2011 Laser 2000 Euro Cup sponsored by Purple Marine
by Andy Baldwin 4 Nov 2011 21:40 GMT
The inaugural Laser 2000 Euro Cup series held in 2010 with events in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales was deemed to be such a success that for 2011 we decided to add a truly European dimension and included a venue in Germany.
First off was the Irish Championship, held at Carlingford Lough YC over the weekend of 16–17 April. The generally light and shifty conditions ensured it was always close at the front, but in the final analysis John & Pauline Cox just managed to hold off Henry & Liz McLaughlin with James Waugh & Finbar Bradley only eased out on count-back.
The second event was the Scottish Championship, which was held on 4–5 June at East Lothian YC. The first day presented the competitors with a F4 from the north-east with a three-foot swell running due west, offering big gains to those who could get in phase with the waves. Day two brought a F3 breeze and a much reduced sea state; this allowed some of the lighter crews to move up in the fleet. The final results were also close with several places only decided on count-back. In first place were Iain & Sarah Yardley, with John & Sarah Haywood second and Robbie & Angus Lawson in third.
Next up on 27-28 August was the Welsh Championship at Bala SC. Competitors were treated to some typical summer weather; a breezy first day with driving rain followed on Sunday by a shifty F1-F5 and some interesting deviations from the normal windward leeward courses. Once again the results were heavily influenced by count-back with Steve McCulloch & Nicky Thomas just stealing the event from Helen & Andrew Philips with Dave & Kate Eccles in third place.
The final showdown for the 2011 series was a three-day event at the Möhnesee Sail Training Centre in Germany, organised by the Army Sailing Association from 25-28 October. By this time Steve & Nicky were leading the series but were unable to sail this last event. John & Pauline could win the series with a 3rd place whilst Helen & Andrew needed a 2nd.
Resident coach Simon Horsfield sailing with a scratch crew Tom Bernal dominated during the first two days of short-course racing, but with the final long distance race to the dam and back being non-discardable, both the event and the series were still wide open. Once again Simon and Tom led the fleet, initially by a significant margin, but after some 8 miles of racing it was Andy & Mark Baldwin who finished just 15 seconds later, with Helen & Andrew not far behind, now equal second on points in the event but third on count-back.
What a finale; Steve & Nicky equal on series points with Helen & Andrew and yet another count-back to determine the overall winners.
Many thanks to our series sponsor Purple Marine, to Noble Marine for subsidising youth entries and to all involved in organising and running the events at the host clubs.
Overall Euro Cup Series Results:
1st Steve McCulloch & Nicky Thomas (Grafham Water SC)
2nd Helen Phillips & Andrew Phillips (Cardiff Bay YC)
3rd John Cox & Pauline Cox (Chichester YC)
4th Karl McCluskey & Luke/Emma McCluskey (Nantwich & Border Counties SC)
5th George Thomson & Douglas Brand (West Lothian SC)
6th John Wilkin & John/Rebecca/Mark/Andrew (Shustoke SC)