
11	206880	Craig WILLIAMSON	10	8	31	18
12	207093	Joseph DRAKE	11	12	10	21
13	210001	Chloe BARR	13	11	17	24
14	209453	Arthur BROWN	16	17	9	25
15	184951	Tom RENNY	DNC80	13	13	26
16	208712	Clementine THOMPSON	14	14	18	28
17	201942	Bob CUDMORE	15	16	16	31
18	210220	Daisy COLLINGRIDGE	18	15	30	33
19	212077	Arthur FRY	20	19	15	34
20	211405	Daniel WIGMORE	17	18	40	35
21	206782	Krishan BHOGAL	19	27	20	39
22	206504	Rob CAGE	29	28	14	42
23	201514	Ted BLOWERS	22	21	21	42
24	209977	Jake BOWHAY	23	30	23	46
25	211457	Alice WOODINGS	46	24	24	48
26	206839	Eleanor POOLE	24	25	28	49
27	182593	Ciaran RANDERIA	25	29	25	50
28	204125	Douglas CALDER	49	34	19	53
29	190564	Robbie URWIN	34	20	42	54
30	197941	Alexander BUTLER	33	39	22	55
31	198310	Ellie HUTCHINGS	32	36	26	58
32	206365	Rheanns PAVEY	44	23	36	59
33	203969	Dan THORNE‑LARGE	26	43	33	59
34	188781	James RUSS	41	22	BFD80	63
35	197705	Molly SACKER	30	33	35	63
36	208650	Henry BEARDSALL	37	51	27	64
37	205270	Yann BRACEGIRDLE	35	37	29	64
38	209929	Thomas WOODINGS	39	26	46	65
39	211875	Mila MONAGHAN	63	31	34	65
40	211014	Iain DUNCAN	21	66	45	66
41	210236	Anya HAJI‑MICHAEL	27	45	43	70
42	206876	Oliver BLACKBURN	28	42	47	70
43	191316	Christopher JONES	DNC80	35	37	72
44	207986	Eleanor CRAIG	31	52	44	75
45	185608	Mike SHEPHERD	43	32	56	75
46	204914	Stephanie WINGEATT	40	44	41	81
47	206794	Harry COWELL	36	47	48	83
48	208686	Max HUNT	42	41	DNC80	83
49	207299	Matilda NICHOLLS	38	46	BFD80	84
50	198549	Hugo HANSEN	57	50	39	89
51	210000	Emma CRANE	58	38	52	90
52	203320	Gareth EDWARDS	51	40	53	91
53	201405	Franklin WRIGHT	45	53	51	96
54	208970	Tom POLLARD	60	DNC80	38	98
55	209980	Charlie SOUTH	50	48	50	98
56	181426	Scott PARKER	47	54	62	101
57	134711	Paul MOUGHTIN‑LEAY	59	56	49	105
58	202447	Rhys WILLIAMS	56	49	59	105
59	202527	Rory HARPER	53	57	54	107
60	207703	Thomas BRINDLEY	DNC80	DNC80	32	112
61	202543	Leila MOORE	52	60	60	112
62	208152	Haydn LAVENDER	62	55	57	112
63	202529	Samuel GRIMSHAW	54	59	BFD80	113
64	205768	Deborah HUGHES	55	62	58	113
65	204068	Martin COWELL	DNC80	61	55	116
66	211256	Christine WOOD	64	58	63	121
67	203975	Piers LUXFORD	61	63	61	122
68	179741	Elizabeth BROWN	48	DNC80	DNC80	128
69	164536	Angus JAMIESON	65	64	64	128
70	198575	Molly TULETT	66	65	65	130
71	201709	Robert DRAPER	DNC80	DNC80	DNC80	160
71	208125	Joe SCURRAH	DNC80	DNC80	DNC80	160
71	208853	Ben WHALLEY	DNC80	DNC80	DNC80	160
71	208715	Sam DAVIS	DNC80	DNC80	DNC80	160
71	206493	Theo PHILLIPS	DNC80	DNC80	DNC80	160
71	164422	George SUNDERLAND	DNF80	DNC80	DNC80	160
71	211322	Natalya WILLIAMS	DNF80	DNC80	DNC80	160
71	185731	Luke BEUVINK	DNC80	DNC80	DNC80	160
71	136545	Freya ANDERSON	DNF80	DNC80	DNC80	160