Laser Club Championships at Swanage Sailing Club
by Eddie Mays, Ken Falcon & Henry Bagnall 2 Jul 2004 08:36 BST
26-27 June 2004
A total of 56 Standard rig and 33 Radials competed for the UKLA Club Championships at Swanage last weekend. With entry restricted to those who have not either won a recent National championship, in any class, or been selected for an international squad the event proves very popular with the mainstream club sailor. Performance Sailcraft (a.k.a. The Laser centre) provide the top prize in each fleet. A new Laser in exchange for the winning helm’s boat is an additional incentive.
Saturday’s three races were held in 20 kts winds from the Southeast, which caused a very choppy wave pattern. P.R.O. Ken Falcon used the Black Flag for all the day’s starts. In Race 1 the beat was against the tide and so it was important to get over to the right hand side of the course as soon as possible. By the top mark a group of three boats, Johan Hedberg (Queen Mary), Stephen Janering (Wembley) and Henry Bagnall (Gurnard) had managed to breakaway from the main fleet. This order was maintained until the last leg when local sailor Tim Baker found extra speed to get ahead of Bagnall. Bagnall got to the windward mark first in Race 2 and then gave everyone a chance to catch up while he went swimming. Hedberg needed no further invitation to gain his 2nd win. Behind him Chris Wright (Carsington), Bob Cudmore (Castle Cove) & Alistair Tate (Chew Valley) took the minor placings. The tide had turned for the final race and enough competitors were found over the line to cause a General Recall. Hedberg got clean away on the restart and built a commanding lead by the finish. Cudmore & Tate both moved up one place to 2nd & 3rd respectively and Paul Nicholson (R.A.F.) came 4th.
In the Radial fleet Adam Cockerill (Emsworth Slipper) won the first race ahead of Matt McCarthy (Weston), Patrick Hamilton (Burwain) and another Weston helm, Ian Morgan. Matt McCarthy then improved to take Race 2, ahead of Cockerill and Hamilton. James Cully from Norfolk Broad took 4th. In the final race Cockerill re-established his authority on the fleet with a 2nd win. Hamilton improved to 2nd, Morgan was 3rd and Alastair Nichol, another Emsworth Slipper sailor was 4th. McCarthy retired and this dropped him down the overnight placings.
Overnight the wind swung round to the Southwest. This gave calmer conditions but the wind did build during the late morning and into the early afternoon. With only two races to sail and an earlier start time an extra round was added to the course length. Ken Falcon tried the first start of the first race under an ‘I’ Flag. It didn’t work. The weather going tide took most of the Standard fleet across the line with 10 secs to go. The first restart, under the Black Flag, produced the same result. Four boats were identified and took no further part in the morning race. On the third attempt the fleet got away. Tate held a small lead at the top mark from the rest. He maintained this lead down the reaches but behind him places were changing regularly. By the top mark on the 2nd lap Bagnall had moved up to 2nd place ahead of Cudmore. The race was shortened at the bottom mark and on the run Bagnall lost out to both Cudmore and Richard Horn (Weston). The Radial fleet had less trouble starting. Cockerill and McCarthy dominated the fleet in 1st & 2nd. Chris Pinner from Oxford had his best result of the weekend with 3rd and Nichol further consolidated his overall position with 4th.
The Standard fleet got away cleanly at the start of the final race. Ian Gregory (Weston) led at the top mark, having come in from the left hand side of the beat. Bagnall, keeping the boat the right way up, overtook him on the reaches and these two kept their positions to the run. There the wind became patchier and the first five boats all squeezed up together. On the final beat Hedberg came through in a very tight finish to win from Chris Smith (Papercourt), Gregory, Cudmore & Bagnall. For the Radial fleet it was more of the same. Cockerill had the beating of McCarthy. Hamilton recorded his third 3rd place ahead of Pinner & Nichol.
Overall Results:
Standard Fleet: (56 entries)
1st 169143 Johan Hedberg Queen Mary 4 pts
2nd 174961 Bob Cudmore Castle Cove 11 pts
3rd 175854 Henry Bagnall Gurnard 18 pts
4th 158018 Alistair Tate Chew Valley 19 pts
5th 168798 David Acres Emsworth Slipper 26 pts
1st Master Johan Hedberg
1st Youth Henry Bagnall
Top Club Queen Mary 16 pts
Radial Fleet: (33 entries)
1st 173488 Adam Cockerill Emsworth Slipper 4 pts
2nd 163351 Matt McCarthy Weston 7 pts
3rd 166583 Patrick Hamilton Burwain 11 pts
4th 176760 Alastair Nichol Emsworth Slipper 20 pts
5th 171716 Nichola van Tienen Stokes Bay 25 pts
6th 167923 James Trewick Beer 25 pts
1st Youth Alastair Nichol
1st Junior 178322 James Chapple Guernsey
1st Master Matt McCarthy
Top Club Emsworth Slipper 15 pts