UKLA World & European Autumn Qualifier at Pwllheli Sailing Club

Sponsored by Noble Marine

An impressive 41 Laser Standards made the journey to the slightly disorientating Pwllheli Sailing Club at the weekend for the opening Autumn Qualifier. As the club continues to undergo transformation, sailors across the globe eagerly await the finished venue, which promises to only add to the wealth of high performance venues the UK already boasts.

With some high pressures dominating the charts, it was to be a weekend of light winds and some long delays. Fortunately on Saturday the wind played ball and the sailors were treated to a reasonably steady 5 -7 knots from the SSW all day.

Race one saw the leaders emerge from both sides of the race course with Alex Mills-Barton taking advantage of the pin-end bias and left shifts, whilst Harry Blowers won the right. Due to the nature of the conditions, speed differences were few and far between and the windward marks were always busy. Mills Barton maintained his lead whilst Elliot Hanson and Nick Thompson were just behind by the leeward mark. With big shifts and pressure differences on beat 2 it was a case of snakes and ladders with opportunities for all. Mills-Barton couldn't miss a shift if he tried and sailed well to extend his lead to the finish. The minor positions were fought out by the chasing pack, with Matt Reid staying in the pressure and sailing an excellent final run to secure second, ahead of Thompson in third.

In the second race the wind had shifted slightly left giving even more pin bias and putting more emphasis on the start. Mills-Barton and Hanson were first to tack and cross and led around the windward mark. Because of the shifting breeze the downwind leg was increasingly offset. Those who stayed in the pressure whilst sailing the shortest distance were the biggest gainers, Mills Barton however defended his lead well. The second lap again offered opportunity for all with Mills Barton, Thompson and Jack Wetherell linking the shifts and pressure best to finish in that order. Unfortunately Mills Barton was later identified as being OCS so the result didn't count.

The final race of the day had seen the wind become slightly more unstable and it took a while to reset the course with the left shift. Sailors who did a good job of having a lane out of the heavily congested pin end took a jump on the fleet. Mills Barton again led from Hanson and Kieran Hill at the first mark. With the pressure becoming ever more patchy, it was easy to find yourself parked up on the runs. Hanson led around the leeward for the second lap, but Lorenzo Chiavarini gained some leverage out on the right hand side to take the lead and hold on to the finish. From there on Hanson and Mills Barton defended on the remaining legs to take second and third respectively.

Sunday morning and the sailors arrived with a level of optimism which eventually paid dividends, as despite the forecast, they were released in what was a very similar breeze to day one. With a starboard biased line and more pressure edging down the right hand side, the leaders emerged from that side. Thompson squeezed ahead at the top mark ahead of Martin Evans and Reid. The downwind leg saw the leaders bunch together to make for some more tight racing heading on to the second lap. With boats splitting both left and right, Thompson kept his cool to bring home another race win and the overall. Chiavarini and Reid both battled it out for second and third but Reid couldn't find a way through and they finished in that order.

After a short wait the racing for the remainder of the day was cancelled, despite what looked like the most promising breeze of the weekend! The race committee's decision allowed the sailors an early get away, to prepare themselves for next weekend for the second Autumn Qualifier at Hayling Island.

Overall Results: (top five)

1st Nick Thompson 5pts
2nd Lorenzo Chiavarini 7pts
3rd Matt Reid 8pts
4th Elliot Hanson 11pts
5th Alex Mills Barton 12pts