Laser 4000 Nationals at South Caernarvonshire Yacht Club

The 2007 Laser 4000 national championships in Abersoch were overshadowed by the tragic death of Tim Atkinson on the second day of the championships. The incident is subject to an official enquiry which will be published in due course but the indications are that he was trapped under the boat during a capsize. Rescue crews were quickly at the scene and were able to right the boat and transfer Tim to the lifeboat. Unfortunately it was not possible to revive him.

The incident created a terrible shock amongst fellow competitors and looking out across the beautiful bay it was impossible to imagine that such a tragedy could have occurred in what were ideal sailing conditions. After a formal discussion amongst competitors the collective decision was made to continue with the event. This met with the approval of the other Irish sailors who had travelled with Tim. At 10 o'clock the following morning a minutes silence was held at the club and a collection to the rescue services was made. The class also decided to create the Tim Atkinson Memorial Trophy for the winner of the sixth race of this and future national championships, and Hugh Watson and Susannah Bickford were worthy winners of this trophy. The atmosphere thereafter was subdued but by continuing with the event the sailors remained together amongst friends, whilst they tried to come to terms with what had happened and reflect on the circumstances of the tragedy.

The championship was successfully defended for the first time in its history by Peter Barton sailing this year with Bonnie Moody (Royal Lymington). They eventually won through despite a strong and determined challenge from Mark Heather and Doug Horner (Wilsonian) and Hugh Watson & Susanna Bickford (RYA). A full breakdown of the results are available at www.laser4000.org.uk

The Laser 4000 class would like to pass on their condolences to Tim's family and friends and to thank the Rescue Services and the South Caernarvonshire YC for all of their efforts and help. In addition we would like to thank the Laser 2000 fleet, with whom the event was shared, and the other classes that have expressed their support.

Overall Results: