Wanderer Nationals at Lymington Town Sailing Club
by Philip Meadowcroft 30 Jun 2004 23:44 BST
26-27 June 2004
Seventeen Wanderers contested the class National Championships held at Lymington Town SC over the weekend of 26th and 27th June. The event was held in testing conditions, and was shared with the Wayfarer Southern Areas and the Laser Stratos Nationals. Course-setting and race management was impeccable.
The first race was stated in a brisk F5 with a lumpy chop. Gavin Barr crewed by Mark Skipper won the start, pursued by Mike and James Clayton as well as Jack Mann and Adam Wickenden. The leading boats had however omitted to read the sailing instructions; and it was Russ and Liz Sharp followed by Michael and Jill Cook who sailed correctly through the finish gate on the second beat. They were followed frantically by Jack Mann who had turned round and sailed back thorough the gate. Mann passed Russ Sharp to finish first, with Michael and Jill Cook third and David Davies crewed by Vicky King fourth – the first two finishing two boats helmed by Gavin Barr and Mike Clayton being disqualified for missing the gate. The strong wind was proving testing, with the remainder of the fleet retiring for one reason or another; including Mike Hamilton and David Oates who found that a front buoyancy tank full of water was not good for boatspeed.
Race Two got underway in yet stronger wind and driving rain, with a reduced fleet of six boats. Gavin Barr won, with Mike Clayton second and Jack Mann third.
Only three boats stayed out for the Third race, which was sailed in much better conditions, the rain having stopped and the wind eased considerably. Once again Gavin Barr led from Mike Clayton and Jack Mann. A dropped spinnaker pole allowed Mann to pass Clayton on the second run. The race finished with a run up the Lymington River to the club finish line, and the manoeuvrings of the Lymington-Yarmouth ferry delayed Gavin Barr considerably, almost allowing Jack Mann to pass him. Barr won, with Mann second and Mike Clayton third.
Sunday dawned considerably brighter, but with no less strong, south-westerly wind. Eleven boats ventured out for race Four. A couple of boats (Philip and Jill Meadowcroft, and Andy and Michael Peter) elected to reef. Mike Clayton won the race, passing Gavin Barr and Mark Skipper on the run by going inshore to avoid the ebbing tide. Jack Mann was third with the Sharps fourth. Strong performances were also put in by Stephen and Sarah Clampin, and Colin and Sally Gilbert, to finish in very testing and distinctly unpleasant conditions.
Race Five was won by Mike Clayton again, with Gavin Barr second and Mann third.
The start of race Six showed the benefit of having reefed sails in such strong winds, with Philip and Jill Meadowcroft powering serenely up the first beat while all around were struggling The wind and swell was now the toughest of the whole weekend. A number of the competitors misjudged the, by now flooding, tide on a congested approach to the first mark. What many thought was a good layline rapidly turned into a nightmare. Barr rounded first followed by Mike Clayton who was hotly pursued by Jack Mann and Mike Powell. Mike Clayton capsized on the run and bent his mast spectacularly in the subsequent recovery, leaving Jack Mann to follow Gavin Barr to reach up into the Lymington river towards the club finish line. A lengthy capsize by Mann, however, allowed four chasing crews to pass their upturned dinghy. The outcome was that Mike Powell crewed by Chris Partington, gained their best result of the weekend, coming in second, followed by the Cooks, David Davies and Vicky Kling and the Meadowcrofts in that order. The reach back to the club finishing line provided exhilarating planning and boat speed.
Gavin Barr and Mark Skipper with three wins and two seconds became the 2004 Wanderer national champions, with Jack Mann and Adam Wickenden second and Mike and James Clayton, despite two hard-earned wins, third.
Overall Results: (6 races, one discard)
1st 1282 Gavin Barr and Mark Skipper (Whitstable YC) 7pts
2nd 1087 Jack Man and Adam Wickenden (British Airways SC) 12pts
3rd 1134 Mike and James Clayton (Spinnaker SC) 14pts
4th 318 David Davies and Vicky King (Stoke Gabriel BA/I.C.C.) 24pts
5th 814 Michael and Jill Cook (Bosham SC) 36pts
6th 878 Mike Powell and Chris Partington (Crawley Mariners YC) 40pts
7th 1024 Philip and Jill Meadowcroft (Salcombe SC/Henley SC) 59pts
8th 198 Andy and Michael Peter (Keyhaven SC) 65pts
9th 282 Russ and Liz Sharp (Old Carthusians SC) 66pts
10th 1318 Stephen and Sarah Clampin (Harwich Town SC) 78pts
11th 1163 Colin and Sally Gilbert (Hunts SC) 91pts
12th 992 Mike Hamilton and David Oates (CSSA) 100pts
12th 893 Peter and Elva Wallace (Burghfield SC) 100pts
12th 685 Fred Daborn and Reg Simpson (RYA) 100pts
12th 183 Bob and Karin Northover (Bristol Avon SC) 100pts
12th 1433 John Metzner and G. Patrick (Lymington Town SC) 100pts
12th 799 John Bishop (Chichester YC) 100pts