2000 National Championship at East Lothian Yacht Club - Day 1
by Chris Jordan 6 Aug 2017 22:20 BST
6-11 August 2017
Waiting for the wind to settle during the 2000 Nationals at East Lothian © Chris Jordan
Jim Sinclair, the Race Officer from East Lothian Yacht Club, said at the briefing: The clouds at 1000 feet are blowing from the South (the forecasted direction), but the wind on the race course is 8-10 knots from the North-East.
After an hour's postponement waiting for one or the other to establish themselves, the NE-ly was still blowing steadily, so we were sent afloat in the Noble Marine and North Berwick Gin sponsored 2000 National Championships. As normal, just as we reached the start area, the NE-ly switched off and30 minutes later we were into a start in the southerly, offshore, breeze. 2 minutes before the start, the wind went left by 25 degrees, causing a pile up at the pin and a General Recall.
Again, another 30 minutes wait was needed for the wind to "settle" - enough for a clean start and a good race. Ian and Sarah Yardley (SWSC) headed downtide fast, and after tacking back across the fleet were clearly in the lead - but it was Ian and Richard Hudson (Bough Beech SC) who judged the first mark the best. With 30 degree, often very short, shifts and a wind gusting from 7 to 12 knots, there were lots of place changes and different leaders in the fleet, before Simon Horsfield and Jess Hunter from the Army Sailing Association who led at the right time at the end of the shortened course. The excitement was in 3rd to 9th, who all finished overlapped in a big gust at the end of the run.
Feeling much happier at getting a clean race in, Jim decided to try again at about 17.00 pm - and despite the tide now flowing strongly across the course set a good clean start line and an accurate windward / leeward course in the, still very shifty, 8-12 knot southerly breeze.
Steve and Sarah Cockerill (Stokes Bay SC) led from soon after the start into the first mark - Steve fresh from his win at the Aero World Championships. They were closely followed by Matt and Johnny Sargent - Johnny was fresh from his win at the 70-boat Regatta Fleet at the Optimist National Championships. Following the gusts and shifts downwind proved to be more successful than sailing for the tide - despite ending up well down tide. By the end of the race, Steve and Sarah clinched the win, and Simon and Jess pulled up 4 places on the last lap to take second and to lead overnight.
The end of the day was very nicely rounded off with the ELYC Commodore's Reception - great North Berwick Gin and some very welcome food. The 2000 Chairman's Moments prize went to Mark Burnell and Pete Mileham - taking the lead ELYC boat despite not sailing together before.
At the end of the first day, Simon Horsfield and Jess Hunter lead, followed by Steve and Sarah Cockerill, Richard and Ian Hudson, Matt and Johnny Sargent, Stuart Williams and Emily Towersey Veal (Army Sailing Association), and Kev and Jake O'Brien (RAF Sailing Association).
More information on the East Lothian Yacht Club website here.