International 14 Prince of Wales Cup Week at Rock - Day 4
by Doug Pattison & Mark Tait 31 Aug 2017 20:07 BST
28 August - 1 September 2017
The fleet where appreciative of a slightly later start time of midday with two races scheduled for the Llandudno Trophy. With sunny spells and a light breeze from the South West the fleet were met with the now familiar Atlantic swell bouncing around Padstow Bay.
Race 1 got off first go with Douglas Pattison & Mark Tait firing out of the blocks, taking control of the first half of the beat. By the windward mark a left hand shift had given Andy Fitzgerald and Richard Dobson the lead followed by Douglas & Mark and then Philip McDanell & Luke Boughton. As the race progressed the now usual suspects started to emerge at the front of the fleet, with Douglas and Mark, sailing into the lead early on in the second beat, and Roger Gilbert and Ben McGrane progressing into second towards the end of the same beat. This order was maintained to the finish. Meanwhile Katie Nurton and Nigel Ash, having at start time being retying their mainsheet, made a fantastic recovery, getting into the top 10 by the first mark, and eventually pulling through into 3.
By the time race 2 came around the wind had softened, from the tenuous twin wire conditions 'enjoyed' in race 1 to bent knees at best, leaving the fleet struggling with the dirty waves which showed no sign of relenting. The well behaved fleet managed set off to another clean start with mixed opinions on which end was best, a temporary left hand swing sending a number of the main contenders down to the pin, however those at the committee boat benefited from the breeze filling back in from the right.
It was clear that finding or indeed being lucky enough to be in pressure was the key to this race, however placings at the windward mark mirrored the top 3 from the first race. Katie and Nigel, clearly enjoying the conditions, followed by Douglas and Mark, with Roger and Ben close behind.
Keeping a cool head in the difficult conditions was key to staying ahead. Katie and Nigel did fantastic job, even when they caught a piece of fishing net round their T-Foil on the final beat. Roger and Ben found some new pressure at the top of the second beat to overhaul Douglas and Mark, which set the positions for the finish.
Katie and Nigel therefore won the trophy on tie-break between the 3 boats on equal points. Racing tomorrow will be for the Lowestoft Bowl and the Hunstanton Plate. The forecast is looking good with sunshine and 10 to 15 knots of wind. Bring it on!
Llandudno Trophy Results:
| Pos | Sail No | Boat Name | Helm/Crew | R1 | R2 | Pts |
|---|
| 1 | GBR 1557 | ‑ | K Nurton/N Ash | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 2 | GBR 1561 | Marlyn | D Pattison/M Tait | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 3 | GBR 1541 | ‑ | R Gilbert
B Mcrane | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 4 | GBR 155 | Roxanne | N Jones/E FitzGerald | 5 | 4 | 9 |
| 5 | GBR 1530 | Smash It! | A FitzGerald/R Dobson | 4 | 5 | 9 |
| 6 | GBR 1559 | ‑ | A Partington/T Partington | 6 | 6 | 12 |
| 7 | GBR 1527 | Blue Fire | P MacDanell/L Boughton | 7 | 11 | 18 |
| 8 | GBR 1548 | ‑ | J Pearson/J Hunter Hamilton | 8 | 10 | 18 |
| 9 | GBR 1558 | Pink Dragon | K Hien/T Merkel | 12 | 8 | 20 |
| 10 | GBR 1545 | Hoff | J Reid/ E Dyer | 14 | 7 | 21 |
| 11 | GBR 1517 | ‑ | G Yeoman/J Yeoman | 9 | 12 | 21 |
| 12 | GBR 1563 | Puff | A Massey/H Hillary | 13 | 9 | 22 |
| 13 | GBR 1531 | Eagle 2 | A Penman/C Watson | 10 | 13 | 23 |
| 14 | GBR 1523 | ‑ | K Morrison/J Fowke | 11 | 16 | 27 |
| 15 | GBR 1519 | ‑ | O Sloper
H Mclean | 16 | 14 | 30 |
| 16 | GBR 1551 | Not Yet Dead | C Smith/I Smith | 17 | 15 | 32 |
| 17 | GBR 1554 | ‑ | P Crokford/C Bell | 15 | 17 | 32 |
| 18 | GBR 1562 | ‑ | A Cattanach/P Anderson | 18 | 18 | 36 |
| 19 | GBR 1488 | ‑ | D Van Essen
S Saccani | 20 | 19 | 39 |
| 20 | GBR 1500 | ‑ | L Stacpoole/H Stacpoole | 19 | 20 | 39 |
| 21 | GBR 1529 | ‑ | R Pascal/M Pascal | 21 | 21 | 42 |
| 22 | FRA 18 | ‑ | B Fritsch/ R Thibaud | 22 | 22 | 44 |
| 23 | GBR 1556 | ‑ | D Holman/D Ash | DNF | 23 | 47 |