Noble Marine / Sailingfast ILCA 4 UK Qualifier 3 at the WPNSA

ILCA 4 UK Qualifier 3 at the WPNSA © Lotte Johnson / www.lottejohnson.com

The third of the final spring qualifiers was competed in glorious conditions on Sunday at WPNSA. These three events have seen 373 entries (including 34 Master entries) with 163 attending Q3 over the weekend.

Day 1 the fleets made their way out to race in the bay and saw 7-12 knots with slight chop going upwind, meaning boat speed had to be kept up with precise steering and use of mainsheet.

Race 1 started with a strong pin bias. The fleet, consisting of 22 girls and 32 boys, quickly spread out as wave technique varied among the sailors. The leaders came from the left side which had stronger wind and since we were doing inner loop, we were straight into the downwind. The waves were coming slightly from the left, pushing most the fleet to the right side of the downwind leg. Some sailors noticed this and steered a straight course, allowing them to gain places. The right gate (looking downwind) was more popular, leading to challenging lane holding after the Leeward mark. Sara Goujon secured the win followed by Will Moss and Thomas Saunders taking 2nd and 3rd, respectively.

Race 2 was similar with pin bias and the left side being favoured. Majority of the fleet went left resulting in chaos at the windward mark with some sailors doing turns. The top of the fleet was competitive throughout the race but ended with Toby Waggett in 1st, Will Moss getting another 2nd and Ben Anderson with 3rd.

ILCA 4 UK Qualifier 3 at the WPNSA - photo © Lotte Johnson / www.lottejohnson.com

Race 3 had a more square line however most the fleet still expected left to pay due to the wind direction and previous races. However, strong gusts on the right side meant most the fleet were stuck trying to work the left lay line hopelessly. Alex Jones led safely at the windward mark followed by Jess Powell and Seb Lyttle. The fleet was split at the gate, but the right side had more wind again on the second beat. Alex extended his lead and finished in first with Jess Powell and Sara Goujon following. After a long day on the water, Ben Anderson was leading with 12 points. Sara Goujon, Will Moss and Jess Powell followed with 14 points each, leaving Day 2 to decide everything!

Day 2 was slightly windier with about 10-15 knots South Westerly, however we were in the harbour as visibility was poor.

Race 1 had a slight pin bias which Alex Jones and Will Moss took advantage of, placing them at 1st and 3rd at the windward mark. However, Toby Waggett started at the committee boat and used his boat speed to work his way into 2nd. Toby and Alex battled for the rest of the race with Toby taking the win after Alex had to do turns. Will Miss took 3rd and Nina Marsh was 4th.

ILCA 4 UK Qualifier 3 at the WPNSA - photo © Lotte Johnson / www.lottejohnson.com

Race 2 had a pin bias again and this time all the leaders emerged from the left side, after connecting gusts and using shifts to their advantage. As the winds increased, fitness became an even more important factor especially on the second beat. At the second windward mark, Tate Kump, Oscar Bartlett and Ben Anderson were in the top 3 with Jess Powell just behind. After an intense reach and a challenging run, Jess managed to climb to 1st with Tate and Oscar following behind. With one race left to go, Alex Jones sat on only 12 points, Jess Powell on 15 and Ben Anderson on 16, meaning it was all to play for.

Race 3 - Once again the left side paid, with Nina Marsh and Ben Anderson using a mix of boat speed and strategy to lead to the windward mark. Jess Powell worked into 3rd place on the downwind leg and all 3 sailors headed far left on the second beat. After working the lay line hard, Ben rounded in first followed by Nina and Jess. On the final downwind leg, Ben went left with Jess in the middle and Nina on the right. Ben had room at the leeward mark and won the race with Jess finishing 2nd and Toby Waggett taking 3rd on the final reach. After this race, Ben and Jess were tied on points meaning it would go to count back to decide who won. They both had one 1st but Jess had two 2nds, meaning she finished 1st overall.

ILCA 4 UK Qualifier 3 at the WPNSA - photo © Lotte Johnson / www.lottejohnson.com

Jess Powell 1st, Ben Anderson 2nd and Alex Jones 3rd, who was one point behind, took podium finishes after the long weekend.

Youth Women - 1st Jessica Powell (u16), 2nd Nina Marsh, 3rd Sara Goujon
Youth Men 1st Ben Anderson (u16,) 2nd Alex Jones, 3rd William Moss.

A special mention must go to Ryan Surguy, Chloe Grayton (both 12 years old) and Sun Peixuan (just 13 years old). They have competed in both the WPNSA qualifiers Q2 and Q3. With Chloe coming 2nd in race 6 of Q2 and 14th overall. It's a fleet packed with enthusiasm and talent and these three have made a great start. [ILCAUK]

The UKLA Qualifier series is kindly sponsored by Noble Marine, Ovington Boats, Sailingfast and Rooster. In Qualifier 3 Rooster supplied the prizes which were gratefully received by all the sailors.

Massive thanks to all the volunteers, who without this event would not be possible. WPNSA were also fantastic, making pasta after sailing and making us feel very welcome.

Overall Results: