Blaze Nationals at Pembrokeshire Yacht Club

Last year the Blaze fleet hatched a cunning plan worthy of a place in a Blackadder plot. Confronted with two failed Nationals attempts due to lack of wind, the decision was taken to move the traditionally summer event to September, where it was felt autumnal weather systems would do the business.

Yet, as the pre-event week rolled on and weekend forecasts grew in detail it became increasingly clear that in this case, bad things come in threes. A system of high pressure sailed lazily up from the mid Atlantic during the week and hung in the manner of a hostile alien spacecraft directly over our optimistic heads.

None the less, a stubborn thirty two competitors turned out at Pembrokeshire Yacht Club, Milford Haven, for the annual Blaze class National Championships, 2009. The course to be sailed was a sausage-triangle arrangement. Racing was to take place over two areas, across the Milford Haven estuary, directly opposite the club and alternatively closer to the sea just outside Dale. Friday morning saw a light easterly breeze that shepherded the fleet downwind to the second sailing area, a journey taking the best part of an hour but hey, at least it was a comfortable ride!

Once arrived, a course was laid. Then the wind shifted dramatically Northward and it was laid again. Then the wind lightened, and lightened. The friendly ripples that had ushered man and boat onto the water slowly vanished, barely full sails sagged and flapped uselessly and an outgoing tide demonstrated in that relentless depressing way that only mother nature can, that resistance is truly futile. After two hours of occasional breaths of wind, the decision was taken to have the fleet sail home while they still could.

Not again...

Saturday morning did little to improve on the situation. With four races scheduled and propelled only by the same light easterly, the fleet made out directly across the Haven to sample the other racing area, where they had been promised steady breeze. With a repeat of friday's conditions a growing concern, a course was quickly laid, the AP flag dropped and the countdown of race one started. Defending champion and home club sailor Christian Smart (764) led a group off the port end and up the left side of the beat, arriving at the windward mark first. He was pursued by Nick Miller (757) and Mike Lyons (769). While Smart was never caught, second place was closely contended between Lyons and Miller, with Miller eventually winning out.

Race two was launched despite a dying breeze and gathering tide on the port side of the course. Miller rounded the windward mark first, followed by Chris Spicer (748) but neither was to claim victory. Andy Hewitt (760) cruised past both on the initial downwind leg and was never caught. Lyons closed down Miller and Spicer, as did local sailor Chris Holman (751) to claim second and third respectively.

The rest of the fleet finished in a frustrated procession, all roll gybes and statues crouched against the mast foot, such were the contortions the conditions required. The light easterly had by now faded to occasional breaths. After an hour of waiting and unable even to sail across the Haven, the fleet was towed home.

Doom and gloom (always good news for the breweries) reigned in the bar and before wetsuits were off some had comfort-pints in their hands. The word was that racing was postponed, not abandoned and that should wind present itself, any chance to race would be taken. “Yeah, right,” was the general response.

Then something amazing happened. That familiar northerly wind shift occurred again, exactly as it had on Friday. This time though, it was here to stay, shack up and bring its friends! I may be excused for attaching a sense of drama to a natural event that in the grand scheme of weather patterns is barely worthy of a footnote. Be assured though, this is a comment more on the state of fleet moral than on my personal feelings on the exciting possibilities of northerly wind shifts. Two failed nationals in one year (and an open to boot) and hardly compensatory conditions at the third attempt have taken their toll. With the prospect of genuinely exciting racing to look forward to, no time could be wasted and in that spirit an image that should forever epitomize the optimistic sailor could be seen, Chris Holman tentatively waddling down the launching ramp, boat in one hand, pint in the other.

