Zhik Laser SB3 Nationals at Royal Southern Yacht Club

Gill Race Team take 2nd place in the SB3 National Championships © Laser SB3 Class Association

3 Sad Old Blokes take 3rd place in the SB3 National Championships © Laser SB3 Class Association

Congratulations to Joe Llwellyn, Nigel Wakefield and Ben Vines on Henri Lloyd – Forelle Estates, winners of the 2011 Zhik UK Laser SB3 National Championships which concluded on Tuesday at the Royal Southern Yacht Club, Hamble.

Racing on the final day of the Championships was abandoned due to the wind conditions. With less than 4 knots of steady pressure, Race Officer Tony Lovell abandoned racing to ensure a fair result for the event. Had a 10th race been run in poor conditions, a second discard would have been applied to the fleet’s results.

Catching up with Joe after the prizegiving, he explained, “We're so pleased with our decision to buy our own boat and join the Laser SB3 fleet. The racing is so close and this event has provided the best sailing you could ask for, with great conditions, strong competition throughout the fleet and first class race management as always from the Royal Southern. Nigel and Ben have been awesome to sail with and I'm absolutely over the moon to have won the event!”

Joe Llwellyn wins the Laser SB3 UK National Championships for a second time, having previously won the event in Largs with Jerry Hill in 2008. Ben Vines replaced Jerry “Pasty” Vigus who is recovering from surgery having dislocated his shoulder in the penultimate race at the 2011 World Championships in Torquay.

Henri Lloyd – Forelle Estates were also winners of the “Best Newcomer” trophy as Joe owns and helms his own Laser SB3 for the first time in the 2011 National Championships. However, being the gentlemen that they are, they passed their prize to second placed best new comers Doug Paton, Matthew Thomas and Roddy Anderson on Superfly who travelled from Glasgow to compete. Ray Davies, Ray Newman and Graham Bridle on healthyone.co.uk won the “Salty Sea Dog” prize awarded to the best placed crew with an average age of 50 years plus.

After 10 years of great racing, the Laser SB3 class remains the number one sportsboat sailing choice in the UK. A newly formed fleet of boats will race in Scotland, based on The Clyde in 2012; Torquay remains a strong fleet and there is also regular racing in Brightlingsea on the East Coast as well as the large Solent fleet. Jerry Hill and Craig Burlton, both previous World Champions and long term owners in the Laser SB3 class enjoy racing the boat so much they both claim, “There’s nothing else they’d rather be sailing.” The 2012 calendar is in the final stages of planning, so if you’d like to get involved in this great fleet, contact Katie Ashworth for further details .

Thanks from the UK Class Association to our title sponsor Zhik and our supporting sponsors Hamble Yacht Services and LaserPerformance who all contributed to making the event the success it was.

Full results [PDF]