A course was laid across the Haven, the guns were fired and the fleet shot off with enthusiasm up the first beat. And then with the sound of two further guns, they came back, recalled. When the fleet did get away it quickly became obvious that the windward mark required a bit of careful thought. An outgoing tide that dragged starboard boats down onto the mark, particularly strong in the shipping channel (close to the mark) made for a tricky approach. A lot could be gained from coming in on port tack and hooking under boats over standing on starboard. A lot could be lost too. Andy Conway (720) led from the starboard end of the start line, only to be met at the windward mark by Hewitt. While the lead wasn't conceded by Conway without a fight, Hewitt and Lyons slipped past offwind. Paul Hemsley (761) also challenged for the lead, third around the windward mark and second around the leeward. In the end Hewitt won out, followed by Lyons, Conway and Miller.

Race four saw the breeze build to a steady force three, occasionally gusting four and shift gradually easterly, by the end of the race a full 30 degrees. The majority of the fleet made their way up the right side of the beat, led by Conway (who in his enthusiasm was OCS) and Smart. Hewitt thrived in the stronger winds and took both early on, while Smart was relegated to fourth. Second was claimed solidly by Miller, while the battle for third saw Lyons and Holman contending. Events on the water however in, would play second fiddle to events off, as Lyons was protested out of the race by Smart after an incident on the ever-tricky windward mark.

Having got the doldrums blues out of their system, the anticipated Saturday night social did not disappoint traveling Blazers. Happily colliding with a birthday celebration at the club, the event was well attended, Live DJs played and several of the Blazers turned out to entertain in fancy dress costumes, even persisting to the following day in the form of water resistant face paint.

Sunday morning saw the familiar sight of a light easterly that was by now well associated with a long wait on the water. Despite leaving the shore on time, a postponement had to be made to allow the fleet to drift downwind to the racing area off of Dale. On the dying easterly, race five got underway, led by Smart from the starboard end of the line. He arrived at the windward mark unchallenged, but had to fight off Holman downwind to win out in a frustrating two leg race. Memories of Saturday morning were evoked in another cringe worthy downwind leg. Hewitt, Hemsley and Miller were followed by local sailor Ross Prytherch (662), who posted his best result of the event in sixth.

Then we waited...again.

After an hour, two boats abandoned. Half an hour later the fleet, conscious of the long journey home for some, began to seriously consider abandonment. It was at this point that we were rescued, not by a northerly shift, but by a light westerly (yes, that's a 180 degree shift) sea breeze blowing in from the mouth of the haven. It being September, this was never going to amount to much, but it was enough to pack in a final race. The pin end of the line, closest to the shipping channel and outgoing tide, paid and Smart led to the windward mark from it, followed by Toby Barsley-Dale (637), who in the absence of Simon Beddows, flew the Mark 1 flag with great aptitude, finishing ninth overall. Hewitt, determined not to let slip his lead in the final race, crept through to second, followed by Ben Fullalove (763) who posted his best result in third. Miller, ever reliable, posted a fourth in a procession of a race. A lot was decided after the final mark, where a downwind gate was posted, requiring a rounding of only a few degrees and a lot of last minute tactical gybing.

Andy Hewitt became National Champion, with 8 points from 6 races, discarding a 5th. Christian Smart finished second on 10 points and Nick Miller in third, as well as first master. First youth went to Chris Holman. In a characteristically modest speech, Hewitt thanked the race organizers for doggedly pursuing any chance of racing in frustrating conditions, as well as event organizer Christian Smart and his team for arranging a very well put together event with a stonking £1000 worth of prizes. Tribute was also paid to Mike Lyons of Cirrus Raceboats, the builder of the Mark 3 Blaze and driving force behind the class since it became independent of Topper in 2006.

Now on to the future. We've had our three doses of horrid horrid weather, we can be safe in the knowledge that the Blaze fleet's debt to whatever pagan God(dess) we've offended has surely been paid. In five weeks time Oxford sailing club will play host to the Blaze inland championships. My last memory of Oxford in the Blaze involves screaming downwind on the edge of control, dodging an interestingly placed concrete tower and praying that my legs would last the day. If that isn't worth the trip, I don't know what is. See you all there!

Overall Results: